The Teacher looks at who’s who in education in the nine provinces.
Limpopo
Namane Dickson Masemola
Previous position: Former acting MEC for the department of roads and transport
What he brings to education: All indications are Masemola is a hands-on man and a consultative leader, but stakeholders have adopted a “wait and see” stance. He has not wasted time on the job and has set up meetings with unions and other role players to discuss the way forward in the province —- this is important because of the province’s poor showing in the 2008 national senior certificate exam with a pass rate of only 54.3%. His experience as the executive mayor of the Greater Sekhukhune District Municipality should serve him well in his dealings with the district education offices.
What he should prioritise: There are reports of serious problems in the provincial department’s administration and Masemola will have to move swiftly to deal with issues such as the late payment of teacher salaries and making sure the district offices are well run. He will have to sort out rural allowances for teachers and the infrastructure backlog at schools.
North West
“OJ” Tselapedi
Previous position: Education MEC since 2004
What he brings to education: Tselapedi is one of a few education MECs to retain his position in the provincial government. This could be a reward for the improvement of grade 12 passes from 64.9% in 2004 when he took office to 68% in 2008. Hailed for his management skills, Tselapedi’s retention could point at the commitment of the new provincial leadership to prioritise education through retention of Tselapedi.
What he should prioritise: Stakeholders want him to increase the number of quality teachers by inviting retired teachers back into the profession and encouraging more learners to consider teaching as a profession. Funding of rural schools is an issue and unions have urged him to introduce more discipline into the province’s schools, starting by taking swift action against teachers who are not in class during teaching time.
Free State
Tate Makgoe
Previous position: Former MEC for finance
What he brings to education: Having served in the provincial legislature since 1994, Makgoe brings a wealth of experience to the table and has a steady track record in the province, particularly for his consistent leadership in his previous portfolio. He holds a master’s degree in business leadership from Unisa, which should come in handy in a provincial depart-ment of education that is financially crippled.
What he should prioritise: The department has been without a permanent head of department since early 2008. It needs to appoint a competent manager who will address the collapse in the administration. This was highlighted by the failure to provide a workable school transport system, which is vital in a province where many children live far away from schools. The province also ran out of money before the end of the last financial year.
Northern Cape
Griselda Cjiekella
Previous position: Former deputy speaker in the provincial legislature
What she brings to education: Cjiekella is a surprise appointment. She takes over from stand-in education MEC John Block, who has been standing in for former MEC Archie Lucas since December 2008. It’s not clear why Cjiekella was chosen for this portfolio because she has little experience in education except for a short-lived career as a teacher. Opposition parties in the province described her as a “very good deputy speaker and wonderful person” but these qualities might not be enough to tackle the education challenges in South Africa’s largest province.
What she should prioritise: The department has serious problems in the area of administration and by all accounts its finances are in disarray, with reports of schools having services cut due to non-payment. The adequate supply of teachers to schools and the issue of hiring temporary teachers on a permanent basis must be priorities, as well as the provision of resources.
Mpumalanga
Regina Mhaule
Previous position: Mhaule is a former mayor and speaker of the Mbombela Municipality in the province
What she brings to education: Having been mayor and speaker, Mhaule is well versed in local and governance issues but relatively inexperienced when it comes to education issues, say provincial observers, who claim the provincial education department faces myriad serious challenges, including administrative difficulties, and requires an experienced hand to hit the ground running. Mpumalanga was the province that had the biggest problems with the late release of grade 12 results last year. The department’s weak administrative abilities were blamed for this.
What she should prioritise: Those familiar with the province say the first and immediate challenge is to raise the morale of teachers who are depressed by the lack of progress in education at all levels. Mhaule needs to find a new head of department with the necessary administrative skills and experience; she must address the problem of infrastructure to deal with the widespread overcrowding; more importantly, she needs to ensure speedy implementation of teacher development.
KwaZulu-Natal
Senzo Mchunu
Previous position: Former ANC secretary general in KwaZulu-Natal
What he brings to education: Mchunu was the chairperson of the education portfolio committee in the provincial legislature. This experience must have given him a sense of the nature and scope of educational challenges in the province. The fact that he was a chief administrative officer in the ANC should count in his favour to take the province to the next level by hastening policy implementation and ensuring rural schools receive proper and adequate resources. Last year the grade 12 pass rate was 57.6%. Although he does not have the experience of running a big structure like a ministry, this should not be a problem if he retains Dr Cassius Lubisi as his head of department for support and guidance.
What he should prioritise: His immediate challenge is to sort out the labour relations tiffs that resulted in a standoff recently between the education department and some administrative staff. He must lobby more intensely for more financial resources to meet the needs of the vast province and ensure that his officials at district level provide regular support and services, particularly to schools in the rural areas.
Gauteng
Barbara Creecy
Previous position: MEC of sport, arts, culture and recreation
What she brings to education: Creecy is not new to education. From 2001 to 2004 she was the head of the provincial portfolio committee. She has extensive experience as an adult educator, community field worker and organisational development specialist.
What she should prioritise: She must address the two-tier system of well-performing suburban schools and struggling township schools that has developed in the province. The performance of the suburban schools has masked the fact that township schools are in crisis. She will have to build more classrooms because the province battles every year to cope with the growing numbers of learners from other provinces. Estimates put classroom shortfall at 174. She will have to be bold enough to rein in teacher unions to ensure there is stability within the teaching fraternity. She must ensure efforts succeed to help improve the poor levels of literacy and numeracy at lower grades.
Western Cape
Donald Grant
Previous position: A former DA municipal councillor of Bitou in the Southern Cape and a businessman with an MBA
What he brings to education: He brings little education skills to this critical portfolio. His biggest asset is the managerial skills he acquired through his involvement in business. He is a political novice having joined mainstream politics only this year. Grant acknowledges his need to learn; he reportedly said after learning of his appointment that he would have “to do crash courses on education”.
What he should prioritise: He must address the growing inequalities between the poor township-based and opulent urban schools; he will have to maintain the provincial performance in the grade 12 results and deal with major social and economic problems, such as violence and alcohol abuse, which affect the performance of schools.
Eastern Cape
Mahlubandile Qwase
Previous position: MEC for education
What he brings to education: He has a thorough knowledge of the problems bedevilling the province, having been in the position since September last year. He was also the head of the provincial portfolio committee of education. He has won confidence from all major role players in the province since his appointment last year. He has been described as a “workaholic” and a “good listener”, who is “open to suggestions”. He is seen as the right person to unravel the chaotic state of education in the province.
What he should prioritise: Qwase must address the department’s collapse with the help of the national department of education, which stepped in to assist the province earlier this year; tackle the high vacancy rate at the head office and fill posts at district offices; deal with the chronic financial, management and administrative skills deficit; and stem pervasive corruption and fraud. He also needs to halt the increasing number of learners who drop out.