The Department of Basic Education (DBE) is aware of the non-payment of some General as well as Education Assistants employed as part of the Basic Education Employment Initiative or BEEI. Basic Education Department committed to ensuring payments of General and Education Assistants are concluded. From December 2020 to March 2021. More information about this.
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In April 2020, Cyril Ramaphosa announced a R500 billion fiscal stimulus package. Subsequently, the Department of Basic Education (DBE) has submitted funding requests to the National Treasury for various projects including the Education Assistants Programme (EducAP), Janitors, Screeners, Caretakers and Cleaners.
National Treasury has approved the funding request and has made a R7 billion allocation for the Basic Education Employment Initiative, of which R6 998 billion is allocated to provinces and R 1. 2 million to DBE for monitoring and oversight.
The Basic Education Employment Initiative will (a) provide 200 000 education assistants and 100 000 other assistants to schools to ensure continued learning and teaching in a safe environment and (b) to support the saving of SGB posts at fee-paying schools and posts at government subsidized independent schools.
FUNDS
The R7 billion allocation will be divided as follows:
• R 4,47 billion to employ 200 000 Education Assistants (EA) and 100 000
Other Assistants (AO) – Janitors, Cleaners, Screeners, Caretakers, etc.;
➢ EAs and OAs will be paid a stipend of R3 500 with 1% contributed
towards UIF;
• R 1 200 000 for provincial project management;
• R 1 200 000 is allocated to DBE for Support, Monitoring and Oversight;
• Up to 1% of provincial allocation may be used for training; and
• Part of the allocation should be channeled to:
➢ saving SGB posts at fee paying schools – R1,43 billion; and
➢ posts at government subsidised independent schools – R 1,0 billion
https://irp-cdn.multiscreensite.com/c0cc1c10/files/uploaded/UNIONS%20Presentation%20on%20Implementation%20of%20the%20Education%20Employment%20Initivative%2011%20Oct%202020.pdf
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https://smile904.fm/listen-youth-invited-to-apply-for-3000-d-b-e-employment-initiative-jobs/
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https://twitter.com/DBE_SA/status/1384433886814515201
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PAYMENT
Ngcobo, Mr SL to ask the Minister of Basic Education to ask the Minister of Basic Education
With reference to the Presidential Youth Employment Initiative (details furnished) where recipients will be given a stipend of R3 500 per month and are expected to assist in teaching and learning, administration duties, general maintenance and cleaning, data capturing as well as facilitating sports, safety and health-related activities, what (a) measures has her department put in place to ensure that recipients will be (i) youth with no criminal record and (ii) effectively inducted into the codes of conduct of the school and her department, (b) selection criteria will be utilised to determine who will be chosen and (c) form of skills transfer can the recipients expect to gain from participating in this programme?
Reply:
(i) will be youth with no criminal record
The Department, working together with Provincial Education Departments (PEDs), acknowledges the need for the youth employed in schools, as part of the Presidential Employment Stimulus Package, to be members of society, without criminal records. As such, the Implementation Framework for the Basic Education Employment Initiative (BEEI) makes it mandatory for all youth employed in schools to submit a copy of their most recent Police Clearance Certificate (PCC), issued by the South African Police Service (SAPS). The Department has taken into account that the processing of PCCs takes time to be finalised. As such, PEDs have been advised to inform School Principals to request youth appointed in their schools to submit confirmation that they have made an application for a PCC. All participants are required to have submitted their PCCs by January 2021.
In addition to this measure, PEDs are required to work with their counterparts, the provincial Departments of Social Development (DSD), to run the IDs of incumbents against the Sexual Offenders’ Register. This is meant to protect our learners, as well as to ensure that schools remain as protective environments for our children to the extent necessary.
A further measure put in place is for the youth to have submitted testimonials, affirming their standing in their communities, as part of the documentation required to finalise appointments.
(ii) will be effectively inducted into the codes of conduct of the schools?
All schools are required to use the period following immediately after finalising appointments to rollout an induction and orientation programme. To facilitate this, the Department has finalised an orientation manual for Education Assistants and General School Assistants. This manual has been mediated through the training of District Directors, Circuit Managers and School Principals.
Once the youth have taken up their positions, Principals are required to ensure that induction and orientation are provided to all. The DBE orientation manual should be augmented with programmes designed by schools, supported by their Circuits.
(b) What selection criteria will be utilised to determine who will be chosen
The following standard criteria have been discussed and agreed with PEDs:
- that the recruits are 18 – 35 years old;
- that they reside in the community where the school is located;
- a special dispensation is provided for Schools for Learners with Special Education Needs (LSEN). PEDs have been advised to inform such schools that when they undertake recruitment processes, they should target their former learners who are suited to work in the schools;
- a minimum of NQF Level 4 qualification for Education Assistants and General School Assistants; and
- Since Education Assistants will be required to work with teachers and learners in classrooms, having an NQF level 7 qualification will be an added advantage.
(c) What form of skills transfer can the recipients expect to gain from participating in this programme
The Department has developed an inventory of training programmes, with the following five focus areas:
- Child and Youth Care Workers (CYCW) to provide Psychosocial Support to learners;
- Curriculum to claw-back on the losses imposed by the outbreak of COVID-19;
- Reading Champions to respond to one of the key Sector priorities;
- Infrastructure to support critical school infrastructure maintenance, and
to conduct an infrastructure condition assessments that will inform future maintenance work; and
- e-Cadre programme to support schools and teachers with the following
ICT related activities – Basic ICT equipment troubleshooting, use of ICT in lesson planning, ICT school management Tools (SASAMS),
Integration of ICT in Teaching and Learning, Audit of schools for ICT readiness, and Loading Open Educational Resources on teacher and
learner devices to be used in the classrooms.
The training programme will be provided in collaboration with various partners.
https://pmg.org.za/committee-question/15482/
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Follow-up
1195
Mr S L Ngcobo (IFP) to ask the Minister of Basic Education: to ask the
Minister of Basic Education:
With reference to her media briefing on 30 April 2021 regarding the end of her
department’s youth employment initiative, (a) how will the second phase of the
initiative be rolled out and (b) what support structures are there to support
teachers and learners in the immediate period since the second term
commences in May 2021?
Response
(a) The Department is using successes achieved and lessons learnt from Phase 1 of the Presidential Youth Employment Initiative (PYEI) – Basic Education Employment Initiative (BEEI), to plan for Phase 2 of the Initiative. In order to address COVID-19 related challenges on teaching and learning, there will still be a bias towards supporting educators through Education Assistants. General School Assistants will also be provided to assist schools to implement the necessary health, safety and hygiene measures. The details regarding implementation, will be announced once funding has been confirmed and planning finalised.
(b) The PYEI – BEEI is part of a temporary relief programme to alleviate the impact of COVID-19, for which limited funding was provided. The established management and governance structures in the Provincial Education Departments will continue to support teachers, learners and schools. Through the Quality Learning and Teaching Campaign (QLTC), the sector mobilises communities to support education as a societal matter.
https://www.parliament.gov.za/storage/app/media/Docs/exe_rq_na/bba3c8ff-f4ad-4e1c-b479-d792d3aa88fb.pdf
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The Portfolio Committee and Select Committee on Education held a joint virtual meeting on 24 November 2020 for a briefing by the Department of Basic Education (DBE) on school readiness monitoring for 2021, Second Chance Matric Programme (SCMP) and the Basic Education Employment Initiative (BEEI).
Government had allocated R7 billion budget to the Basic Education Employment Initiative as part of the COVID-19 stimulus package. This will run for four months from 1 December to 31 March 2021. Mr Paddy Padayachee, DBE DDG: Planning, Information and Assessment, reported that National Treasury committed a R7 billion allocation for the BEEI. Initially, the money was considered a Conditional Grant
DBE hopes the initiative will work well in order for budget to be allocated for its continuation. The programme aims to provide Provincial Education Departments (PEDs) with teaching assistants, cleaning and COVID-19 screening job opportunities. DBE reported schools applied for relief and the application process for saving posts had come to an end. Most provinces are running smoothly and where there have been delays such as Gauteng, progress is still being made. Posts were being selected and will be reported on.
The BEEI positions the sector to address systematic challenges and to begin to make strides towards a post-COVID-19 future. DBE established a framework that each school requires a minimum of two Education Assistants (EAs) in public and special needs schools which constituted R4.47 billion from the budget. Quintile 1-3 schools have been prioritised, however a few Quintile 4-5 schools are thoroughly provided for as well as special needs schools. DBE aims to allocate 319 060 EAs and General School Assistants (GSA). As part of the stimulus package, the funds are subject to being audited.
https://pmg.org.za/committee-meeting/31561/
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TRAINING
The training forms part of the Presidential Youth Employment Initiative (PYEI), implemented as the Basic Education Employment Initiative (BEEI), which created more than 300,000 job opportunities for youth across the country.
Johannesburg, South Africa: 01 July, 2021 – The Department of Basic Education partnered with Microsoft to provide digital skills training to 25 000 unemployed youth in South Africa, as part of the Basic Education Employment Initiative (BEEI), which created more than 300,000 job opportunities across the country. This initiative forms part of the broader announcement by Cyril Ramaphosa in October 2020 of a R100 billion fund to create 800 000 public sector jobs in the next three years.
The training, which ran until the end of March 2021, combined virtual remote instructor-led training and self-paced online learning using Microsoft Teams. It equipped successful candidates identified by the individual Provincial Education Departments with skills needed for their duties as education assistants to support teachers and learners in approximately 25 000 schools across the country.
https://www.sagoodnews.co.za/department-of-basic-education-partners-with-microsoft-on-digital-skills-training-for-25-000-unemployed-youth/
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ONAFHANKLIK 