Media Statement by the Acting Director-General: Basic Education, Mr Bobby Soobrayan , Pretoria, 04 February 2010

The Acting Director-General: Basic Education, Mr Booby Soobrayan firmly refutes some of the media reports (see here) on his presentation to the Portfolio Committee on Basic Education in Cape Town on Wednesday 03 February 2010. The Acting Director-General wishes to clarify that at no point of his presentation to the Portfolio Committee did he put the blame on all teachers for the challenges that Basic Education currently faces.

Mr Soobrayan did acknowledge that there were some teachers in the system who may not be displaying the requisite competence and do not show commitment to quality teaching, but he wishes to emphasise that the majority of South Africa's teachers are dedicated professionals who give of their best at all times and who serve the needs of learners, their schools and indeed the country, with pride and commitment. The Acting Director-General wishes to point out to the media that reckless and distorted reporting serves only to demoralise those teachers who are performing their duties, and further, that reporting of this nature is not in the best interests of improving the education system as a whole.

Mr Soobrayan set out the ways in which underperforming teachers would be supported and explained the teacher development strategies that are currently being put in place, but also emphasised the need for strengthening accountability of those teachers and indeed, throughout the system.

Mr Soobrayan's presentation highlighted that there were a number of challenges that education faces including the socio-economic contexts in which schools were situated and highlighted issues of poverty, race, geographic location and poor school infrastructure amongst others. The Acting Director-General also highlighted the areas in the system that hampered the achievement of quality education including the need to strengthen district and provincial support to schools and improved school management. 

Mr Soobrayan also emphasised that there needed to be a fundamental shift in how to intervene throughout all levels of the system. Mr Soobrayan acknowledged that it was necessary that throughout the education system the emphasis should be on accountability and commitment.

Mr Soobrayan acknowledged the need for the Department to work with other education stakeholders, including teacher unions to ensure the delivery of quality education and highlighted the commitment from unions along with other stakeholders to the achievement of this goal. His presentation emphasised the commitment to quality education by the unions through their sectoral pledges in support of the Quality Learning and Teaching Campaign.

The Acting Director-General was frank in setting out all the challenges facing education at this time but also emphasised the steps that the Department had introduced from the beginning of this year to address these challenges with the emphasis on improving literacy and numeracy from the Foundation Phase, strengthening curriculum implementation and teacher development, amongst other measures.

Issued by the Department of Basic Education, February 4 2010

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