Here are 5 key reasons why Ramaphosa should fire Minister Angie Motshekga on the spot and why our Motion of No Confidence in the cabinet should pass
17 March 2022
Following the DA’s Motion of No Confidence in the cabinet of President Cyril Ramaphosa, we have been laying out reasons for this very important and necessary step.
Even though Basic Education Minister, Angie Motshekga, consistently proves that she is not a capable office bearer, failing to get even the basics right in her department, she clings to power.
The final straw for Motshekga should have been in 2018 as the Ramaphosa era commenced. A study that year found that South African teachers could not pass simple mathematics and English tests, with some scoring as low as 10% for English first additional language and 5% for maths.
If that was not testament to Minister Motshekga’s poor performance, then her empty promises of eradicating pit toilets – made that very same year and which she failed to deliver on – should very much give Ramaphosa good reasons to fire her.
Here are 5 key reasons why President Ramaphosa should fire Minister Motshekga on the spot and why our Motion of No Confidence in the cabinet should pass:
Failure to eradicate pit toilets and ensure safe sanitation in schools
In 2014, Michael Komape drowned in a pit toilet. He was not the first or last child to pass away under these circumstances. This draws attention to the lack of proper toilets in many schools.
The SAFE initiative was launched by the minister in 2018 with the target to eradicate pit toilets within three years. The deadline continues to be extended. Eradication of pit toilets was supposed to be complete in 2022. As of 10 January 2022, 1423 schools remained with pit toilets that need to be replaced.
Failing to address the high learner drop-outs
Last year, 897 163 learners registered to write the NSC examination. The grade 10 enrolment in 2019 was however 1 045 424. This means that at least 148 261 learners dropped out of the system and did not complete matric.
Currently, there are no adequate tracking mechanisms as well as retention strategies to ensure that these learners either stay in school or register at a TVET.
Many learners drop out without having the skills to adequately contribute to the country's economy.
Minister Motshekga omits this critical fact in her announcement of the matric examinations which paints a picture that does not meet the realities on the ground of high drop outs.
Failing to address poor quality teaching
In South Africa, many teachers cannot pass the very same tests they teach.
According to SACE, the target for the percentage of educators verified for the continuing professional development uptake was 40%. The actual achievement of this was 7.36% for 2020/21. The target for teacher professional development was already low, and they failed to meet this target.
In 2019, 10 000 educators were targeted to be supported on “professional matters”. In 2020/21 the achievement was 0. There is a clear need for improved output on this target.
In the minister's performance agreement, she has promised to eradicate corruption within the sector. Over and above the corruption allegations found within the Covid SIU report, the department has seen certain posts for teachers and principals being given to individuals who had paid cash to secure the jobs.
The practice of "selling" or arranging jobs for teachers or principals or any individual for that matter is problematic as these impact on the quality of teaching as well as create a culture of corruption within our education system. Anybody who applies for a post in the education system must be appointed on merit.
Poor education outcomes
Students experienced constant disruption to their education for the last two years. These have undoubtedly impacted the quality of their reading and writing. Learners are up to two years behind in these skills.
Systemic testing is the best way to measure these impacts, however the minister only intends on fully implementing systemic tests in 2024.
The Western Cape has however already implemented such tests, which show critical negative decline on language and maths. These subjects form the foundations of learning and urgent interventions need to be implemented in order to ensure learners do not fall even further behind. Her stalling of implementing such a test is concerning. It is also unclear how the minister will implement the systemic testing.
Support for the BELA Bill
The Bill gives government department heads increased power to determine language and admission policies within schools.
The minister, through this bill is taking further powers away from the school communities.
Issued by Bax Nodada, DA Shadow Minister of Basic Education, 17 March 2022
