NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
FOR ORAL REPLY
QUESTION 81
DATE OF PUBLICATION OF INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 28/02/2012
(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 05/2012
Mrs JD Killian (Cope) to ask the Minister of Basic Education:
What (a) was the educator absenteeism rate in each province in (i) 2010 and (ii) 2011 and (b) additional interventions does she intend to implement in the current academic year
REPLY
(a) Information on the absence or leave is routinely collected and captured on the PERSAL system. However, over the years the Department has recognised that the school-based educator absence information on PERSAL is not entirely reliable due to under-recording as resulting from various challenges. These include management and administration of leave at school level, efficiency and effectiveness of the processes of submission and capturing of leave forms onto PERSAL. It was therefore decided that while work is being undertaken to improve the administration of leave from school level through the system and the reliability of the PERSAL system, regular studies will be undertaken to supplement the PERSAL data in order to obtain more accurate statistics of educator absence. The first study of this nature was conducted in 2009 focusing specifically on educator absence while the second survey conducted as part of gathering information on other issues in addition to absenteeism was conducted in November 2011. The results of the latter study are not yet available.
This reply will therefore be based on the recent research on educator leave commissioned by the Department of Basic Education in 2009 (Report published in 2010). The study analysed recorded leave data on PERSAL and the data collected through visits to a sample of schools. As part of the analysis, the findings of the Khulisa Audit study conducted in 2008 were also used as a proxy measure. The study concluded that the absentee rate was estimated at about 8%. This rate covered all forms of absence which included leave taken in terms of the leave prescripts, attendance of official activities such as workshops and meetings, undertaking official duties away from schools excursions and sports trips. The 8% rate was reached after discounting 0.5% representing maternity leave after finding that schools were generally successful in finding replacement educators.
(i) Although the study was undertaken in 2009, it is believed that the rate of absence in 2010 is unlikely to differ markedly from the results reported here.
(ii) Although the study was undertaken in 2009, it is believed that the rate of absence in 2011 is unlikely to differ markedly from the results reported here.
The Table below provides a breakdown of estimates per province:
|
Province
|
Absence Rate
|
|
Eastern Cape
|
10.5%
|
|
Free State
|
7.2%
|
|
Gauteng
|
9.4%
|
|
KZN
|
10.3%
|
|
Limpopo
|
8.8%
|
|
Mpumalanga
|
8%
|
|
Northern Cape
|
8.5%
|
|
North West
|
8.9%
|
|
Western Cape
|
8.2%
|
Source: DBE 2010
(b) Following the findings in the 2009 study, a number of recommendations were made to the Provincial Education Department and discussed at HEDCOM. The recommendations included the reduction of time away from school on official business; targeted reduction of leave rates focussing on schools where leave rates are greater than 10%; continuous improvement of the processes to record leave onto the PERSAL system; and ways to improve leave management and administration at school level which included issuing of leave management guidelines and inclusion of leave management in the training of school managers and administrators.
The results of the absenteeism aspects of the survey undertaken in 2011 will indicate whether improvements have been achieved. This will assist the Department to develop additional measures going forward.