Ms Jenny Rault-Smith, Director: Curriculum Development
Principals and representatives of the different schools
Members of School Management Teams (SMT)
Teachers of BCM schools representing all EMDCs
Representatives of Higher Education Institutes
Business leaders, presenters and exhibitors
Curriculum Planners and Advisers from WCED
(BCM FOCUS SCHOOLS: Bergriver Secondary, Bernadino Heights High School, Bridgton Secondary, Elsies River High School, Esselenpark Secondary, Gardens Commercial High School, ID Mkize Secondary School, Zola Secondary)
Ladies and Gentlemen, our white paper on e-education states that …”the introduction of ICT in education represents an important part of government’s strategy to improve the quality of learning and teaching across the education system.
“The policy intention is to focus on learning and teaching for a new generation of young people who are growing up in a digital world and are confortable with technology”.
Furthermore, the White Paper says we need to: “extend and enrich educational experiences across the curriculum; build digital and information literacy so that all learners become confident and competent in using technology; use ICTs as capacity building for teachers; and lastly use ICTs as tools for redress and equity”.
I am told that all eight schools have presented their achievements yesterday, and from the reports it was clear that the schools have all made big strides in providing ICT supported teaching and learning, especially regarding mediation of the subject content through the use of Inter-active Whiteboards and Computer Laboratories.
I am delighted to hear that all the eight BCM focus schools, which were selected from disadvantaged communities, have despite their circumstances performed well in the focus area of Business, Commerce and Management studies.
In this country we are confronted with poverty and unemployment. A damaged country like ours needs an education programme that is both healing and empowering. This dual vision has informed the outcomes that we are targeting. We need to work actively on developing core values.
Both our citizens as individuals and our economy need to grow. At the same time, in the world of the information explosion, learning cannot be mediated, produced or tested in old ways. Information literacy and critical literacy are fundamentals. The sources we use are different; new skills are needed.
Working in the field of Business, Commerce and Management, I think it goes without saying that our schools across the board must include a subject like Computer Applications Technology in order prepare our learners to meet the demands of the 21st century.
It is important for schools to deliver the curriculum at a high level in order to build the capacity of learners in order to master the skills and values of the Accounting, Business Studies, Economics and Computer Applications Technology and obtain the knowledge required to live and work in a competitive national and global business environment.
It has become increasingly important for school leavers to have developed a range of managerial, consumer, financial and computer skills to enable them to function optimally in the economy.
Entrepreneurial knowledge skills and attitudes form an integral part of the Economic and Management Sciences learning area in the General Education and Training (GET) band; and of Business Studies in the Further Education and Training (FET) band.
The BCM subjects should therefore contribute significantly to empowering learners in these essential life skills not only to contribute to the sustenance of existing business but also to contribute to poverty alleviation in the province and ultimately to that of the national economy.
Focus schools have been placed in an advantageous position whereby they are able to contribute significantly to the upliftment of learners traditionally from disadvantaged communities.
These schools are strategically placed to play a major role in the building of capacity of learners in the fields of Accounting, Business Studies, Economics, Entrepreneurship and Computer Applications Technology. Teachers at BCM focus schools should also assume a leading role in the achievement of academic excellence of the related subjects.
The challenge is therefore for principals and teachers within the BCM focus schools to strive towards providing teaching and learning in the fields of Business, Commerce and Management of exemplary standards that others will want to emulate.
I am told that yesterday afternoon initial links with organised business were initiated, which hopefully has opened up new avenues of public private partnerships, which should contribute greatly to the delivery op high quality of teaching and learning in the field of business and information and communication technology in schools.
Now that these doors have been opened the responsibility of forging meaningful and mutually advantageous relationships with business rests with the schools in order to fulfill the vision and mission of BCM focus schools in the interest of its learners, local communities, the Western Cape province and the country as a whole.
Innovative and exciting information and communication technology will be demonstrated to you today. This is a wonderful opportunity for everyone present to interact with and build their capacity so that the BCM focus schools can, as envisioned, take a leading role in the delivery of the curriculum through the integration of Information Communication Technology into the process of teaching, learning and assessment.
Yesterday, Premier Ebrahim Rasool in his State of the Province Address, outlined the Western Cape Government’s plans to use the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) as a key programme in the fight against poverty and unemployment.
This programme has the target of creating 120,000 job opportunities by 2009, and this target has now been ratcheted upwards to 170,000 by 2010, focusing on infrastructure and social services.
Some of the mass programmes will include: R38 million for major road construction projects; R31 million for the upgrading of access roads; R40 million for maintenance of roads; and R375 million for other labour intensive construction projects.
The reason why I am mentioning this to our BCM schools, is to give you an understanding that the 2010 Soccer World Cup will provide enormous opportunities for business. And maybe, as part of the curriculum in the classroom, our schools should engage learners in possible entrepreneurial ventures.
The Premier also emphasised that our skills deficit remain the “Achilles heel of our rising prosperity and growth”, especially in fast growing sectors such as construction, engineering, surveying, and related artisan trades.
Part of the response of the Western Cape Government was to capture R100m of the Joint Initiative for Priority Skills Acquisition (Jipsa) funds for learnerships over the next three years, which means lots of opportunities in the engineering sector, agriculture, tourism and call centres.
It is because of these expansions and new developments that we have introduced focus schools. We want our focus schools to be pathfinders and institutions of excellence. You must nurture the talents, interests and aptitudes of our learners.
I also want to inform you that I am going to insist on schools setting targets for 2007. Schools will define targeted outcomes and spell out, and then conduct the steps needed to convert these targets into realities.
It’s no good setting impossible targets. It’s no good setting targets that are window-dressing. Obviously for primary schools we are looking for improved literacy and numeracy performances.
But by the end of this month I expect high schools to set an overall pass target, endorsements, increased Maths and Science passes, reduced drop out rate. These targets must be formally signed off by the School Governing Body, including the RCL representatives.
Also, I would like to have an idea as to how you are going to increase your capacity in terms of subject offerings. Does your school offer the complete range of subjects in terms of the BCM curriculum?
If not, do you have a plan in place to recruit skilled teachers, or to upgrade teachers’ skills so that your school can offer wider choices. The fact that the business community is here, what opportunities do this present to you as schools, to tap into their experience and grow your capacity.
As 2007 is the last year of the existing curriculum, all schools will be encouraged to pull out all the stops to set individual performance records across the board.
Targets must be measurable, meaningful, made public, monitored and met. And then you move on, meeting targets is a one-way trip. You must notch up and celebrate each success but move on always to the next level.
Too many learners are leaving the system and it would be very ironical if this was because schools are over-emphasising the target of an exemplary pass rate. Targets must not contradict one another.
In conclusion, I want to thank all of the officials for initiating a “BCM community”; I trust this will not be the last of its kind. Thank you too to all other roleplayers, for without your continued commitment and support, our schools would be the poorer.
