About 12 newly elected Eastern Cape Department of Education’sDistrict Education Forum (DEF)converged in Port Alfred for theirinduction meant to empower them on issues relating to their operations, power and relations with the district management.

The induction forms part of the department’s responsibility to ensure that these DEFs are inducted properly to discharge their duties during their three-year-term of office.

Addressing the first induction session, ECDoESuperintendent General (SG) Themba Kojana stated that education priorities and expectations need all hands-on deck.  The SG emphasised that the mission of the basic education is to provide quality public education and therefore, the DEF is key to achieving that.

“We can only achieve this purpose if all parties play their roles, the department supplying and utilizing teachers that are highly qualified in order to produce great results in the province, while DEFs provide leadership where necessary to guide other societal institutions interested in contributing towards the realisation these goals”, said Kojana.

The SG furthercautioned thatleadership without accountability is the flawed, therefore key to the functionality and effectivenessof these DEF is responsibility.  “The DEF need to understand how the norms and standards for school functionality in the districts because when department is providing education we talk of funding, infrastructure and books therefore all those things are driven by norms and standards,” he stated.

Also in attendance was the Member of the Executive Council (MEC), Mandla Makupulawho gave a political overview during the induction.  He outlined theacceptable levels of performance which are used to measure education standards in keeping partnerships with stakeholders.

“Critical issues that are adversely affecting the delivery of quality public education include less contact time between the learner and educator and this is due to teacher absenteeism in most cases.  This is why we have introduced our own provincial bursary named after Mathew Goniwe. The Department seeks to ensure that we are able to address teacher shortages, absenteeism while inspiring students to study teaching as their career of choice”, said Makupula.

Makupula added that the bursary holders will serve back the department by teaching where ever they are deployed in reducing these challenges.  “Quality public education is for all, therefore everyone needs to work together (towards a common goal), consolidating all ideas while seeking to find lasting solution for our children’s education”, concluded Makupula.