White Paper on Education and Training
Notice 196 of 1995
Department of Education
Parliament of the Republic of South Africa
Cape Town, 15 March 1995
WPJ/1995
The White Paper on Education and Training hereunder is hereby published by the
Department of Education.
Contents
Message from the Minister of Education, Professor S M E Bengu
Message from the Deputy Minister of Education, Mr R Schoeman
Abbreviations used in the text
A Note on Terminology: "Ministry" and "Department
Part 1: Introduction
1 The purpose and scope of this document
2 Why Education and Training?
Part 2: The Reconstruction and Development of The Education and Training
Programme
3 Transforming the legacy of the past
4 Values and principles of education and training policy
5 Developmental initiatives
Part 3: The Constitutional and Organisational Basis of The New System
6 Education and training in the 1993 Constitution
7 Fundamental rights to education and training, and within education and
training
8 National and provincial powers in education and training
9 The transition to new national and provincial departments
Part 4: The Funding of The Education System
, 10 Transition in the education budget process
11 Budget reform and funding requirements of the education system
Part 5: Reconstruction and Development In The School System
12 School ownership, governance and finance
13 Meeting the commitment to free and compulsory General Education
Part 6: Conclusion
Education and Training in a Democratic South Africa
First Steps to Develop a New System
Department of Education
Pretoria
February 1995
Message From the Minister Of Education, Professor S M E Bengu
Education and training are central activities of our society. They are of vital interest to
every family and to the health and prosperity of our national economy. The
government's policy for education and training is therefore a matter of national
importance second to none.
South Africa has never had a truly national system of education and training, and it
does not have one yet. This policy document describes the process of transformation
in education and training which will bring into being a system serving all our people,
our new democracy, and our Reconstruction and Development Programme.
Our message is that education and training must change. It cannot be business as
usual in our schools, colleges, technikons and universities. the national project of
reconstruction and development compels everyone in education and training to
accept the challenge of creating a system which cultivates and liberates the talents of
all our people without exception.
My Ministry is acutely aware of the heavy responsibility it bears for managing the
transformation and redirection of the system of education and training within the
terms of the Constitution and under severe budgetary pressure. The national and
provincial Ministers have worked together increasingly closely in the Council of
Education Ministers. The provincial Ministers have been carrying an exceptional load
since the beginning of 1995. They and their new departments need the people's
understanding and support. For its part, the national Ministry will do all it can to
assist.
The actual provision of education and training under the national and provincial
Ministries of Education occurs primarily in the schools, colleges, technikons, and
universities. These bear the direct responsibility for managing the teaching and
learning process. This includes finding practical, educationally acceptable solutions
for changes which are occurring as a result of the new Constitution and the policies
of the new national and provincial governments. Their environment is one of
,considerable uncertainty, especially while the process of review and transformation
of governance structures is still under way at all levels of the system.
Having myself been an educational manager at school, college and university levels,
I wish to express a special word of understanding for all those who carry
management responsibilities in the education and training system during this time of
transition.
I wish also to thank and commend all other roleplayers and stakeholders in the
system: teachers and other educators, students, parents, religious and other
community leaders, education and training NGOs, and officials in the new education
departments who are charged with spearheading change. Their collective energy,
expertise and commitment are formidable resources for unifying and building our new
system. Our watchword should be: Let us put the learners first. If we do, I have no
doubt that the students of this country will respond magnificently.
This white paper was published in draft form for consultation. Media coverage was
extensive, and the response from the South African public was heart- warming.
Citizens, organisations and institutions took the trouble, under a tight deadline, to
make their views known, and I thank them all, They have helped us to produce a
better document. What is more, they have time and again expressed their wish to
help find principled and practical solutions to our country's educational needs. With
this spirit, we cannot fail.
The public hearings conducted by the joint National Assembly and Senate Select
Committee on Education demonstrated the keen interest taken by my parliamentary
colleagues in the white paper process. I thank them for their continued interest and
advice, and all the organisations which made submissions to the committees'
hearings.
I believe that the discussion of the draft document has marked the beginning of a
national consensus on the way forward. That is what the country needs: a principled
national accord on education and training which will provide a secure platform for
change and development, for widening access and raising quality.
It is essential for us to build a system of education and training with which all our
people can identify because it serves their needs and interests. Such a system must
be founded on equity and non-discrimination, it must respect diversity, it must honour
learning and strive for excellence, it must be owned and cared for by the
communities and stakeholders it serves, and it must use all the resources available
to it in the most effective manner possible.
This document is the first policy document on education and training by South
Africa's first democratically elected government. As the title makes clear, it
represents only our first steps on a long road. My hope is that it blazes the trail of
opportunity and self-fulfilment for all our citizens.
Professor S M E Bengu, MP
Minister of Education
, Message From The Deputy Minister of Education, Mr R Schoeman
I believe that the approval of an education white paper by the Government of
National Unity is an essential prerequisite for the creation of an education system
which is acceptable to the majority of South Africans.
The ideal, namely "excellence in education for all" and the cultivation and liberation of
the talents of every young South African, is still a long way off, but we are on our
way!
The road we have to travel is an uphill and rocky one - a difficult one - but the fact of
the matter is that we are, as a result of a Government of National Unity and an
inclusive approach in the Ministry of Education, closer than ever before to reaching a
truly national consensus on the way forward in respect of education. This will
dramatically increase our chances of reaching the destination of relevant, affordable,
non-discriminatory, quality education for all.
As a member of the Government of National Unity I very much look forward to
working hard and with enthusiasm towards this goal, within the framework of the
white paper on education and training.
I sincerely hope that all South Africans will now put that which was negative in the
past behind them (also in respect of education), and will use the opportunities
presented by this white paper to the full, in their own interests and in the interests of
South Africa. It is a wonderful chance for a fresh start in education - let's use it to the
best advantage of our country.
Renier Schoeman, MP
Deputy Minister of Education
Abbreviations Used in the Text
ABET
Adult Basic Education and Training
AUT
University and Technikon Advisory Council
CBO
community-based organisation
CEM
Council of Education Ministers
CHED
(former) Committee of Heads of Education Departments
COTEP
Committee for Teacher Education Policy
CS
college/school
DET
(former) Department of Education and Training
ECD
Early Childhood Development
EMIS
Education Management Information System
Notice 196 of 1995
Department of Education
Parliament of the Republic of South Africa
Cape Town, 15 March 1995
WPJ/1995
The White Paper on Education and Training hereunder is hereby published by the
Department of Education.
Contents
Message from the Minister of Education, Professor S M E Bengu
Message from the Deputy Minister of Education, Mr R Schoeman
Abbreviations used in the text
A Note on Terminology: "Ministry" and "Department
Part 1: Introduction
1 The purpose and scope of this document
2 Why Education and Training?
Part 2: The Reconstruction and Development of The Education and Training
Programme
3 Transforming the legacy of the past
4 Values and principles of education and training policy
5 Developmental initiatives
Part 3: The Constitutional and Organisational Basis of The New System
6 Education and training in the 1993 Constitution
7 Fundamental rights to education and training, and within education and
training
8 National and provincial powers in education and training
9 The transition to new national and provincial departments
Part 4: The Funding of The Education System
, 10 Transition in the education budget process
11 Budget reform and funding requirements of the education system
Part 5: Reconstruction and Development In The School System
12 School ownership, governance and finance
13 Meeting the commitment to free and compulsory General Education
Part 6: Conclusion
Education and Training in a Democratic South Africa
First Steps to Develop a New System
Department of Education
Pretoria
February 1995
Message From the Minister Of Education, Professor S M E Bengu
Education and training are central activities of our society. They are of vital interest to
every family and to the health and prosperity of our national economy. The
government's policy for education and training is therefore a matter of national
importance second to none.
South Africa has never had a truly national system of education and training, and it
does not have one yet. This policy document describes the process of transformation
in education and training which will bring into being a system serving all our people,
our new democracy, and our Reconstruction and Development Programme.
Our message is that education and training must change. It cannot be business as
usual in our schools, colleges, technikons and universities. the national project of
reconstruction and development compels everyone in education and training to
accept the challenge of creating a system which cultivates and liberates the talents of
all our people without exception.
My Ministry is acutely aware of the heavy responsibility it bears for managing the
transformation and redirection of the system of education and training within the
terms of the Constitution and under severe budgetary pressure. The national and
provincial Ministers have worked together increasingly closely in the Council of
Education Ministers. The provincial Ministers have been carrying an exceptional load
since the beginning of 1995. They and their new departments need the people's
understanding and support. For its part, the national Ministry will do all it can to
assist.
The actual provision of education and training under the national and provincial
Ministries of Education occurs primarily in the schools, colleges, technikons, and
universities. These bear the direct responsibility for managing the teaching and
learning process. This includes finding practical, educationally acceptable solutions
for changes which are occurring as a result of the new Constitution and the policies
of the new national and provincial governments. Their environment is one of
,considerable uncertainty, especially while the process of review and transformation
of governance structures is still under way at all levels of the system.
Having myself been an educational manager at school, college and university levels,
I wish to express a special word of understanding for all those who carry
management responsibilities in the education and training system during this time of
transition.
I wish also to thank and commend all other roleplayers and stakeholders in the
system: teachers and other educators, students, parents, religious and other
community leaders, education and training NGOs, and officials in the new education
departments who are charged with spearheading change. Their collective energy,
expertise and commitment are formidable resources for unifying and building our new
system. Our watchword should be: Let us put the learners first. If we do, I have no
doubt that the students of this country will respond magnificently.
This white paper was published in draft form for consultation. Media coverage was
extensive, and the response from the South African public was heart- warming.
Citizens, organisations and institutions took the trouble, under a tight deadline, to
make their views known, and I thank them all, They have helped us to produce a
better document. What is more, they have time and again expressed their wish to
help find principled and practical solutions to our country's educational needs. With
this spirit, we cannot fail.
The public hearings conducted by the joint National Assembly and Senate Select
Committee on Education demonstrated the keen interest taken by my parliamentary
colleagues in the white paper process. I thank them for their continued interest and
advice, and all the organisations which made submissions to the committees'
hearings.
I believe that the discussion of the draft document has marked the beginning of a
national consensus on the way forward. That is what the country needs: a principled
national accord on education and training which will provide a secure platform for
change and development, for widening access and raising quality.
It is essential for us to build a system of education and training with which all our
people can identify because it serves their needs and interests. Such a system must
be founded on equity and non-discrimination, it must respect diversity, it must honour
learning and strive for excellence, it must be owned and cared for by the
communities and stakeholders it serves, and it must use all the resources available
to it in the most effective manner possible.
This document is the first policy document on education and training by South
Africa's first democratically elected government. As the title makes clear, it
represents only our first steps on a long road. My hope is that it blazes the trail of
opportunity and self-fulfilment for all our citizens.
Professor S M E Bengu, MP
Minister of Education
, Message From The Deputy Minister of Education, Mr R Schoeman
I believe that the approval of an education white paper by the Government of
National Unity is an essential prerequisite for the creation of an education system
which is acceptable to the majority of South Africans.
The ideal, namely "excellence in education for all" and the cultivation and liberation of
the talents of every young South African, is still a long way off, but we are on our
way!
The road we have to travel is an uphill and rocky one - a difficult one - but the fact of
the matter is that we are, as a result of a Government of National Unity and an
inclusive approach in the Ministry of Education, closer than ever before to reaching a
truly national consensus on the way forward in respect of education. This will
dramatically increase our chances of reaching the destination of relevant, affordable,
non-discriminatory, quality education for all.
As a member of the Government of National Unity I very much look forward to
working hard and with enthusiasm towards this goal, within the framework of the
white paper on education and training.
I sincerely hope that all South Africans will now put that which was negative in the
past behind them (also in respect of education), and will use the opportunities
presented by this white paper to the full, in their own interests and in the interests of
South Africa. It is a wonderful chance for a fresh start in education - let's use it to the
best advantage of our country.
Renier Schoeman, MP
Deputy Minister of Education
Abbreviations Used in the Text
ABET
Adult Basic Education and Training
AUT
University and Technikon Advisory Council
CBO
community-based organisation
CEM
Council of Education Ministers
CHED
(former) Committee of Heads of Education Departments
COTEP
Committee for Teacher Education Policy
CS
college/school
DET
(former) Department of Education and Training
ECD
Early Childhood Development
EMIS
Education Management Information System
