LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SERVICES (LIS) PRESENTATION- PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE Presentation to Portfolio Committee 20 AUGUST 2013 Mr HM Mweli 1

PRESENTATION OUTLINE The report comprises the following elements: the level of functionality and utility of library services across provinces; the audit of functionality of libraries in the districts conducted by provinces; a costed plan that has been developed by DBE proposing a plan to increase access to LIS through the provision of centralised and classroom libraries; and submission of a request for funding to support implementation to National Treasury.

PURPOSE To provide DBE briefing on the implementation to increase access to Library and Information Services 3

PROBLEM STATEMENT “Libraries provide an important and essential resource for education to schools, teachers, learners and members of the community. Internationally, evidence reveals that library users are much more likely to read above their expected level, enjoy reading, and have positive attitudes to reading (Clark, 2010, in Mullis et al., 2012)”

ACTION PLAN TO 2014 The Output Goals 19 and 20 of the Action Plan to 2014: Towards the realisation of Schooling 2025, that “every learner should have access to the minimum set of textbooks and workbooks required” and that “access amongst learners to a wide range of resources, media, including computers, should be increased” catalyse efforts to increase the level of provisioning of these resources in South African public schools.

PROGRESS 6

The department developed National Guidelines for School Library and Information Services as an approach to encourage and support a range of library models 7

Subsequently, the DBE in 2011, commissioned research on libraries, undertaken as part of the School Monitoring Survey 8

PERCENTAGE OF LEARNERS IN PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS WITH A LIBRARY OR MEDIA CENTRE (INCLUDING CENTRAL, MOBILE OR CLASSROOM LIBRARY),

PROGRESS South Africa in 2012 according to the School Monitoring Survey : Significant progress has also been made in regard to increasing access to LIS by provinces, as the survey reveals that 57 % of learners are in schools that meet the minimum standard for libraries as indicated by the results of the School Monitoring Survey

ProvinceNo of schoolsNo of schools with a functional central library No of schools with classroom libraries No of mobile libraries buses in the province Mpumalanga Eastern Cape North West KwaZulu-Natal Northern Cape Free State Gauteng Limpopo Western Cape PROGRESS Provincial Audit of Functional Libraries n Districts:

Province Library doesn’t fulfil minimum standards Library fulfils minimum standards Unspecified/ MissingTotal No.% % % % EC FS GP KZN LP MP NC NW WC Total Of the 47% of schools that do not fulfil the minimum standards, Eastern Cape and Limpopo are the worst affected provinces: SCHOOL MONITORING SURVEY 2011

RESPONSE TO CHALLENGES To respond directly to these challenges, the DBE has developed: A National Strategy to provide access to Library and Information Services in South African schools 2012 – 2015 A costed implementation Plan A request for funding to support the implementation plan

SECTORAL BUDGET SHORTAGES FOR PROVISION OF LIBRARIES The current situation in schools is such that: If centralized school libraries and classroom libraries were to be provided to the schools presently without libraries, the estimated total budget would be R

BASIC EDUCATION SECTOR APPROACH However, in considering the current fiscal environment, the DBE’s strategy outlines a plan of incrementally increasing access to centralised and classroom libraries over a period of three years.

BASIC EDUCATION SECTOR APPROACH The plan focuses on the provision of centralized school libraries/classroom libraries to provinces where most learners are in schools with the least access to a library meeting minimum standards: Centralized school libraries: the target secondary schools in the seven provinces with the least coverage viz. Eastern Cape, Limpopo, Free State, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, Northern Cape and North West.

BASIC EDUCATION SECTOR APPROACH Classroom libraries – the target is primary schools in provinces with the least coverage, namely, Eastern Cape, Limpopo, KwaZulu- Natal, Mpumalanga, Free State and North West

PREPARING THE SYSTEM FOR IMPLEMENTATION The following will be required to prepare the system for implementation: Submit a bid to National Treasury for the provision of centralised and classroom libraries in schools for the MTEF. Approval of the budget for the provision of centralised and classroom libraries in schools for the MTEF by National Treasury. PED to identify sites for the centralized school and classroom libraries per year.

PROPOSED IMPLEMENTATION PLAN The phased-in plan will result in centralized libraries and classroom libraries in the targeted provinces over a three-year period. The initial provision -450 centralized school and classroom libraries. The estimated cost is R700m and 2016, the target will be 328 centralized and classroom libraries for each of the two years. Bids for further funding will have to be submitted for further roll out within a ten year period.

PROPOSED ROLL OUT PLAN Type Of Libraries/Ye ars2014/152015/162016/172017/182018/192019/202020/212021/222022/232023/24 Centralised Libraries R ) Classroom Libraries R ) Budget for Centralised Libraries R668,979,0 00 R487,611,36 0 R657,593,6 15 Budget for Classroom Libraries R50,000,00 0 R23,814,92 9 Total Estimated Budget R718,979,0 00 R537,611,36 0 R681,408,5 43

RISK AND MITIGATION PLAN 21 Risk DescriptionRisk management Incorrect data from EMISData to be signed off and confirmed by the schools and Districts Lack of Library and Information Services (LIS) management Unit in the National Office Establishment of LIS sub directorate in the department and similar structures in provinces Unavailability of appropriate infrastructure Lack of reading cultureNational reading campaign-citizens will be encouraged to set aside 15 min of their time everyday to read Lack funding for LIS Request for funding from National Treasury for the establishment of Centralised libraries for secondary Schools and Classroom libraries for primary

RISK AND MITIGATION PLAN 22 Lack of personnel in district and schools in the LIS Increased staffing through: Revision of post provisioning in provinces Training of teachers and Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) on the management and administration of school libraries Collaboration with Higher Education Institution for the development of a suitable entry level course Training of officials (districts and schools) on the National Guidelines for School Library and Information services (NGSLIS Lack of resources in South African indigenous languages Publisher to commit to the development of appropriate materials to close up the gap

RECOMMENDATION Portfolio Committee to note the status report on the provisioning, functionality and utility of school libraries 23

THANK YOU 24