Report on Delivery to Women

6. EDUCATION

   Internal Achievements

   • The Minister of Education established the Gender Equity Task Team (GETT) in October 1996 with ten Task Team members, drawn from a range of stakeholders. A Permanent Equity Unit has been established within the Department. GETT has produced a report with recommendations. An Inter-Branch Committee on Gender Equity Policy was established which has developed a draft proposal on the establishment of structures for gender equity in the national and provincial Departments of Education and legislative measures on sex-based violence and harassment in the education system. The Director-General has approved the establishment of the Gender Equity Unit in principle.
   • The Department has developed a post-provisioning model that is non-discriminatory.
   • Male and female employees contribute equally to the pension fund and receive equal benefits from the fund.
   • Female educators are entitled to paid maternity leave for two confinements.
   • The salary grading system is non-discriminatory between male and female educators.

   Achievements For South African Women

Policies and Legislation

• The Education White Paper reiterates government’s commitment to giving people an education.
• South African Schools Act (1996) makes schooling compulsory for all children for 10 years and states that there should be no discrimination between boys and girls;
• The White Paper on Education and Training established government’s commitment to provide early Childhood Development and recognized the issues of gender inequality that manifest in the education system. The Department has focused on the year before entry into primary school
• The Act on Higher Education (1997) mandates that the Council must be advised on the race and gender equity policies of the public higher education institution and that members of the Council must consist of equal numbers of men and women;
• The National Education Policy Act (1996) protects every person against discrimination by an education department or institution.

Programmes and Activities

• Curriculum 2005 was launched which makes provision for eradicating gender stereotypes.
• In 1996, government launched the Ithuteng Ready to Learn Campaign, a Presidential Lead Project of the RDP, targeting 90 000 learners. It was launched together with the Thousand Learner Unit Project. The target had been exceeded by the end of 1996, although there were regional imbalances.

Budget Allocations

• A budget has been allocated for setting up Gender Equity Unit.