UMnyango WezeMfundo
Department of Education
Lefapha la Thuto
Departement van Onderwys
Circular 38/2006
Date:
Topic
The Grading of Institutions
Enclosures
Annexure A: School grading norms
Annexure B: Management plan
Distribution
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Enquiries
31 July 2006
Chief Directors and Directors at Head and
District Offices
Principals of all Public and Independent
Schools
Principals of all Public Schools with Learners
with Special Education Needs
Members of School Governing Bodies
Teacher Unions and Organisations
HRPP: Districts
On request, this circular will be made available in Afrikaans, isiZulu or Sepedi within 21 days
Also available on the GDE website at: www.education.gpg.gov.za
Office of the Head of Department
Room 1009, 111 Commissioner Street, Johannesburg, 2001
PO Box 7710, Johannesburg, 2000
Tel: (011) 355 1511 Fax: (011) 333 5546
E-mail: ceogde@gpg.gov.za OR mallelep@gpg.gov.za
THE GRADING OF INSTITUTIONS
1.
INTRODUCTION
1.1
In line with GDE Circular 57/2001, the re-grading of institutions was done for
the year 2001 and 2002. The re-grading of institutions for the years 2003 and
2004 has also been finalised in line with policy as per Circular 57/2001.
1.2
The results of this backdated re-grading (2003-2004) of qualifying institutions
based on existing policy will be communicated to the affected institutions and
school principals via the District Offices. This individual communication to the
affected principals will include details such as the effective dates, payments,
etc.
1.3
The implementation of the new policy on grading of institutions (refer to ELRC
Collective Agreement No. 3 of 2006) will be backdated with effect from
1 July 2005. Either the 2005 or 2006 post establishments that were already
implemented (whichever is more favourable for an individual institution) will
be used to grade the institutions.
2.
LEGISLATIVE FRAMEWORK
2.1
Education Labour Relations Council (ELRC) Collective Agreement No. 3
of 2006 makes provision for a new system in terms of which principals’ posts
are graded on the various salary levels. The grading of a school also implies
the grading and salary level of the principal of the school. In terms of
Collective Agreement No. 3 of 2006, norms had to be developed in terms of
which schools are to be graded. The new norms will come into effect on
1 July 2005 based on the 2005/2006 post allocations to institutions.
2.2
The Employment of Educators Act, Act 76 of 1998, Section 5(1)(b) and
5(3)(a) states that the Member of the Executive Council for Education or
his/her delegate shall create the posts for the educator establishment of a
provincial department of education and also grade, re-grade and abolish such
posts.
3.
NORMS
The existing norms as set out in PAM, as well as GDE Circular 57/2001 in
terms of which schools are graded and re-graded must be replaced by the
following norms:
3.1
Grading of Schools
3.1.1
The salary level of a principal of a school is determined by the grading of the
school, which is done in accordance with the number of educator posts
allocated to a school in terms of national norms (excluding growth, redress,
aid posts).
English: Page 2 of 6
3.2
Grading of Schools
3.2.1
A school is upgraded to a higher grading level, if for two consecutive years,
the educator post allocation to the school reaches or exceeds the number of
posts required for the upgrading of the school as indicated in the table
(Annexure A).
3.2.2
A school is downgraded to a lower grading level if, for two consecutive
years, the educator post allocation to the school drops to or below the
number of posts that will affect such downgrading as indicated in the table
(Annexure A).
3.2.3
Where the enrolment of a school increases or decreases to such an extent
that the post allocation to the school is affected substantially, and sufficient
evidence exists that the new enrolment and accompanying post allocation will
be maintained for a reasonable period, the Head of the Department may
immediately re-grade the school in accordance with the relevant post
allocation.
3.2.4
The Head of Department may grade a new school in accordance with the
enrolment and accompanying post allocation that the school is expected to
maintain for a reasonable period.
4.
GRADING OF INSTITUTIONS
4.1
It was decided that institutions and principals’ posts of in the Gauteng
Department of Education will be upgraded or downgraded in line with the
new school grading norms set out in this circular (Annexure A) and ELRC
Collective Agreement No. 3 of 2006. This will be effective from 1 July 2005.
4.2
Statistical information submitted to the Department during 2005 and 2006 will
be used to determine the post establishment for a school. This information
will also be used to re-grade institutions with effect from 1 July 2005.
4.3
The first subsequent re-grading of institutions based on the post
establishment for 2007 will be implemented on 1 January 2007. This regrading will be done in advance in July 2006, but will only become effective
on 1 January 2007 as is the case with the post establishments on which it is
based.
4.4
In future, institutions will be re-graded on an annual basis with effect from
1 January of the respective year, based on the school’s post establishments
for the current year.
4.5
The GDE will automatically consider the re-grading of institutions and no
specific inputs from institutions will be necessary, apart from submitting the
normal statistics.
4.6
In instances where the grading level of an institution has changed, the GDE
will issue a separate letter specifically informing the institution/principal of the
re-grading.
English: Page 3 of 6
5.
CRITERIA FOR THE GRADING OF INSTITUTIONS
5.1
The salary level of a principal of a school is determined by the grading of the
school, which is done in accordance with the number of educator posts
allocated to a school in terms of post provisioning national norms. In LSEN
schools the allocated posts will include both teaching posts and posts for
therapists.
5.2
The grading norms are based on the salaries of fully qualified principals. The
salary of a principal who is not fully qualified is one salary level lower than the
applicable salary level in the table for each REQV lower than 13.
6.
PROCESSES TO FILL THE NEWLY GRADED POST OF PRINCIPAL
6.1
An increase in a principal’s salary as a result of the implementation of the
new grading norms is not regarded as an upgrading of the post and would
therefore not require any procedure that applies to the filling of a new post or
a waiting period, as is the case with the upgrading of a school.
6.2
The IQMS outcome will not be used to grade-progress school principals, but
the post establishment of schools will be implemented annually on 1 January
and this outcome will grade-progress the school principals with effect from
1 July, i.e. there will be no salary adjustment in January. The outcome of
IQMS will be used only for salary progression after the completion of a period
of 12 months after the grade progression.
6.3
Where, according to the new norms, the salary applicable to the post is lower
than the salary of the incumbent principal as on 1 July 2005, such a principal
will retain his/her salary level for as long as the school maintains the
1 July 2005 grading. A subsequent grading of the school to below the level
on which it was graded on 1 July 2005, will affect the principal’s position in
terms of the measures applicable to the re-grading of schools.
6.4
NB: The new norms in terms of which schools are to be graded and/or
re-graded do not affect the current measures in terms of which the
position of a principal is dealt with in the case where his/her post is
downgraded. These measures, which are aimed at protecting the
position of such a principal for a certain period, remain unchanged.
_____________________
MALLELE PETJE
HEAD OF DEPARTMENT
English: Page 4 of 6
Annexure A
SCHOOL GRADING NORM
Educator Posts
on the
Establishment
of the School
1
Note:
Applicable
Salary Level
Salary levels
6, 7 & 8 (as for
post level 1
educators plus
the applicable
allowance)
Minimum
Required for
Upgrading to
Next Level
Number of
Posts to
which the
establishment
must drop
before the
institution will
be Downgraded
S1
2
-
Grading
2–3
8–9
S8
4
1
4 –12
9
S9
13
2
13 – 24
10
S10
26
10
25 – 45
11
S11
47
22
46+
12
S12
-
43
The above grading norms are based on the salaries of fully qualified
principals (REQV13 or higher). The salary of a principal who is not fully
qualified is one salary level lower than the applicable salary level in the
table for each REQV lower than 13. A grading of 8 – 9 means that such a
principal is appointed on salary level 8 but may progress to salary level 9
in terms of the measures applicable to salary and grade progression.
English: Page 5 of 6
Annexure B
IMPLEMENTATION MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR RE-GRADING OF
INSTITUTIONS
No
Date
Activity
Responsibility
1.
30 June 2006
Draft Circular on the new school grading
norms
HROS: HRPP
2.
7 July 2006
Consultation with unions
HO: HROS
3.
21 July 2006
Approval of the circular on new regrading norms
HOD
4.
25 July 2006
Finalisation of re-grading for the period
1 July 2005 to 31 December 2006
(using 2005 or 2006 post
establishments)
HO: HRMIS
5.
26 July 2006
Communication of the results of the year
HO: HRMIS
2005/2006 re-grading to schools
6.
27 - 31 July
2006
Implementation of the results on
PERSAL for 2005/2006 (backdated
1 July 2005 to 31 December 2006)
7.
27 July 2006
New post establishments and re-grading
HO: HRMIS
for 2007 of institutions finalised
8.
28 July 2006
New post establishments and re-grading
HO: HRMIS
for 2007 distributed to districts
9.
28 July 2006 2 August 2006
Checking & verification of the 2007 post
establishment & re-grading process
D: HRPP &
IDSO,
PRINCIPALS
Submission of verified documents to
HRMIS
DO: HRPP
10. 2 August 2006
Effect corrections on the checked &
11. 2-4 August 2006 verified documents and distribute
corrected documents
12. 11 August 2006
13.
1 September
2006
HO: HRA
HO: HRMIS
Avail results to HO: HRA on grading and
new post establishment to update
HO: HRMIS
PERSAL with effective date 1July 2007
Payment of backdated grading with
effect form 1 July 2005 finalised
HO: HRA
1 January of
14. subsequent
years
New post establishments and re-grading
HO: HRMIS
of institutions finalised and implemented
1 July of
15. subsequent
year
Grading of principals finalised and
implemented
HO: HRPP
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