Gauteng education receives UN award

The Gauteng Department of Education’s Secondary School Improvement Programme (SSIP) has won the 2014 United Nations Public Service Award (UNPSA).

The awards are held annually to recognise creative achievements and contributions of public service institutions that lead to a more effective and responsive public administration in countries worldwide.

Through an annual competition, the UNPSA promotes professionalism and visibility in the public service.

The awards is made up of four different categories.

Awards are given to a winner and runner-up in five regions, Africa being one of the regions, (along with Asia/Pacific, Europe/North America, Latin America/Caribbean and Western Asia).

There are eight possible awards in each region but only three awards were given in the African region in 2014.

The SSIP was awarded first place in the African award for category one “Improving the delivery of public services”. Cameroon won second place for a project on water and sanitation.

The winning project, SSIP, has been a major factor for the significant improvement in the matric pass rate in Gauteng since 2010.

By providing supplementary tuition to 50 000 learners and support for teachers in 400 priority schools, the SSIP has helped achieve a 15% improvement in the provincial pass rate, with the most significant improvements happening in priority schools serving disadvantaged communities.

The SSIP has contributed particularly by improving levels of learner achievement in gateway subjects including mathematics and physical science.

The SSIP has helped to reduce the number of under-performing schools from 188 in 2009 to 19 in 2013.

The United Nations’ Department of Economic and Social Affairs has, in making the award, recognised the Gauteng Department of Education and its Secondary School Improvement Programme, as being amongst the examples of excellence in public service, not just in Africa but internationally.

This prestigious award recognises the GDE as the best public service delivery institution in Africa and as one of the best throughout the world.

The GDE was also recognised as the best performing department in strategic management in an evaluation conducted by the presidency under the Department of Performance Monitoring and Evaluation (DPME).

The Management Performance Assessment Tool (MPAT) is used to evaluate departments’ processes, systems and projects annually. In all the areas evaluated, the department achieved the maximum score of four out of four.

This was evaluated by an external panel of experts.

The standard also took into cognisance the Quarterly and Annual Report and the achievement of targets against the performance and goals set as well as the achievement of obtaining three consecutive unqualified audits.

“This award belongs to all the teachers, principals, and GDE officials who have given selflessly towards the improvement the quality of teaching and learning in Gauteng schools. This also shows that systems, programmes and interventions put in place by the department are yielding results,” said Barbara Creecy, Gauteng MEC for Education.