The North-West University (NWU), NW Department of Education & Sport, Inclusive Education South Africa (IESA) and VVOB collaborated to host a Working Event held on the 8/9th of March at the Faculty of Education at the Potchefstroom campus of the North-West University.
The event focused on the status and functioning of Education Support Services (ESS) in the North-West Province and provided a platform to discuss ways of supporting sustainable and optimal functioning of these structures by District Based Support Teams (DBSTs) and School Based Support Team (SBSTs). Multi- and transdisciplinary DBSTs and SBSTs are a central part of Education Support Services. They assist teachers in addressing of barriers to learning in the classroom and promote effective teaching and learning.
The context of the workshop was provided by the North-West Department of Education and Sport, which shared information on the macro policy level, and the specific roles and functions of DBSTs and SBSTs.
NWU first presented a situation analysis of the implementation of White Paper 6 (2015) an overview of the period 2013 – 2015 with a focus on Free State and North West and a second presentation provided input on a functional SBST.
The four Districts in the North-West Province were represented and together with representatives from the Province, NWU, Free State and Northern Cape Province they deliberated on the status quo of ESS in the districts, challenges encountered and strategies to address these challenges.
A lively panel discussion led by IESA provided food for thought on the ingredients that constitute successful SBSTs. This was followed by Districts reflecting on immediate actions that could be taken to support ESS in their Districts. Going forward the challenge remains to upscale best practise and to engage with all relevant stakeholders to build strong inter-sectoral collaboration.
