Following the successful bid by the University of Fort Hare Public Financial Services Agency to provide educational services in financial management skills to the Eastern Cape government, Finance MEC Enoch Godongwana announced in his budget speech early this year that, “The long term comprehensive multi-level financial management training and information support programmes are underway and will be a joint venture with tertiary institutions that will help develop a core of finance specialists and also functionaries within the provincial departments.” He said his department placed special emphasis on continuous improvements strategies, which focused on promoting service excellence in Treasury services to other departments while also enhancing its own internal operations responsibilities. He went on to say that the five year contract would be funded to the tune of R100 million by the skills development levy contributions from various developments and promised to be a major project to build financial capacity in the province.
The financial management contract was signed between the Vice Chancellor Professor Derrick Swartz and Provincial Treasury Head Monde Tom in Bisho on the 15th March earlier this year. In the terms of the contract, the Public Financial Services Agency (PFSA) will be attached to the University of Ford Hare Centre for Accountancy Studies, a collaborative venture partnering the University of Fort Hare, the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants and the Rand Afrikaans University. Among the goals the Public Financial Services Agency will work towards are the long term strategy for the Eastern Cape government’s financial system, accredited professional development, training and support in financial management and a financial management information system resource to support strategic decision making, networking, information access and professional development together with the mobilization, empowerment and coordination of a provincial network of institutions to support the public sector.
Addressing heads of various departments at the signing ceremony, Tom said many senior and middle managers in government lacked the skills and knowledge required for financial management. “The training at Fort Hare will help the department overcome problems experienced in producing financial statements at the end of each financial year. Presently we are unable to close our books and produce financial statements. This is a problem, the training will also improve departmental budgeting and accounting practices. There are also problems in the procurement process, which will be addressing through the training.” He said.
Acknowledging the contract, Vice Chancellor Prof. Swartz said, “The University of Fort Hare commits itself to the letter of the contract and was moving towards setting up a consultative agency arm that will lead to the development of government and society.” He said Fort Hare will look for partners to help in other skills needed in developing the financial capacity of government. “This is the beginning of a process that will see Fort Hare venture more into corporate consultancy, using its own academics and its partners.” The programme will link with a number of local, national and international agencies and universities in providing solutions to both practical and theoretical financial problems within the Eastern Cape.
In addition to drawing upon the expertise and other resources of the core Centre of Accountancy Studies partners, the Public Financial Services Agency will utilize the expertise of some of the international partners of Fort Hare, mainly the USA universities of Connecticut and Massachusetts as well as the Canadian Universities of Waterloo and Carlton. The agency will also tap into a provisional and national network of technical experts and institutions allied to Fort Hare through the European Union funded Joint Universities Public Management Education Trust (JUPMET) consortium with whom Fort Hare has built a good track record, companies and individuals who will add value to the corporate task of the agency.
Fort Hare Digital Education Enhancement Project Launched
The Digital Education Enhancement Project (Deep) was launched at the University of Fort Hare early this year. The international project designed to research ways in which the use of computer technologies can enhance teaching and learning in a classroom is a partnership comprising Fort Hare, the Open University of the United Kingdom and Egypt’s Programme Planning and Monitoring unit.
Deep research places emphasis on literacy, science and numeracy at primary school level, Deep in South Africa as been named Deep Inkanyezi (glow worm) and twenty-four teachers from 12 Eastern Cape schools have been identified to participate in the project, which will run until September.
More than 80% of the teachers are computer illiterate, but by the end of the project, educators should be able to use computers for teaching and learning. Deep Inkanyezi national coordinator Adi Kwelentini said the project would teach teachers how to use computers in subject teaching and not just teaching computer skills.
“Deep is focused on the use of information and communication technologies for teaching and learning, and not on the technology hardware involved.” He said.
The British government’s Department for International Development is funding the project. Microsoft South Africa provided the hardware, software and necessary connectivity, and donated 18 laptop computers worth R324 000.
Microsoft South Africa Customer Satisfaction Director Gary Hodgson said 12 of the computers would be used by the schools and 6 others by project co-ordinators at Fort Hare. Hodgson said the project would make learning and teaching easy as well as interesting and he envisaged that many computers wizards will be developed from this initiative.
Education MEC Stone Sizani said the project was long overdue especially in the Eastern Cape. “Figures indicate that only 13% of our schools are resourced for proper teaching and learning, and this is the huge challenge we face in our drive to educate the nation,” he said. Schools taking part in the project are Kidds Beach Primary, Dongwe Combined, Butterworth High, Little Flower Senior Primary, Zwartwater Senior Primary, Ndzondelelo Primary, Emjanyana Primary, Good Shepard Primary,Van Coller Primary, Dongwe Primary , Vuselelo Combined, Empumalanga and Nqamakwe Junior secondary.
Deep research places emphasis on literacy, science and numeracy at primary school level, Deep in South Africa as been named Deep Inkanyezi (glow worm) and twenty-four teachers from 12 Eastern Cape schools have been identified to participate in the project, which will run until September.
More than 80% of the teachers are computer illiterate, but by the end of the project, educators should be able to use computers for teaching and learning. Deep Inkanyezi national coordinator Adi Kwelentini said the project would teach teachers how to use computers in subject teaching and not just teaching computer skills.
“Deep is focused on the use of information and communication technologies for teaching and learning, and not on the technology hardware involved.” He said.
The British government’s Department for International Development is funding the project. Microsoft South Africa provided the hardware, software and necessary connectivity, and donated 18 laptop computers worth R324 000.
Microsoft South Africa Customer Satisfaction Director Gary Hodgson said 12 of the computers would be used by the schools and 6 others by project co-ordinators at Fort Hare. Hodgson said the project would make learning and teaching easy as well as interesting and he envisaged that many computers wizards will be developed from this initiative.
Education MEC Stone Sizani said the project was long overdue especially in the Eastern Cape. “Figures indicate that only 13% of our schools are resourced for proper teaching and learning, and this is the huge challenge we face in our drive to educate the nation,” he said. Schools taking part in the project are Kidds Beach Primary, Dongwe Combined, Butterworth High, Little Flower Senior Primary, Zwartwater Senior Primary, Ndzondelelo Primary, Emjanyana Primary, Good Shepard Primary,Van Coller Primary, Dongwe Primary , Vuselelo Combined, Empumalanga and Nqamakwe Junior secondary.
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