Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2003. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
South African Press Association (Durban) - 10 June 2003
Speaking at a Council of Education Ministers (CEM) meeting in Durban, he said the Human Science Research Council, with assistance from teacher unions, was conducting the study for the department.
"The purpose of this exercise is to determine in a scientific manner the exact prevalence of the disease among teachers, which will help up to better understand the likely impact on the profession."
"This is only part of a bigger study on teacher supply and demand, since many other factors impact upon this, besides HIV/Aids, and a macro planning model is in the process of being developed."
Asmal said the CEM was not convinced by some of the "alarmist" reports being produced by various research agencies and NGOs on the prevalence of HIV/Aids among teachers.
The projections of major teacher shortages as a result of the pandemic had no objective basis, he said. In recent studies, attrition through death or illness was only a small proportion of the total number of teachers leaving the system.
In addition, the 2001 census data suggested there were approximately 100 000 qualified teachers below the age of 30 who were not working in the sector, and could be considered as a "reserve pool" of teachers.
Asmal said the CEM had approved the final version of a draft National Religious and Education Policy. This version included the inputs of religious leaders, and it would be published for comment a month before adoption.
The new draft policy, which initially proposed the limiting of religious practice at South Africa's schools, sparked intense debate and the ire of religious groups and some opposition political parties.
Asmal also said an assessment report on the levels of literacy and numeracy among grade three pupils would be released at a seminar in Cape Town later in the week.
The report would allow educationists to measure progress at an early stage, without waiting for the pupils to reach matric before being assessed on a system-wide basis."
The report would also be used for planning and targeting purposes, where there are obvious areas of weakness.
Asmal said the next systemic evaluation would be conducted shortly, with a view to a regular cycle of assessment every three to four years.
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