In this special edition of DataPoint we reflect on this incredible journey, and share the highlights of each province’s unique data achievements. Keep reading to see yours!
Last, but not least: Our final webinars for the year take place next week, focusing on the final Term 4 submission process. To book, click here: Thurs 5 Dec or here: Fri 6 Dec.
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| New Valistractor | FET Profiling | Role-specific views | More “juice” | |||
| An all-new Valistractor was rolled-out in March to provide automated version updates, more sophisticated validation and faster submissions. | In June the FET Promotion Profiles tool went live – a game-changer for officials, delivering deep insights into FET criteria and learner profiling. | November saw a redesigned dashboard landing page and three new pages of insights tailored to specific officials’ needs. | Streamlined graphics and back-end improvements mean the dashboard now has around double the processing power needed for current user activity. |
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| OUT IN THE FIELD Expert interventions |
YOUR NAME IN LIGHTS At the Data Summit |
UPSKILLING AT SPEED A year of focused support |
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| More than 80 hands-on training sessions were held to support 1 535 FET schools earmarked for assistance, as part of three core initiatives that rolled out countrywide this year: DBE District Mentorship; District Support; and Intervention Planning for Underperforming Schools. Together these have led to increased data use and better learner support. | For the first time in almost five years the national Data Summit took place, sharing best practices and learnings from global and local experts through nine workshops and keynote talks. Over 1 000 officials attended in person or via livestreaming, and more than 60 trophies and certificates of recognition were presented at the Summit awards ceremony. | More than 24 000 officials joined webinars, on-demand and live learning events this year, many earning valuable SACE points along the way. Users also completed 2 165 Learning Hub lessons, logging in 25 059 times since January. The DDD Helpdesk has been equally hard at work, tackling over 10 500 queries, most of which were resolved within two to four days. |
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| Sowing seeds of success | Online and uploading | Heading for poll position | ||
| Highlights include the SEED Leadership Development Programme, in which DDD is coaching Master Trainers to support teacher development, while continued support for Chris Hani West aims to yield another 5% improvement in results. The team remains on a winning streak, with the country’s top average number of schools submitting weekly data throughout the year. | In addition to scooping seven of the 21 trophies at this year’s Data Summit awards, one of the most exciting events on the Free State calendar this year is its inclusion on the national DDD Dashboard, and the phased deactivation of its previous platform. Migration kicked off in November, with almost 700 users registered and weekly introductory webinars in progress. | The data journey continues at top speed with Gauteng’s registered and active users almost doubling since the start of the year. The Master Trainer and Champion Principal programmes are active in all 15 districts, and DDD is used in key directorates like GET, FET, Curriculum, Exams and Assessments, Psycho-Socials, and Quality Assurance, plus all district management teams. |
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| This team’s ready to rise | Our data north star | Sure and steady progress | ||
| KwaZulu-Natal has good reason to celebrate, with active dashboard users more than doubling (161%) from term 1 to term 3, and registered users increasing by 70% since January. With the country’s largest number of schools and learners, and as the winner of the Data Summit’s “Best Collaborative Adoption Effort” award, this province is poised for exponential data growth! | It's been another great year for the “star of the north”, winning Data Summit awards for Best Overall Partnership and Top Final Term Submissions, as well as Top Data Usage (district level). Other highlights include rolling out FET Promotion Profiling and kick-starting the Champion Principals initiative, plus targeted school support in Mogalakwena, Vhembe West and Mopani West districts. | School use of DDD is on the upswing, with circuit managers and curriculum officials increasingly turning to data for meaningful insights. It’s no surprise that Mpumalanga won the provincial award for Top DDD Data Usage at the Data Summit, nor that the number of registered users continues to grow. Close to half were active on DDD in 2024, with about 30% logging in every term. |
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| Stats on the up and up | Sure to make their mark | Looking forward! | ||
| Of all the officials with DDD accounts, those in the Northern Cape are the most active, with 61% of the registered user base logging in during term 2 (a higher percentage than all other provinces in 2024). The team also celebrated a peak in weekly submissions (86% of schools on the masterlist submitted in term 1) and an increase in DDD use in Frances Baard, John Taolo Gaetsewe and Pixley ka Seme districts. | A milestone for the North West team in 2024 was forming a partnership with the Director of Institutional Development Services, which will help DDD to support all underperforming schools in the province in 2025. Another highlight was successfully launching the Master Trainer initiative, with all 21 centre managers from all four districts promoting DDD to school-level officials. It’s a sign of things to come! | An anwavering commitment to data completeness and quality is just one of the reasons why this province tied in first place for the Best EMIS Data Usage & Reporting award at the Data Summit, while also winning second place for the Best Lurits Readiness Award. Ongoing discussions and shared best practice in the use of data bode well for including Western Cape on the DDD Dashboard in the near future. |
