Hon Deputy Speaker, we understand and appreciate the work that has been done with the handing over of one school per week in the Eastern Cape. Certainly, from the side of the ACDP, we want to commend you for that kind of work.
However, recent reports have indicated that, within our schools in South Africa, literacy and numeracy in particular have been one of the weaker points in comparison to our African counterparts. Our schools have performed worse than some of our African counterparts despite the fact that we have a larger input into our education than our African counterparts do.
A recent survey by the World Economic Forum indicated that the quality of the education system in South Africa ranks 146 out of 148. So, certainly there are challenges. The question is: What is being done to reduce the poor performance, particularly in the area of literacy and numeracy and to upgrade the standard in our schools? Thank you.