Deputy Speaker and hon members, I wish to associate myself and my party, the IFP, with the challenges and recommendations contained in the report which is being tabled this afternoon. Some of these challenges and recommendations will need some emphasis.
There is a saying which says, "Garbage in, garbage out". This is particularly so when it comes to the challenge which was identified by the committee, where FET lessons are taught by lecturers who do not have subject competencies. With such a situation, you cannot expect to produce good material coming from these FETs. [Applause.] This is a very serious challenge.
There is also a perennial problem of nondelivery of textbooks, even in FET colleges. Again, how do you expect FET colleges to produce and function successfully if they don't have the necessary recent material? We just hope that the department will take these challenges and recommendations very seriously. Either wittingly or unwittingly, you have a situation where these FET colleges reduce the number. Those FETs that were run by previously or still disadvantaged communities are still very poor in terms of infrastructure; and some of them are really haunted.
The other day I was at one of them. I asked about 10 students some questions, and all told me that they were studying human management, "whatever that means". Therefore, my argument is that we may, wittingly or unwittingly, be adding to this high unemployment rate amongst our graduates in these FETs.
Lastly, we have always argued that we may pump millions and millions of rands into our education system, but nowhere in the whole world will you find an education system which is better that its teachers. I thank you. [Applause.]