The reasons you are citing for underperformance are indeed some of the reasons that affect our learners. Our Foundations for Learning campaign is informed by some of the programmes that are there. In terms of the programmes that we have - I am not getting through to the director-general and I am not aware of them - I will look at them and see how we can integrate them into the system.
Also, there is a huge market in education. Now that we have said that education is an Apex Priority programme, just about any person who has been to school has a solution. I spend days listening to solutions that are just like previous solutions. Without shooting them down, I will come to look at those programmes. We will look through them, together with the acting director-general, and we will use them, if we believe that they will assist us. Thank you.
Declaration of education as an essential service
70. Dr J C Kloppers-Lourens (DA) asked the Minister of Basic Education:
(1) Whether education will be declared an essential service; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;
(2) whether she will make a statement on the matter? NO596E