Hon Chairperson of the NCOP, it is always a pleasure and an honour to follow on after you in a debate.
Chairperson of the NCOP, Ministers present and members of the House, this topic of today is very important. It is the crux of the matter and the solution to guaranteeing a better future for all our people and our country. Education is the main pillar of building a stable and prosperous country. Therefore a quality education and training system is cardinal to enhancing good values and morals in our communities. Voorsitter, kan ons met gerustheid s dat ons in hierdie rigting beweeg? Die antwoord is nee, omdat die gehalte van syfervaardigheid en geletterdheid in grade 3, 6 en 9 hopeloos te laag is. Ons het 'n krisis in die onderwys en ons moet dit vinnig en dringend uitsorteer. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraph follows.)
[Chairperson, can we confidently say that we are heading in this direction? The answer is no, because the levels of numeracy and literacy in Grades 3, 6 and 9 are far too low. We are experiencing a crisis in our education system and we need to address this swiftly and urgently.]
We must quickly come up with accurate diagnostic models to address the problems and the causes of failure in our basic education system.
We need effective models and programmes to address our sociocultural environment within and outside our schools, as well as a change of mind-set among our children and youth regarding the values and goals that are important for a stable life and community.
The capabilities of our teachers and their commitment to quality education and training outcomes must be improved and set as the most important priority.
Die doelwit, soos gestel deur vandag se onderwerp vir bespreking, wys soos 'n teregwysende vinger na elkeen van ons in Suid-Afrika. Die departement het wel in 2008 'n projek geloods om 'n fondasie te l vir leer en om geletterdheid en syfervaardigheid te verbeter.
Dink net: As die nasionale regering onder die ANC en sy alliansie-vennote die model wat in 2001 deur die destydse DA-administrasie in die Wes-Kaap gemplementeer is, gemplementeer het, het ons nie hierdie krisis op hande gehad nie.
Die uitfasering van onderwyskolleges deur die destydse regering onder voormalige President Mbeki se beheer was verkeerd en 'n fout. Onderwyskolleges is die teelaarde vir leerkragte in basiese opvoeding en onderrig. Dit is hier waar die fondasie vir enige goeie leerkrag gel en vasgepen word. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[The goal, as put by today's subject for discussion, points like an admonitory finger to each one of us in South Africa. In 2008, the department did indeed launch a project to lay the foundation for teaching and to improve literacy and numeracy.
Just consider the following: If the national government under the ANC and its alliance partners had implemented the model that was implemented in 2001 by the former DA administration in the Western Cape, we would not have this crisis at hand. The phasing out of teacher training colleges by the government at the time, under the leadership of former President Mbeki, was wrong and a mistake. Teacher training colleges are the breeding grounds for teaching staff in basic education and teaching. This is where the foundation for any good teacher is laid and established.]
To enhance the culture of learning and training, we must show our commitment to advocating our aims and goals extensively all over the place- on billboards, television and radio, in local government institutions, national government institutions and social development institutions, on our roads, in our shops, etc.
We must have a psychological, physical and structural campaign to achieve our goal of learning and training our youth and communities. This must not be a once-off occasion, but an ongoing and constant campaign in every sphere of human existence.
Die stelsel van basiese onderwys moet verander word, want die bestaande stelsel toon ernstige probleme. [The basic education system needs to be transformed as the existing system shows signs of serious problems.]
The simple factor by which the teacher-learner ratio is calculated is wrong and inadequate. We must find a different model to determine this ratio, especially in our basic education phases, Grades 1 to 3, Grades 4 to 7 and further up.
We must implement a model for monitoring and evaluation in schools and classes to see if pupils perform and progress in numeracy and literacy. This must be done on a regular and constant basis by the school's senior staff. Then, when the inspector comes to the school, as mentioned by the President in the state of the nation address, nobody will fear that faults will be identified. To achieve this, more time must be set aside for the appropriate staff to perform this duty in the time available to them.
Leer en opleiding begin by die gewoonte om te lees en 'n liefde vir lees te ontwikkel. Daarom stel ek dit as 'n feit dat hierdie gewoonte deur middel van verskillende programme, modelle en inisiatiewe aangemoedig moet word. Mense met 'n liefde vir lees verstaan beter, ontwikkel beter en presteer beter.
Ons kan nie verwag dat leerkragte wat in 'n situasie opgelei is om 'n bepaalde model van onderrig toe te pas en uit te voer, 'n nuwe model, wat ander doelwitte het, suksesvol sal implementeer nie. Hulle moet ook konstruktief en effektief opleiding en onderrig ontvang om hulle te kapasiteer vir hul nuwe taak. Geen "mikrogolf"-opleidingsmodel sal effektief werk nie. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[Education and training start with the habit of reading and by developing a love of reading. For this reason, I am stating it as a fact that this habit should be promoted by means of different programmes, models and initiatives. People who love to read have a clearer understanding of things, their development is more advanced and they perform better.
We cannot expect teachers who are trained to apply and implement a certain model of teaching in a specific situation, to successfully implement another model that has other goals. They must also receive constructive and effective training and teaching to capacitate them for their new task. No "microwave" training model will work effectively.]
Chairperson, you cannot expect learners to excel in any form of mathematics if they did not receive maths training from the primary phase and throughout the phases up to Grade 12. Umalusi identified that historically 30% to 40% of all secondary schools did not have some form of education with regard to maths before Grade 9. Therefore the maths pass rate in 2008 was only 46%. In 2008 54% did not pass and in 2009 53% did not pass.
This is a typical example of a misjudgement in educational accountability and implementation. The misfortune of this situation is that those learners were dealt a psychological blow by our system of education to their whole lives and future. This we must never again allow to happen.
Too many learners with the potential to study further, maybe at a college or university, cannot go to such an institution, due to the financial inaffordability. We must come up with a financial model of assisting them to further their studies.
Even parents with a decent job, such as teachers, people in correctional services, health services or other government sectors, cannot afford to send their children to these educational institutions. We must look into the matter. Maybe the benefit of a study loan or bursary at their workplace could address this problem.
Hierdie voordele sal ook ons leerders aanmoedig om hulself te kwalifiseer in daardie rigtings waar die voordele vir hul toekomstige kinders se verdere studies rooskleurig is. Dit sal die finansile sake van ons horonderwysinstellings ook baie verbeter, en hulle sal ook beter dienste aan ons studente kan lewer wanneer hulle by hierdie instellings opdaag.
Kom, laat ons die onderwys, onderrig en opleiding van ons jeug en gemeenskap die belangrikste saak maak om 'n beter toekoms vir ons land en al sy mense te verseker. Ons moet ook daarop konsentreer om kriteria en modelle te vind vir di leerders wat uitval tussen graad 1 en graad 12, sodat ons hulle langer in die skool kan hou. Dit sal verseker dat ons baie meer matrikulante sal h, en 'n baie beter toekoms vir ons jeug en ons samelewing kan voorsien, met al die voordele wat dit inhou. Ek dank u. [Applous.] (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[These benefits would also urge our learners to obtain qualifications in those areas that would be beneficial to their children's future studies. This would greatly improve the financial affairs of our higher education institutions as well, and they would also be able to offer better services to our students when they arrive at these institutions.
Come, let us prioritise the education, teaching and training of our youth and communities to ensure a better future for our country and all its people. We must also focus on finding criteria and models for those learners who leave the education system between Grade 1 and Grade 12, so that we can keep them in school for a longer period. This would ensure a greater number of matriculants and provide a much better future for our youth and society, with all the benefits that are associated with it. Thank you. [Applause.]]