Chairperson of the NCOP, hon Mahlangu, hon Minister Nzimande, the hon Motshekga, the Northern Cape MEC Cjiekella hon members, ladies and gentlemen, we welcome today's debate on enhancing the culture of learning and teaching in our schools for better education outcomes.
Our national pass rate has dropped by 13% since 2003 and our literacy and numeracy levels are way below the international standards. This is an indication that the current education system as well as the culture of learning and teaching are not properly entrenched and that education in South Africa is in crisis.
One of the primary reasons for this is that the rights of learners have all too often come a distant third in order to protect ideological considerations and other educator rights. However, in the Western Cape, we are determined to put the rights of learners above any consideration. Every action, policy or strategy we adopt is guided by this principle.
If South Africa is to succeed, we simply cannot afford to fail the millions of young learners in this country who are desperate to obtain a quality basic education or enhance their future opportunities. It is within this context that the DA administration in the Western Cape has adopted a range of measures which will enhance the culture of teaching and learning in our schools. This puts the rights of approximately one million learners first and ensures that they receive a quality education.
Despite the fact that the Western Cape has the best education system in the country, we have made a bold commitment to improve our educational outcomes, setting specific targets for 2010, which include an improvement to 80% in the Grade 12 pass rate; an increase in the number of learners who are writing their examinations; and a reduction in the number of underperforming schools from 85 to 55. We are planning to have reduced this number to zero by the year 2014.
These are bold but necessary targets. Until yesterday, we were the only province in the country that had set such specific targets in education. I've just learned that the department of education in KwaZulu-Natal has released its own targets. We welcome their commitment to improving education in their province. I'm looking forward to reading their plan and discussing their strategies, as I shared with MEC Cjiekella in Kimberley a few days ago.
While we realise that there is no quick fix in education, we believe that these targets are achievable with dedicated and targeted planning and support. A number of practical management interventions have already been put in place in the Western Cape to help in achieving these targets.
These interventions include the implementation of a detailed turnaround strategy to improve the Grade 12 results; improving literacy and numeracy outcomes by directing maximum human and capital resources to the first three years of schooling; and a management plan to conduct diagnostic tests to measure the literacy and numeracy competency of all three grades, namely Grades 3, 6 and 9 learners. The tests will take place on one school day between 8 November and 19 November 2010. This will allow us to identify problem areas and to take effective and timeous remedial action.
Increased levels of accountability and performance of officials and principals have also been introduced. This is in the performance contracts for head office staff and district officials who are directly linked to learner outcomes - a first for any administration. It will ensure time-on- task by limiting the amount of training and the number of seminars and other functions that take place during school hours. The Western Cape department of education has ensured that at least a month's notice of training opportunities is given and has built in safeguards to ensure that such training will take place outside school hours or on weekends. The department has also reacted swiftly and firmly to any attempt to disrupt schooling, such as at Ludwe Ngamlana Primary School in Khayelitsha. We will not under any circumstances allow education to be abused in the pursuit of a political or any other agenda. I would like to thank the national Minister for her support in this regard.
Yesterday, the provincial cabinet approved the Western Cape education department's request to publish the draft Western Cape Provincial School Education Amendment Bill for public comment. This Bill provides greater powers for school inspections; regulates and renews the functions and powers of the provincial education council; makes provision for the inspection of schools to monitor performance and compliance; and further restricts the presence of alcohol, drugs and firearms at our schools.
An innovative plan to address infrastructure backlogs was also presented earlier today at a press conference. This plan provides for a number of short- and long-term interventions and includes the building of 12 new additional schools and 200 classrooms, as well as allocating 126 mobile classrooms, which will be rolled out among 75 schools before the end of the second term on 11 June 2010.
This plan will help alleviate school overcrowding and improve the overall state of our school infrastructure. These are but a few of our interventions that we have achieved thus far and it is safe to say that at the forefront of most of these interventions is the learner.
However, it is only through a sustained, focused and systematic approach that we will achieve the stated targets of improved learner outcomes. There is no doubt that a new wind is blowing through education in the Western Cape as well as the country. There is a great promise of a better tomorrow for all learners, giving a real life to our vision for an open opportunity society for all.