Chairperson, Cope supports the budget but wishes to place on record the following concerns: given the fact that Education gets the much bigger slice of the national Budget, we would expect the Ministers concerned to apply themselves to such critical success factors as improved conditions, especially in rural areas, for teachers and learners, so that teachers can teach and learners can learn. Also, government needs to conduct intensive teacher training on the many changes brought upon them, including the National Curriculum Statement.
Regarding Higher Education and Training, a number of learners who enter the education system somehow get lost in the process and never come out. We therefore need a tracker system to follow learner progress, or lack thereof, so that we can all influence the outcomes we wish to see. Thank you.