Walter Sisulu Square, Kliptown, 15 August 2008
In the last National Executive Committee meeting we were seized with the task of integrating the refined resolutions of the national conference to the budgeting process. This process took forward the process that was started in the last budget wherein we were made to believe that the minister of finance would not accommodate the Polokwane resolutions because they were late for the budget process. Commentators and analysts were surprised to find key resolutions having been provided for in the budget. This apparent confusion was driven by the desire to prove that the two centres of power were not talking to each other and lack of understanding that resolutions that go to the national conference go through the various stages, from the National general council, through the policy conference, to the National conference. In the NEC we came up with the medium term priorities, further refining what was captured in the January 08th statement as priorities for the next five years. This was another attempt at transforming the resolutions into an implementable programme.
There was agreement that the medium term strategic framework should seek to enhance social, cultural and economic welfare of all South Africans. Five broad areas of focus were identified as:-
These are programmes that seek to address the pre-eminent problems in our society, high unemployment, growing inequality and deepening poverty.
Everything we do should be aimed at making a contribution towards the fulfilment of these set objectives. These two campaigns are but some of the steps taken by the African National Congress to make the difference to the lives of our people. These are not campaigns of distributing pamphlets, they are meant to command ANC cadres working with our alliance partners, to change South Africa for the better. All the five areas identified require an educated and a healthy nation that stands up for being counted among successful nation states of the world.
What we identified as non-negotiable in the area of education are about making the commitment that the South African child will access education irrespective of the economic status of the family. Through Education we will break the chain of poverty in the individual households. We are committing ourselves that educators will be in school on time, use the time in school productively for the benefit of the learner and not leave earlier than expected. We are committing ourselves to ensuring that the learners will be in school on time, without any weapon or drugs and subject themselves to the discipline of the school. The parents will participate actively in the learning process of a child and ensure that the schools in their communities are safe for learning and are not vandalised. This is the pledge we are making today in public and will live it every day in our communities.
The national democratic revolution has always been about liberation of blacks in general and Africans in particular. This imposes a special obligation on all of us of ensuring that the black child has unhindered access to quality education. This is particularly important if we are to deal decisively with the legacy of Apartheid education system. We must ask ourselves the most difficult questions in this regard:- In the Bantu Education system the black child was not allowed to learn mathematics and science because he/she would acquire skills he will never use in any way. Those schools that insisted were limited to not more than 32 learners per class.
No black university had an engineering faculty because engineering was reserved for the scheduled person and that reality continues today.
After fourteen years can confidently say that the situation has changed dramatically. My interpretation of this campaign is that we are re-committing ourselves to a review process with the aim of correcting some of these weaknesses.
The university mergers must be interrogated in terms of access to higher education and the overall impact in society. That is why it is important not to be satisfied about the number of learners accepted in these institutions but the number of graduates generated per annum and quality thereof.
Has the closure of teacher training colleges improved the supply and quality of educators?
Having committed ourselves to reaching 60% of schools being no fee schools by 2009 can we confidently say that free and compulsory education is in sight?
In the area of health the campaign is about universal access to quality health care. The nation must have the right to access health facilities of acceptable standards. In a campaign conducted by the SACP in 2007 the conclusion arrived at was that many of the hospitals have deteriorated. There is a chronic shortage of health professionals, impacting directly on the quality of care. The re-opening of the Nursing Colleges is a positive development that must be welcome. Many of our clinics particularly in the rural areas were short of the necessary medication even where new clinics were built. The debate about the National Health Insurance Scheme has been raging on for years without any conclusion being arrived at. This campaign must help us conclude this debate any implement the scheme within a reasonable time. The remuneration of health professionals has driven them to other disciplines and the private sector. The reintegration of our country into the global economy has also created opportunities for South African professionals to pursue opportunities anywhere in the world. It is this migration of skills from this critical sector that has resulted in visible shortage of managerial and planning skills in public health.
These two areas, education and health, are critical for the overall success of our economy. The objective of 6% plus economic growth and halving unemployment and poverty by 2014 will remain a dream unless we get our education and public health right. Many if not all the successful economies have consciously invested in both education and health as a prerequisite for their growth and success. Other interventions like the aggressive implementation of the industrial policies were underpinned by the availability of skills. National literacy and numeracy levels determine the success of any skills development programme. Our education system must talk to the skills needs of the economy.
Mathematics, Science, ICT and language competency are critical for us to develop South Africa into one the fastest growing economies in the world. This campaign is about global competitiveness of our economy. It is not just about the mobilisation of ANC activists, but also the mobilisation of intellectual capacity for policy formulation and implementation. Those intellectuals who felt isolated over the years must be given space to make their contribution.
It is this ability to mobilise our allies, the mass democratic movement and other formations in society that qualifies our movement to be the spearhead of our revolution.
Issued by: African National Congress