The doors of learning and cultures shall be opened!
Education is a means of promoting good citizenship as well as preparing our people for the needs of a modern economy and a democratic society. Building on the achievements in education, the ANC government will aim to ensure progressive realisation of universal schooling, improving quality education and eliminating disparities. This requires a major renewal of our schooling and education system. The ANC government will:- Work together with educators, learners, parents, school governing bodies and other stakeholders, to make education the priority of all.
- Work towards a free and compulsory education for all children. As the immediate step it will ensure that at least 60% of schools are no-fee schools.
- Ensuring that South Africa is completely liberated from illiteracy by 2014 through our mass literacy campaign – Kha ri Gude.
- Introduce a sustainable Early Childhood Education system that spans both public and private sectors and gives children a head start on numeracy and literacy. The ANC government will also train and employ 15,000 trainers per annum and strengthen support for creches and pre-schools in rural villages and urban centres.
- Improve the quality of schooling, particularly performance in mathematics, science, technology and language development. Measures will include provision of incentives for mathematics and science teachers.
- Promote the status of teachers, ensuring the employment of adequate numbers, and improving their remuneration and training, as an important part of our drive to ensure that quality teaching becomes the norm, rather than the exception. Together with the trade unions, we need to ensure that teachers are in school, in class, on time, teaching, that there is no abuse of learners and no neglect of duty.
- Increase graduate output in areas of skills shortages. This will include measures to streamline Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAS) and other institutions to addressing existing and forecast skills shortages.
- Embarking on the re-opening of teacher training colleges where appropriate.
- Revive the role of state owned enterprises in skills development and training.
- Place Further Education and Training colleges at the centre of a popular drive to develop skills development for the economy
- Encourage students from working class and poor communities to go to tertiary institutions by reviewing and improving the National Student Financial Aid Scheme.
- Extending school feeding schemes to all deserving high schools and improving the implementing of the feeding scheme in all deserving primary schools.
