Thank you, Madam Speaker. May I say, Madam Speaker ...
Sebui, re ne re itumetse thata maabane fa re go utlwa o bua Setswana se se monate. [... we were fascinated by the fluency in which you spoke Setswana yesterday.]
The reply to the question is as follows: The plan with respect to learners in Grade 12 in Khutsong was to move all the Khutsong matric learners to an intensive tuition centre in the North West province where they would live, learn and study until the completion of their exams at the end of November 2007.
On 12 August 2007, 441 - the total sum of Grade 12 learners - Grade 12 learners in Khutsong were moved from their homes to the Vuselela FET college in Taung. The plan has been put into practice, and I receive reports from the department constantly. I am informed that the learners are benefiting from the tuition provided by the subject specialists appointed by the North West education department to assist the learners.
The Grade 12 learners who chose to remain behind will write their final exams in registered exam centres around Khutsong. There were a few who chose not to join the 441 that I have referred to, which is bulk, the majority, in fact - almost the entire number - of the learners in Grade 12 in Khutsong. Thank you, Madam Speaker. [Applause.]
Thank you, Madam Speaker. Thank you, hon Minister, for your informative response. Minister, while we applaud the positive interventions by the North West department of education to manage the plight of the Grade 12s in terms of affording them, as you have reported, an opportunity to study for their matric exams; would the Minister consider advising the North West department of education to put in place a contingency plan for next year to give similar support to learners currently in Grades 10 and 11, in particular, given the fact that they also lost a lot of learning time this year, especially if the learning environment in that community doesn't normalise next year?
I am asking this question in the context of the fact that with matters of education, the interest of the learner is paramount. Thank you.
Madam Speaker, in reply I remain hopeful that the situation will normalise; that parents, adults and others in the community will realise that the impasse that we have had for several months is harming irreparably the future of children who should be in school. I must, however, repeat what I've said in the House before that the majority of the schools continue to function. There are disruptions from time to time.
There are some schools where we do not have full attendance both by learners as well as by teachers, but we are working hard with the North West education department to ensure that all children are in school with schools functioning fully as they should. Of course, hon Ntuli, we will continue with the support programmes that we believe should be there to support our children in our schools anyway so that they have the study material. Any additional programmes which have become part of the fabric of the education offering would, of course, be continued.
Madam Speaker, the FF Plus welcomes the fact that something is being done to solve this problem of the Grade 12 learners or students of Khutsong. Our information is that the cost of this exercise is about R10 million and that R8 million of this amount is for food and housing. Now, I really don't think that we can afford to solve this type of problem this way if, in the future, something similar happens again. Are my figures correct? I would like the Minister to respond to that, please.
I don't have the full budget or figures in front of me, but the ballpark figure referred to sounds accurate, given the transport and other costs as well as the fact that subject specialists have been invited and therefore must be paid. My own hope would be, of course, as I have said, that we have normal schooling. And I would hope all political parties will make it their business to indicate to the public of South Africa that education is a vitally important practice for the future of our country and that we should never again have a repeat of what we have seen in Khutsong with respect to schooling.
Thank you, Madam Speaker, and thank you, Minister. The information that I have, including from one of the principals involved, just this morning, is that over 40 Grade 12 learners at one of the high schools in Khutsong, in fact, not in Taung, have no accounting teacher, no business economics teacher and the science teacher is on extended sick leave. Now I appreciate that this is a difficult situation, but would the Minister be happy to look into that particular situation to ensure that those learners who've remained behind are actually taught the subjects they need to be taught so that they can write their exams? Secondly, what additional steps are being taken to physically secure the schools in question, because in one case three classrooms were burnt down just a few weeks ago, so that the learners in Khutsong can get through Grade 12? That is obviously not referring to the rest of the learners in Khutsong who are not in Grade 12 yet. Thank you.
Unfortunately, the principal didn't give us the information as to whether those 40 learners chose not to participate, or were rather excluded by the North West education department. All Grade 12s were invited to be part of the programme. There are some who have been participants in the kind of action we have seen who have chosen not to be part of the programme. Therefore, since I don't have that information it is difficult for me to actually answer the question fully. Perhaps if you could pose the question in the form of a question for either written or oral reply, I then could investigate the matter and certainly look into it. I do volunteer that if you give me the name of the school I will look into the matter of the teachers and the subjects and come back to you on that one.
With respect to the question of security, it is a matter that we are constantly addressing in collaboration with the SA Police Service and are attempting, as much as we can, to ensure that we do secure the schools in the area. However, as you would have seen, some of the attacks take place at night, and what we are really trying to do is to inculcate the culture of consciousness of the value of education and educational facilities and their very close relationship to the lifeblood and quality of a community. This is why I am saying that, while we will take the steps as policy heads, it is vitally important that we change the attitude and consciousness of our communities towards education and public facilities generally.
Success in applying skills obtained in poverty alleviation programmes
265. Ms T E Lishivha (ANC) asked the Minister of Water Affairs and Forestry:
Whether, in light of the various poverty alleviation programmes administered by her department, such as Working for Water and Working on Fires, the participants in these programmes have any success in applying the skills they have obtained once they have exited these programmes; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?