Hon Deputy Speaker, I would like to respond to three of the statements: Firstly, in relation to the freedom fighter and longest serving President of the ANC, O R Tambo.
I would like to pay tribute to him as an educator, as a teacher. He graduated with a B Sc and had chosen Mathematics and Science as his majors. When asked why he had done so, he said that if he had not done so, then the black child would regard Mathematics and Science as difficult subjects to choose.
Not only did he successfully complete his B Sc degree, but he taught Mathematics and Science for five years, emphasising at that time already the importance of these two subjects.
With regard to the statement made by the hon member in relation to alcohol and drug abuse, it is indeed a serious problem. We have legislation that allows for search and seizure by the police to take place at schools to enable schools to protect the school environment.
We have encouraged all governing bodies to establish subcommittees for security and we have provided parents with guidelines to assist them in determining when there is drug abuse that takes place among their children. We do believe that society has an important role to play in this regard.
With regard to the statement in relation to the first 1 000 days, indeed, social scientists are saying that the first 1 000 days of a child's life, beginning from conception, are perhaps the most important and that the cognitive development of a child takes place while the child is in the womb of the mother. Therefore the first 1 000 days are very important.
What we can share with the House is that the Department of Basic Education, together with the Department of Social Development and the Department of Health, has already developed a draft curriculum for zero to four years of birth. The National Development Plan, NDP, makes a commitment to the first two years of early childhood development - that is, preschool. Also, the Department of Basic Education, together with its sister departments, is working vigorously to ensure that we have universal access very soon in this regard. Thank you.