Hon Chair, hon members, hon Minister, all protocol observed. Tomorrow, 25 May, is a very important day for the African continent. It is a day when we celebrate the milestones that we and our fellow African nations have achieved. It is also a day when we reflect on various challenges facing the African continent, where the majority of inhabitants are suffering the most inhuman conditions and where human rights are often prayed for.
Africa has the highest poverty and illiteracy statistics in the world. Therefore the South African government has to strive towards overcoming the challenges faced by our own country. It is a crying shame that our people do not receive education of the quality they deserve.
Our communities should play an active role in our schools, especially when it means the distribution and quality of our learning facilities as well as the equality and distribution of education will improve. There are still too many parents and caregivers who fail in their obligation towards the education of their children and simply leave the responsibility to the teachers alone. The sad reality is that most of these cases are found in underprivileged areas. Over the past 17 years we have spent more on education than most other developing nations, and we believe we still do not have enough to show for it. We remain concerned about the massive inequalities in education.
More focus should be placed ... [Interjections.]