Agb Voorsitter, die VF Plus sal kan saamstem met die agb Minister deur te s dat sy moeite gedoen het om toe te sien dat leerlinge toegang tot skole het. Met ander woorde, ons kan s in Suid- Afrika, met 'n toewysing van ongeveer 'n kwart van die land se begroting, is daar redelike toeganklikheid vir ons kinders tot skole.
Die agb Minister en almal kom en spog oor die matriekuitslae. Die VF Plus s geluk aan daardie matrikulante wat geslaag het, maar wat is die werlikheid? Ek wil vandag vir die agb Minister s die werklikheid is dat in 2001 ongeveer 1 131 000 leerlinge die skool betree het. Van daardie 1 131 000 leerlinge het slegs 45% verlede jaar die matriekeksamen geskryf. Van hierdie leerlinge het slegs 33% matriek geslaag, en slegs 'n skrale 12% het 'n matriekvrystelling gekry. Nou, agb Minister, u mislei uself. Suid-Afrika mislei homself as hy dink dit is 'n prestasie.
U het 'n Nasionale Ontwikkelingsplan vir die toekoms. Ek wil vandag vir u s dat u nie 'n toekoms gaan skep met so 'n klein persentasie van leerlinge wat die skool betree en dan aan die einde van die dag matriek slaag nie. Dit kan nie in die behoeftes van die land voorsien nie.
Die tweede aspek is dissipline. Ek praat nie net oor die dissipline van ons kinders nie. Ek praat oor die dissipline van die onderwysers en die onderwyseresse. Hoe is dit moontlik dat van hierdie mense wat ons kinders moet leer twee of drie dae in 'n week by die skool opdaag of, as hulle by die skool is, gaan sit en niks doen? Watter voorbeeld stel hulle? Daar is wel goeie onderwysers en onderwyseresse wat werklik 'n voorbeeld stel, en wat werklik hulle kinders wil motiveer om hulself te verbeter.
U wil inspekteurs aanstel. U kan dit doen, maar ek wil vir u vra, het hulle die kundigheid of is dit maar net weer 'n werkskeppingsgeleentheid vir die regering? U sal daadwerklik moet optree om daardie dissipline toe te pas.
In u eie departement weet ek van heelwat onderwysers en onderwyseresse wat vir drie tot vier maande nog nie 'n salaris ontvang het nie. Dit is 'n teken van swak dissipline in u departement. Dit is onaanvaarbaar dat daardie mense dan nog moet aangaan. Watter motivering het hulle, as hulle sulke swak administrasie van die departement ontvang?
Ons stem saam dat u die vakbonde moet vasvat, want dit is deel van die ondermyning van die dissipline. Ek dank u. (Translation of Afrikaans speech follows.)
[Mr P J GROENEWALD: Hon Chairperson, the FF Plus wants to agree with the Hon Minister by saying that she has made an effort to ensure that learners have access to schools. In other words, we are able to say that in South Africa, with an allocation of approximately a quarter of the country's budget, our children have reasonable access to schools.
The hon Minister and others sing their own praises with regard to the matric results. The FF Plus congratulates all those matriculants who have passed, but what is the reality? Today, I want to say to the hon Minister that the reality is the fact that approximately 1 131 000 learners entered the school system in 2001. Of those 1 131 000 learners, only 45% wrote the matric exam last year. Of these learners, only 33% passed matric, and only a meagre 12% passed with matric exemption. Hon Minister, you are misleading yourself. South Africa is misleading itself by considering this an achievement.
You have a National Development Plan for the future. Today, I want to say to you that you will not create a future with such a small percentage of learners who enter the school system and passed matric in the end. This cannot meet the needs of the country.
The second aspect is discipline. I am not only referring to the discipline of our children. I am also referring to the discipline of the teachers. How is it possible that these people, who are supposed to educate our children, only show up at school twice or thrice a week, or, when they are at school, they sit and do nothing? What example are they setting? However, there are teachers who are in fact setting an example, and who actually want to motivate children to improve themselves.
You want to appoint inspectors. You can do that, but I want to ask you, do they have the expertise, or is it simply another job creation opportunity for government? You will have to take decisive action to enforce discipline.
I know of many teachers in your own department who have not received salaries for three to four months. This is a sign of poor discipline in your department. It is unacceptable that these individuals should then still be expected to continue. What motivation do they have when they have to deal with such maladministration by the department?
We agree that you have to tackle the unions, because they contribute to undermining discipline. I thank you.]