Hon Deputy Speaker, I really sincerely apologise. I did not catch the entire question, but if the question was whether there is something being done in relation to the development of principals and deputy principals, indeed, it is so that more than 4 500 deputy principals and principals have received training. The identified areas of training in terms of a curriculum that has been established within the institutions of higher learning include curriculum implementation, fiscal management, communication, liaison with communities, governance elements, and expertise in terms of leadership and management.
These have contributed significantly to the improvement in the quality of leadership in schools, and the empirical evidence is that where principals and deputy principals have, indeed, been provided with these opportunities, there has been enhanced efficiency in those particular schools. I thank you.
Accessing and lapsing of beneficiaries' grants, pursuant to reregistration process
256. Mrs Y R Botha (ANC) asked the Minister of Social Development:
(1) With reference to the reregistration process undertaken by her department through the Social Security Agency of South Africa (Sassa), (a) how long do beneficiaries have to wait in order for them to access their grants and (b) when will the benefits of those who have not yet reregistered lapse or expire;
(2) what are the (a) benefits to the grant beneficiaries and (b) security measures that are in place with regard to the new smart card system? NO2766E