Hon Speaker, a lot of progress has been made in stabilising the situation in the Eastern Cape education department. Government has gone out of its way to ensure that all the issues of concern raised by our stakeholders are seriously considered in our quest to improve the standard of education in the province.
In this regard, and through our Quality Learning and Teaching Campaign, we have a social compact with teacher unions and school governing bodies to ensure that teachers are in class, on time, with a textbook, and teaching. Likewise, learners must arrive at school on time, disciplined and ready to learn.
School governing bodies must ensure that their governance practices support schools to function properly, and that an environment conducive to teaching and learning is created.
We are working closely with all stakeholders to improve these outcomes and we are making progress. For example, the Eastern Cape provincial government and the SA Democratic Teachers Union, Sadtu, signed an agreement which covers a number of aspects that seek to normalise the situation.
The agreement signed on 8 February this year was reached following a meeting between the Premier of the Eastern Cape, members of her executive council and Cosatu leadership. One of the critical areas that all parties agreed on is the reinstatement of temporary teachers by the provincial education department.
Sadtu agreed to end the go-slow and picketing that they had embarked on in an effort to voice and demonstrate their concerns. This decision was communicated to all the provincial structures of the union in order to ensure that the strike action was halted and teaching resumed.
All parties were accordingly in harmony with the view that relations needed to be normalised urgently so that the commitments in the agreement could be achieved. Therefore, the continued and active participation of all stakeholders, including teacher unions, school governing bodies, communities and others with a vested interest in the provision of quality education remains absolutely critical.
Working together, we will ensure that the right of children to quality education is protected at all times. I thank you, hon Speaker.