Chairperson, hon members, guests, and representatives of SRCs, one of the issues that limits access to higher education is funding. There are many students in our country who are euphemistically referred to as previously or historically disadvantaged.
For many of them, there is nothing previous about them being disadvantaged. They are still as disadvantaged now as their parents have been. They attend poorly resourced and poorly run schools, referred to as dysfunctional schools. They get poor Grade 12 passes, not because they are intellectually less gifted, but because the system failed them.
Azapo believes that besides funding, the best way of improving access to higher education for the majority of our people is to improve the quality of teaching and learning in village and township schools. Thank you.