House Chairperson, I would just like to note and acknowledge the inputs and the contributions to the discussion. I think there is a need for all of us continually to engage to ensure that there is a better future for all young people in South Africa, so that they can contribute positively to the economy of the country.
There are various areas that I just want to respond to that members have reflected on. Firstly, I would like to respond to the issue of the summits. I want to say here that those of us who were part of the summits acknowledge their importance. The summits that were referred to by the hon James were stakeholder summits where people were operating within particular sectors. It was a skills development summit, a higher education summit, and a further education and training summit.
The stakeholders appreciated what the Minister was doing. The stakeholders appreciated the engagement, saying that they appreciate being engaged with in a process where they can make inputs to policy development and development of the Green Paper.
I think, Minister, from where we are standing as the ANC, we applaud you for the work that you have done and appreciate that this is a government of the people by the people. It is not that we are doing something separate that people are not part of.
I think we need to acknowledge that and note that perhaps that is the view that the DA is holding, because they did not participate in the summits, although they were invited. All of us, as members of the portfolio committee, went to those summits. Again, it does not profit us to go to the point of character assassination, hitting on the Minister without us dealing with the issues we are faced with.
All of us are stakeholders; all of us have a responsibility; and all of us have a part to play. This means that all of us, including the DA, need to assist in shaping the way forward, in informing the policies that are being developed, as Members of Parliament and members of the portfolio committee.
There is a second point that I want to reflect on. I am not so sure that the issues that the hon Ntapane from the UDM has raised are relevant in a higher education debate. The issue that we are dealing with here is access to tertiary institutions by students at a tertiary level. It has nothing to do with numeracy and literacy. Those are issues that we must debate at a basic education level. Therefore, I think that he should perhaps introduce a motion for us to have a debate on that issue. [Applause.]
Finally, the last issue that I think we need to look at in terms of relevance, hon Deputy Minister, is the issue of the equity definition. I don't know whether there is anything called "brown". We have black, white, and coloured. I am not sure about this. I am trying to understand what you are talking about, which racial group you are talking about. I wanted to understand the "brown".
In conclusion, I would like to say that we should appreciate ... [Interjections.]