Chairperson, hon Ministers, education is a tool we cannot live without. It is pivotal to our survival, democracy and growth, yet we fail to keep the balance that is needed. It is generally noted that a large number of dysfunctional schools are those schools that were registered in the historically disadvantaged black education system, but what is the amicable solution to address these anomalies? What are we doing to respond quickly to the persistent poor performance by these schools?
Cope has noted with concern the R8,4 million budgeted towards the Integrated Quality Management System, IQMS, as reflected in the 2008-09 financial year. This is a worrisome expenditure.
Learners who actively acquire a large vocabulary and know their tables on their fingertips have little difficulty in deductive reasoning and deducing connections. Critical thinking and problem solving require a mastery of vocabulary, rules and patterns. Only when mathematics and science are framed as issues of adequate literacy will we begin to achieve a turnaround in mathematics and science education.
Cope welcomes the introduction of e-Education in all schools, because this initiative acknowledges that the use of computers as a teaching tool is very important. Every classroom should have a computer linked to the Internet so that educators can project static, interactive and video materials onto a screen. This e-Education project should also be fast- tracked in other rural provinces as well. What happened to the programme of allowing every educator to buy a laptop on easy terms? More importantly, how will the department ensure that it fast-tracks this initiative of making sure that all the provinces and schools in this country are connected to the Internet?
We, in South Africa, are very fortunate to have as many institutions of higher learning as we have. A persistent problem, however, lies with first- year students not being able to cope with the demands of tertiary education. This leads to higher failure rates and high drop-out rates. Both are a waste of scarce resources.
The Student Pathways Study by the Human Sciences Research Council in 2008 found that on average only 15% of students finish their degrees in the allocated time. Clearly, the Department of Higher Education and Training needs to do a great deal more. Learners from Grade 10 should also have Saturday classes, where they are steadily exposed to the university style of teaching so that they are not bewildered and lost when they begin their tertiary education.
At university, extra tutorials, including Saturday sessions, should also exist for the benefit of students who are struggling to adapt. Three years ago, the University of South Africa, Unisa, announced that it would spend nearly R50 million to establish a comprehensive network of tutors and academic support personnel across the country. One wonders what happened to this promise.
We are a country with many social demands but with declining resources. We need to ensure that there is value for money and that every student who is enrolled will successfully complete his or her course at university. Thank you.