Chairperson, hon members, it isn't possible for me, in the five minutes allowed to me, to deal very comprehensively with the report that we are tabling in the House today, suffice to note a few things. The first is that it is rare to find a situation such as the one that prevails currently with regard to the department in the sense that, technically and legally speaking, the Department of Basic Education does not exist. So, this report should actually be the report of the Portfolio Committee on Basic Education on its visit to and engagement with the Department of Education. This is just a legal technicality and, practically speaking, for all intents and purposes, there is of course work that is being done on behalf of the Department of Basic Education.
Very briefly, one of the chief concerns, as always, is the issue of the delivery of quality education in our schools. I hesitate to say this simply because I have such a little time. But it is incorrect to paint all schools with the same brush. We have some really excellent schools.
Overall, I think that there is a huge concern that the legacy of apartheid has left us with an enormous burden as far as quality education is concerned. There are many and varied factors pertaining to this, all of which ... [Interjections.] I am not sure what you are disagreeing about. All of the factors are critically important to address.
We certainly, from our side, are aware that, overall, our schools, when compared to other schools in other countries, do perform badly. It is of great concern that they perform badly when compared to other countries on the African continent, particularly countries poorer than South Africa. This, clearly, is a big issue. Happily, we found a department that is very focused on this issue and is particularly driven to deliver an upgrade on this matter. We are particularly pleased that the Minister of Basic Education stated upfront that for her and for her department it was a singular priority to deliver on the curriculum, and all efforts would be made to ensure that the department does indeed not lose this focus.
Unfortunately, we know that this is not just a simple matter of leaving it to the national department alone to reverse the legacy of apartheid in our education system. Indeed, every single one of us has to play a role. We need to be more committed to the culture of learning - and we have been talking about the issue of culture today.
I do think that one of the things that need the specific attention of all South Africans, is the culture of learning and teaching. Certainly, from our side, as the portfolio committee, we hope to be quite instrumental in leading a campaign that will resuscitate this particular and very vital issue.
To illustrate the point that I am making about the department not being able to deliver on its own some of the very commendable targets that it presented to us, we were very fortunate to be there when they presented the manual for the Foundations for Learning Campaign. This is really a manual aimed at being a teaching aid for teachers in the foundation phase - Grades 1 to 3 - to guide them, amongst other things, through their day. So this is really a very comprehensive, really good quality manual that should be on the desk of every teacher in every school.
However, some portfolio committee members phoned the schools in some of their constituencies and found that some schools had the manuals while others did not. This was not, interestingly, the schools in the far-flung outer reaches of our country. but very much those in the urban areas.
So it is these issues that we need to highlight and assist in rectifying. One of the biggest challenges for the department is going to be actually getting those efficiencies in order, and we certainly will be keeping tabs on this, amongst other things. Thank you very much for your time. [Applause.]
There was no debate.