Ngiyabonga, Mgcinisihlalo. Mgcinisihlalo, mangithathe lelithuba ngibingelele bonke oNgqongqoshe abakhona ngaphakathi kwendawo. Ngibingelele bonke abahlonishwa abakhona; ngibuye ngibingelele izikhulu eziqhamuka eMnyangweni Wezemfundo; ngibuye ngibingelele nezivakashi zethu ezikwigalari.
Mgcinisihlalo, ngivumele ukuthi ngaphambi kokuthi ngethule inkulumo yami, ngikhumbuze le Ndlu ukuthi kwenzekani ngo 1955 eKliptown, lapho kwasungulwa khona usomqulu obizwa ngokuthi yi-Freedom Charter. IFreedom Charter ithi: iminyango yonke yezemfundo kanye nezamasiko izovulwa.
Ukusukela ngo 1994 uMnyango Wezemfundo uzame ngazo zonke izindlela kanye nokuzinikelela ukuthuthukisa izinga lothisha. Ake sizibuze-ke ukuthi kungani lomnyango wakwenza lokhu? Okokuqala, siyiNingizimu Afrika asinabo othisha abathuthuke ngokwanele kwezemfundo. Sisadinga amakhono athize ukuze sithuthukise ezemfundo kuleli lizwe lakithi. Ngaleyondlela ukwentuleka kwemisebenzi kuzoncipha futhi kuthuthuke nomnotho wakuleli lizwe.
Uma sibuka, futhi sifunda iManifesto kaKhongolose yalo nyaka ophezulu, kuphawuliwe ukuthi singuKhongolose sithi: imfundo ingumkhakha obalulekile kuleli lizwe, ngakho-ke sizogxila kuyo. Lo Somqulu ubuye uphinde futhi uthi: izinga lezemfundo kothisha lizothuthukiswa, kuqashwe othisha abenele, kubuye kuphuculwe amaholo kanye nokuqeqeshwa kwabo. SinguKhongolose sizokwenza konke lokhu sibambisene nezinyunyana zakuleli ngoba sizimisele ukubona othisha kanye nezingane bekhululekile emagunjini abo okufundela.
Inkomfa eyayisePolokwane yathatha isinqumo sokuthi kusungulwe isigungu esizobuyekeza, sithuthukise, sihlolisise, sibuye sisekele othisha bakuleli lizwe. Izinyunyana zakuthakasela lokhu emhlangweni wazo owawungoSeptemba ka 2008. Lo mhlangano wawuphakathi koMnyango nezinyunyana. Izinyunyana zabuye zenaba ngokuthi lokhu kufanele kuhambisane nokuqeqeshwa kothisha.
Mgcinisihlalo ngithanda ukusho ukuthi konke lokhu kuhambisana nezinsiza ngoba ngaphandle kwezinsiza asoze sifinyelele noma sithole impumelelo egculisayo. Ngakho-ke, kubalulekile ukuthi othisha bahlinzekelwe ngezinsiza ezifanelekile ukuze kubonakale izithelo ezinhle.
Nginethemba lokuthi uhulumeni oholwa nguKhongolose uzofinyelela kukho konke lokhu ngoba usephawulile uMongameli wezwe, uMhlonishwa uJacob Zuma ukuthi wonke uthisha wakuleli uzohlonyiswa nge-lap top ngemva kweminyaka ethile esebenza. Uma sifisa impumelelo kulokhu, ngikholelwa ukuthi izikole kufanele zibe nama-laboratory, imitapo yolwazi, kanye nezinkundla zokudlala. Lokho kuzokwenanela ukusekelwa kothisha.
Esinye sezinqumo zasePolokwane sithi: le ndlela entsha yokufundisa kufanele ibambisane nokuthuthukiswa kwamakhono athile wothisha. SiyiNingizimu Afrika, siyasilela kwamanye wamakhono lokho bese kudala ukuthi kulandwe othisha kwamanye amazwe bazosiza ezikoleni zethu ngokufundisa izifundo ezifana neZibalo kanye neSayensi noBuchwepheshe njengoba beyizingcweti zalokho.
Mina angihambisani nalokho, boNgqongqoshe, ngoba ngikholelwa ekutheni uma sinamakhono enele, lokhu ngeke kwenzeke. Akwandiswe othisha abanamakhono eZibalweni kanye nakwiSayensi noBuchwepheshe. Akungagxilwa kuphela kulezi zikole ezibizwa ngokuthi yi-Dinaledi kodwa makwenziwe kuzo zonke izikole zakuleli lizwe. Ngaleyondlela sizoba yisibonelo esihle kwamanye amazwe. Makubuye kugcizelelwe futhi ngokuqeqeshwa kothisha nge-National Curriculum Statement, i-NCS.
UMongameli, uMhlonishwa, uJacob Zuma ubuye waphawula enkulumeni yakhe, mhla evula iPhalamende ukuthi uzozama ngokusemandleni ukuhlangana nothisha, abazali kanye nezingane zesikole uqobo, ngenhloso yokuthuthukisa ezemfundo. Waphinda futhi wathi abaphathi bezikole bazophakanyiselwa ukuba ngothisha- nhloko noma babe ngabaphathi bemiNyango ethile uma kunesidingo.
Kubalulekile ukuthi uMnyango Wezemfundo wenze lokhu okushiwo yizinyunyana zakuleli ezathi: (Translation of isiZulu speech follows.)
[Ms N M MADLALA: Thank you, Chairperson. Chairperson, let me take this opportunity and greet all the Ministers present. I greet all the hon members present, the senior officials from the Department of Education and our visitors in the gallery.
Chairperson, before I begin with my address, please allow me to remind this House what happened in 1955, in Kliptown, where the Freedom Charter was adopted. The Freedom Charter states: The doors of learning and culture shall be opened.
As from 1994 the Department of Education has tried by all means to improve the standard of teaching. So, let us ask ourselves why this department did that. Firstly, as South Africa we do not have fully developed teachers in the education sector. We still need certain skills to improve education in our country. In that way we will decrease scarceness of jobs and our country's economy will improve.
When we look at and read this year's ANC manifesto, it states that as the ANC we are saying that education is an important issue in this country; therefore we will focus on it. It goes on to say that the standard of education for teachers will be improved, enough teachers will be employed, salaries will be upgraded and teachers will receive training. As the ANC we will do all this together with the unions because we are determined to see teachers and learners free in their classrooms.
The Polokwane conference took a resolution that a national education evaluation and development unit will be established for the purposes of monitoring, evaluation and support for teachers in this country. The unions welcomed this in their summit that was held in September 2008. This summit was between the department and the unions. Unions added that this must include training of teachers.
Chairperson, I would like to say that all this includes resources because without them we will never accomplish anything or succeed in anything. Therefore, it is important that resources be made available for teachers to produce better results.
I hope that the ANC-led government will accomplish all this as the hon President Jacob Zuma has stated that teachers will be rewarded with laptops after a certain number of years in service. If we wish for success in this I believe that schools must have laboratories, libraries and playgrounds. That will add support for teachers.
Another resolution from Polokwane states that this new teaching technique must include certain skills development for teachers. As South Africa we lack some skills and that leads to us having to find teachers from other countries to help in our schools by teaching subjects like mathematics, science and technology as these teachers are experts in these subjects.
Ministers, I do not concur with that because I believe that if we have sufficient skills this will never happen. Teachers with skills in mathematics, science and technology must be employed. We must not only focus on these schools known as Dinaledi schools, but it must be done at all the schools in this country. In that way we will be a good example to other countries. The training of teachers in the National Curriculum Statement, NCS, must be emphasised.
The hon President Jacob Zuma said in his address at the opening of Parliament that he will do everything in his power to meet with teachers, parents and learners with the aim of improving education. He again said school managers will be promoted to the position of principals or to be managers of certain departments if there is a need.
It is imperative that the Department of Education does what the unions said, namely conduct...]
... an audit of what teachers know and don't know, what they do and don't do, their beliefs and values.
Ngemva kwalokho, uMnyango ungakwazi ukuhlukanisa phakathi kokuqina nokuntengantenga kothisha. Ngaleyondlela kuzobonakala lapho siphokophelele khona siyiNingizimu Afrika. Konke lokhu sizokwenza uma sibambisene singamaqembu ehlukene lapha ePhalamende, kanye nomphakathi wonke. Ngiyabonga, Sihlalo. [Ihlombe.] (Translation of isiZulu paragraph follows.)
[After that the department should be able to identify strengths and weaknesses of the teachers. In that way, as South Africa, we will see where we are heading. We can make all of this happen if we work together as different parties here in Parliament and the community at large. Thank you, Chairperson. [Applause.]]