Ngiyabonga Sihlalo, ngibingelele uNgqongqoshe, uSekela Ngqongqoshe, oNgqongqoshe bonke namaSekela onke akhona, amalunga ahloniphekile kanye nezithameli zethu.
Lesi sabiwomali sidingidwa ngesikhathi esinzima kakhulu njengoba sazi sonke ukuthi umnotho uwile. Ngqongqoshe, sifuna ukusho zisuka nje ebhandeni ukuthi siyaseseka lesi sabiwomali ngoba sizosiza ekuqalisweni kwezinhlelo zoMnyango ezibekelwe ukuthuthukiswa kwamakhono kwezeSayensi nobuchwepheshe ikakhulukazi kulabo bantu ababekade bencishwe amathuba.
Sinazo izinhlelo ezidinga ukusimamiswa ukuze zenabele ezindaweni zabantu abadla imbuya ngothi. Ngonyaka ka2001 uMnyango Wezemfundo wavula uhlelo olubizwa ngeDinaledi programu. Inhloso enkulu yalolu hlelo ukuthi kukhuliswe amazinga nokusebenza kangcono ezifundweni zezibalo nesayensi kulabo bantwana abavela ezindaweni ezazincishwe amathuba.
Kumele kube nengxenye yemali esetshenziselwa ukuthuthukisa uhlelo lokufunda nokufundisa ngolimi lwebele ukuze abantwana baqonde kanconywana izifundo zesayensi nobuchwepeshe. Okunye okuyinselelo kulo Mnyango ukuthi sivele nezindlela zokusiza ukuthi kube khona izindlu zokusebenzela abaqhuba isayensi isigceme nesigceme ngasinye ezindaweni zasemalokishini kanye nezasemakhaya.
Lokhu kungasiza ukuthi abafundi, othisha kanye nomakhelwane abanolwazi kwezesayensi nobuchwepheshe bavolontiye bahlangane ndawonye ukuzosiza abafundi. (Translation of isiZulu paragraphs follows.)
[Mr Z C NTULI: Thank you Chairperson, Minister, Deputy Minister, all the Ministers and Deputy Ministers present, hon members as well as our guests.
This Budget Vote is debated during a very difficult time since, as we all know, the economy has collapsed. Minister, we want to say right from the start that we support this Budget Vote, for it is going to assist in the implementation of the programmes of the department which have been put in place to develop skills in science and technology, particularly with regard to those people who were previously marginalised.
We do have programmes that need to be improved so that they can be extended to the areas inhabited by extremely poor people. In 2001 the Department of Education launched a programme called the Dinaledi programme. The main aim of this programme is to improve the standards and performance in Maths and Science studies by providing assistance to those learners who come from disadvantaged areas.
A portion of the allocation must be used to develop a programme of learning and teaching in the mother tongue, so that learners can understand scientific and technological studies better. Another thing that is still a challenge to this department is to come up with various ways to assist in the building of laboratories for the people who do scientific studies in each and every ward, both in the townships and rural areas.
This can help in a way that learners, teachers and neighbours who have knowledge in science and technology can volunteer and get together to help the learners.]