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EDWIN NAIDU
EDUCATION remains a high priority for Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi and is key for economic development and improving citizens’ socio-economic conditions.
In his State of the Province Address (SOPA), Lesufi, who formerly held the province’s education portfolio with the
distinction between 31 May 2019 – 6 October 2022, congratulated the 2022 Matric Class for the sterling work they did in achieving a pass rate of 84.4%.
This was a remarkable achievement: out of every ten (10) learners that wrote matric in Gauteng, eight (8) passed. Of the eight (8), six (6) passed with a Bachelor’s pass.
“We are contributing 43 298 distinctions to the national education system; 20 769 come from township schools. This is a monumental achievement,” Lesufi said.
In the 2023 academic year, 4000 young people received bursaries worth R360 million outside the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS). Furthermore, he said the province was committed to investing in youth.
Every learner that finished in the top three in every township high school will receive a 3-year bursary at a university of their choice.
On top of that, these learners will also receive a laptop to make their studies easier.
An outstanding achievement to note is the progress made by Gauteng in closing the gap between former model C and township schools’ pass rate from 12% to 9%.
As guests at the State of the Province, Lesufi invited students that received total marks and 100% passes in Maths, Business Economics and Economics; out of those learners, 24 came from township schools.
But there is no room for complacency. He said the province plans to benchmark Gauteng against international countries by participating in international examinations such as Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) and Trends in Mathematics and Science Studies (TIMSS).
Acknowledging that the education system is overcrowded, exacerbated by high in-migration levels, Lesufi warned that the system would collapse unless something different is done.
Addressing this issue and learning from the experience of unplaced learners in Grades 1 and 8, Gauteng has budgeted R6 billion from the provincial coffers to build new schools in high-pressured communities.
He announced that the province had received a significant boost of R1.5 billion from the National Treasury to finally demolish mobile and asbestos schools.
Thus, 18 new schools will be rebuilt in Gauteng.
The province will also access for the first-time resources from private sector financial institutions to fund infrastructure projects upfront, after which they will be built, maintained and transferred handed over to the province.
Proposals from private companies to build these schools will be sought.
Lesufi said the province would continue to roll out Schools of Specialisation to give learners a competitive edge and to prepare them for the post-matric world.
To date, the province has 21 Schools of Specialization, and by the end of this administration, he said they would number 35. The Premier praised Mr [Amos] Mashiane, principal of Soshanguve Engineering School of Specialisation, for focusing on automobiles.
“He and his students were honoured with Visionary Clean Tech Student Award in Abu Dhabi. Mr Mashiane, representing his school, will attend the Students for Advancement Global Entrepreneurship World Cup 2023 in California, USA.”
Mindful of the foundation among younger learners, Lesufi said the province was committed to rolling out Early Childhood Development Centres of the future across the five corridors.
“We are pleased that the number of children registered in our ECD sites has increased. As part of the process to bolster our education system, we are now ready to build an ECD of the future, starting with Tshwane (in Soshanguve),” Lesufi added.
The ECD of the future will have classrooms with indoor splash pools, ICT centres, a water recycling area and mini sports areas. Coding and Robotics will gradually be introduced into the curriculum to meet the challenges of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR).
Education, starting at the bottom, and spreading through the system, is aimed at ensuring Gauteng learners continue reaching the top.
INSIDE EDUCATION
