The State's compliance with its constitutional duty towards
the right to basic education

September1, 2006

STATEMENT ISSUED BY:
MR ALFRED MPONTSHANE - MP
IFP SPOKESPERSON ON EDUCATION


IFP spokesperson on Education, Mr. Alfred Mpontshane, today said that the facts about basic education in South Africa clearly indicate that despite significant progress since 1994, the government has to make a renewed and concerted effort to improve basic education for it to have complied with its constitutional duty.

Further, Mr. Mpontshane said: "For instance, there is still a shortage of about 31 000 classrooms countrywide; almost 5 000 schools are without water and more than 4000 schools are without sanitation. In the region of 16% of teachers were still under-qualified in 2002 and more than a third of Africans were illiterate in 2004".

"The IFP therefore calls on the government to accelerate the process of improving the conditions for basic education".

In conclusion, Mr. Mpontshane called for "renewed efforts to be made to ensure that school leavers do so armed with the necessary basic skills and not as functionally illiterate, unprepared learners as so often happens currently".



FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Mr. Alfred Mpontshane - MP: 083 441 6201
Noleen Hendricks: 082 886 9848