National Assembly: 7th July 2009

Mr Speaker,

There is no doubt that our education system, despite budgetary allocations, remains seriously dysfunctional at all levels.

Firstly, I want to express the IFP's concern with the implementation of policy by provinces, and the monitoring thereof by the Department of Education. Take for example the KwaZulu Natal Department of Education, which awarded Indiza a multimillion Rand tender to deliver text books to schools across the province and which were never delivered. Hence, quality education suffered.

Then, look at the feeding scheme in the Eastern Cape which has collapsed completely, and as we debate now, thousands and thousands of children in schools in the Northern part of KwaZulu Natal, covering the entire Umkhanyakude district, are not being fed because feeding schemes there too have collapsed. 

The IFP calls on the Minister of Education to immediately investigate these matters.

It is clearly only due to a lack of proper monitoring from the Department of Education that such glaring dysfunctionality within the education system is allowed to continue.

The Department of Education has on numerous occasions admitted that our system remains the weakest at district level. Yet for two consecutive budgetary years there has been no allocation to strengthen and improve education at district level, where we need more subject advisors, more adequately qualified teachers and teaching aids.

Lastly Mr Speaker, schools cannot remain 'black boxes' where nobody knows, including the Minister, what is going on inside there. Open up schools across the country urgently for routine inspections. We cannot allow unions to continue protecting that turf.

I thank you.

Contact: Alfred Mpontshane, 083 441 6201.