Mr Maphelo Ntshanga: Principal of Kayamandi High School
Mr Victor Myatasa: Chairperson of the Governing Body
The Mayor Mr Willie Ortell
Teachers, parents and learners
Representatives from my Department
Distinguished guests and members of the media
Thank you for inviting me to share with you in the celebrations of your achievements.
It is always a pleasure for me to honour schools and communities who are celebrating the fruits of partnerships. I know that the majority of our learenrs come from poor communities, where their parents battle to make ends meet, and to put food on the table. Therefor this achievement is something, which you can be proud of. I certainly am.
When the government was sworn in, Premier Ebrahim Rasool outlined our vision of the Western Cape as a Home for All. The economic development strategy, which we have adopted to build this home for all, we refer to as Ikapa Elihlumayo, which means "Growing and Sharing the Cape".
This partnership between the school and the university is an attempt in helping to grow and share the Cape.
As Education MEC it is my duty to ensure the department provides the knowledge, skills and values for iKapa Elihlumayo. And some of the central values, of commitment, sharing and building, are captured here.
There are some few basic serious challenges that face us, namely disciplinary problems in schools and education capacity - all of this in the context of poverty in our communities.
Currently we are loosing half of about 80,000 learners just before they enter grades 10, 11 and 12. As MEC for Education, I am deeply disturbed at this situation and am committed to improve on this.
One way of meeting this challenge, is to provide renewed opportunities for learners to successfully complete twelve years of education, whether it be in a school or an FET college.
We have to change our curriculum. Firstly because of our political and socio-economic transformation objectives, where the imbalances of the past need to be addressed and equal educational opportunities must be provided for all.
Secondly: technology has changed the face of the knowledge economy and the workplace. We need to create a culture of life-long learning in the work place.
The Premier has challenged my department to take the lead in providing the human resource strategy for iKapa Elihlumayo.
Technology is an important part to provide quality education for learners. Computers in schools are important to support teaching and learning. We want to ensure that all our schools have computers.
I certainly am glad that the learners of this school now have access to computers. For information and communications technology are at the heart of our country's future growth. A challenge now will be to put in place a management plan to ensure that our learners have access to the computers.
The power of technology should be used to enhance the quality of the learning experience in the classroom. This should assist in improving the learner outcomes in all grades in terms of the number of passes and quality of results.
In many of the schools in affluent areas parents have contributed liberally to creating an environment in which technology is integral to the education of their children. However in most schools parents cannot afford this. The result is that the digital divide between the "haves" and the "have-nots" is widening.
The Kayamandi informal settlement is one of the poorest suburbs of Stellenbosch. Although there are permanent brick houses in the township, most of the residents live in shacks.
The poverty of the neighbourhood is also evident in the school that lacks the facilities to which most schools in Stellenbosch have free access. I am sure that because of the level of unemployment, our parents struggle to pay the basic school fees. These factors have an impact on school attendance, dress code and discipline amongst our learners.
Comparatively speaking, wealthy schools are located on land of an average of between 8 and10 ha, while those in African and Coloured townships range between 3 and 4 ha.
It is important that we prepare our children now for the knowledge economy of tomorrow. And the installation of this laboratory is a vital step in turning the school into a centre of quality learning and teaching.
I want to take this opportunity to inform you, that in the next few days, we shall finalise an audit of excess and/or underutilized school land and state property, and look at the possibility of selling off some or all of it. This can potentially generate as much as R250 million.
The proceeds will go into a special fund, to be utilized for capital projects, like extra schools or extra classrooms, especially in areas where it is needed mostly. The sale of excess and/or underutilized land presents a real opportunity for our wealthy schools to contribute to building a home for all in this province.
I have also been confronted by the problems faced by many parents when it comes to the admission of learners. The beginning of this year saw many schools being confronted by late applications and classroom shortages, which resulted in delays in the start of the learning process.
We have now revised our admissions policy, to guide the process for the 2005 school year, to facilitate admissions in a timely and efficient manner. But our schools cannot plan ahead properly if they do not know how many children they must accommodate.
If any of you here have children going to grade 1 next year, or grade 8, or you are planning to move to another school, you must apply now, before 15 September, for admission to the school of your choice.
To the learners I want to say, you have a whole new world waiting to be discovered, which will help you reaching for the stars. Enjoy the new facilities, and remember - enjoy it responsibly. Take care of the computers.
In conclusion: I once again want to salute the partnership between Stellenbosch and Khayamandi. It is clear there is a special relation between the principal and the Rector. You are an example to all of us. This is a demonstration of exactly what the President meant when he called for a People's Contract to combat poverty.
In spite of all the odds, the fact that 87% of the grade 12 learners of this school passed the examination in 2003, is a tribute to all your efforts and persistence, and never to capitulate to the circumstances.
I thank you
For enquiries, contact Gert Witbooi: 082 577 6551, or gwitbooi@pgwc.gov.za.
Gert Witbooi
Media Liaison Officer
Office of the MEC for Education
Western Cape
Tel: 021 467 2523
Fax: 021 425 5689
Visit our website: http://wced.wcape.gov.za
INtshona Koloni - iKhaya loMntu wonke
Die Wes-Kaap - 'n Tuiste vir Almal
