Honourable Speaker, Mr SW Lubisi,
Deputy Speaker, Mr David Dube,
Honourable Premier, Mr DD Mabuza,
Honourable Members of the Legislature,
Our special guests in the gallery,
Communities who are listening on different radio stations.
Sanibonani!
I stand here today to deliver this Policy and Budget Speech of the 2013/14 financial year, which represents the fifth such presentation since we began on this public mandate journey in 2009.
It is both exciting and fulfilling that we are on course to deliver a quality government apex priority that is responsive to the socio- economic needs of the province. It is our aim to stop at nothing until we arrive at our objective of realising our fullest educational performance potentials as we work side by side with our stakeholders.
Honourable Speaker, we are spurred on to pursue our educational goals by the aspirations of our communities who yearn for a better life and see education as the only short, medium and long term means to reach this destination of a better life.
I must also say that this educational journey is an important one in that it touches almost every household in the province, hence the need for collaboration with communities, business, NGOs and all other public institutions. Indeed, education is steadfastly occupying the hearts and minds of all South Africans across all sectors.
To this effect, we are honoured in that one of our 2013 Mandela Day collaborators is set to test his endurance to fatigue and add his name amongst the conquerors in climbing and reaching Africa’s highest summit. It is my pleasure to inform this August House that in our midst we have Mr Richard Mabaso of Imbumba Foundation who plans to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa on 18 July 2013 to raise funds to procure sanitary towels for school girls from disadvantaged rural areas.
His efforts are supported by the Banking Association of South Africa. I request the House to applaud Mr. Mabaso and his team as we wish them well in their expedition. In his State of the Province Address, the Honourable Premier, Mr DD Mabuza made it clear that we need to work hard to deliver an education system that will emancipate our people from abject poverty to prosperity. In this regard he said:
“Our hope, our dreams, and aspirations to build a great nation must be anchored on the education system that empowers everyone, every child and every household to break the shackles of social deprivation and create limitless opportunities for everyone to realize their full development potential. It is an education system that consistently delivers better outcomes in order to advance the frontiers of progress and innovation.”
Honourable Speaker, we are committed to ensure the realisation of these pronouncements equally made in the delivery agreement which we signed with the Honourable Premier is implemented without fail.
To this effect, outcome one of the delivery agreement dictates that matters of improved quality of education are prioritised for successful implementation.
Resource material for schools
The Mpumalanga Department of Education is determined to ensure that each learner as a primary client of our system will have the required Learning and Teaching Support Material (LTSM) on time.
This year, R451 million has been set aside to procure textbooks for the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statements (CAPS) in grades 7, 8, 9 and 12 as well as stationery. I need to emphasise that the life span of a textbook is four to five years and as such it is not feasible that we should procure them year in year out.
However, we need to pay special attention to the retrieval of textbooks in our schools. We also intend to provide more support material and resources through our QIDS-UP programme for quintile 1 to 3 primary schools and we have set aside R3 million towards this purpose. 16 schools will receive computer laboratories from the QIDS-UP programme this year.
In addition, the department has set aside R2 million for the operationalisation of the Mobile Library Service to promote literacy and reading to remote rural schools that are yet to receive such fixed services.
Teacher Training
Teachers are the backbone of any curriculum delivery mechanisms and as such they need to be capacitated on an ongoing basis to equip them to face the challenging aspect of their day to day responsibilities. The department has allocated R4.8 million to upgrade teachers who are required to meet the REQV 14 requirement and to improve the Maths and Science skills base.
We have also set aside R15 million to capacitate all Senior and FET phase teachers as well as school management teams on CAPS management. The CAPS training will take place during the June and September 2013 school holidays. The department will be working with Teacher Unions to deliver this programme as per the Memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed.
Honourable Speaker, since the advent of the CAPS 22 120 educators have been trained to date. We will further strengthen our teacher development initiative by recapitalising 15 Education Development Centres to provide refresher courses to educators. An amount of R3 million has been set aside for this task.
Learner Performance
Honourable Speaker, the department has improved Grade 12 results from 47.9% in 2009 to 70% in 2012. (In fact, following the release of the supplementary examination results the overall pass rate for Mpumalanga is at 71.9%) This marks an improvement of 24% in three years.
Since 2009, Ehlanzeni District has been the best District in the province having improved its results from 52.95% in 2009 to 74% in 2012. This is the only District in Mpumalanga that is currently performing above the national average.
Bohlabela District has surpassed our expectations by improving on the Grade 12 results from 28.2% in 2009 to 62.5% in 2012. This means that this district managed to improve its results by 34.3% in three years making it to be counted amongst the most improved districts in the country.
Of the 67 Circuits in the Province, Amsterdam Circuit improved its Grade 12 results from 60.3 % in 2009 to 87.5% in 2012 and was declared the overall Best Circuit in the province in 2012. Of the 529 secondary schools that offer Grade 12 classes in the Province, Hoërskool Nelspruit is the overall best school.
This school registered 204 learners, 203 learners wrote the examinations and all of them passed, registering a 100% pass rate in 2012. Not only did Hoërskool Nelspruit pass all learners but was declared the only school where most learners obtained bachelor passes. I request the principal of Hoërskool Nelspruit, Dr Swanepoel to take a bow.
We really pride ourselves on the achievements of our institutions of learning. Some of the overall top learners from 2009 to 2012 have graced this event and if we recall: In 2009, Nikki Stefan Bezuidenhout from Hoërskool Middelburg in Nkangala District was the overall best learner; he has obtained a BCom in Accounting but is still furthering his studies towards an honours degree at Pretoria University.
In 2010, Renita van Zyl from Hoërskool Nelspruit in Ehlanzeni District was the overall best learner. She is currently studying at the University of Stellenbosch towards a degree in BCom Accounting and LLB.
In 2011, Thabiso Solomon Moabi from Hlalakahle Secondary School in Nkangala District was declared the overall best learner and is currently at the University of Pretoria doing a degree in Accounting. In 2012, Calvin Mawere from Bushbuckridge Secondary School in Bohlabela District became the overall best learner. He navigated his way to the University of Witwatersrand in his own Toyota Etios, courtesy of Imperial Toyota Nelspruit. He is currently studying towards a degree in medicine.
I request that we applaud these students, the pride of our province. We acknowledge that all the achievements I mentioned above did not come easily and I wish to express my appreciation to all our provincial stakeholders who rallied and continue to rally side by side with the department to make these results a reality.
Plans to improve the grade 12 pass rate
Our focus this year is to improve on last year’s results and for this to happen we will rely on the support from our partners and stakeholders. In that context, all 89 out of 529 secondary schools that are performing below 50% have been declared dysfunctional and already there is an on-going programme to support them.
These schools are obliged to undertake mandatory monthly and quarterly standardized assessments as well as half-yearly and preparatory examinations for Grade 12 learners. The half yearly exams will commence on the 03rd of June 2013.
These schools have already been provided with a variety of teaching and learning resources like study guides, question paper banks and pre-recorded audio-visual material. Learners are encouraged to take advantage of the radio lessons taking place in the afternoons on Ligwalagwala and Ikwekwezi FM and on community radio stations.
The department will re-introduce the Dial- A- Tutor Programme and we are also conceptualizing a model where learners would get an opportunity to Chart or Twit-a-Tutor. This came after a realization that our learners are fond of tweeting. We are also working with School Governing Bodies and School Management Teams to streamline their school curricula and limit subject offerings from Grade 10. These schools will also be subjected to rigorous moderation of tasks.
Our target is to improve the results by 10% in 2013 (i.e. from 70% obtained in 2012 to 80% in 2013) and to realise our declaration that there must be no school that will perform below 50%.
Annual National Assessment
We need to acknowledge that our learners at a foundation level are not where we would like them to be in terms of performance especially in languages numeracy and literacy.
Honourable Speaker, the department intends on increasing the percentage of learners in grades 3,6 and 9 functioning at the required level by conducting school based and externally set quarterly common assessments, mentoring and supporting the teaching and learning processes.
We have instituted a team of experts to make sure that the quality of the assessment tasks are of the required standards and are well secured. The department has set aside R10 million to achieve its learner performance targets.
We also planned to ensure that 54% of our learners in these grades (i.e. 3, 6, & 9) perform at accepted levels in languages and mathematics for the 2013. Last year, King Makhosonke II initiated a programme to support 12 primary schools with the training of educators so that they could adapt speedily to the current trends of teaching.
That programme had a positive impact in improving the results of the participating schools and we intend to pilot it in more schools in Nkangala District this year. This is another endeavour to ensure that learners at foundation level get the required support so that they too can excel in their studies.
Capacity Building
Honourable Speaker, we acknowledge that in order to accelerate the delivery of quality education the need to intensify the training of school leadership and governing bodies cannot be overemphasised.
In this financial year, the department has set aside R7.6 million to enrol 260 school managers from township and rural schools in the ACE; School Leadership Programme. The department is doing this as it firmly believes that a school is as good as its leadership.
Our view is that through this programme school managers will understand their roles and responsibilities, as such; there will be no need for external support on issues of school leadership in future. In 2012, we established the Provincial school governing body (SGB) Consultative Forum where the department and SGB formations discuss issues of mutual interest.
I wish to appreciate their commitment to the improvement of quality education. Honourable Speaker, R4 million is set aside to train 8 000 members of School Governing Bodies in all governance areas required of them by the South African Schools Act. The department will host an SGB Indaba in June 2013 to deliberate on issues to improve school governance and to share best practices.
National School Nutrition Programme
Honourable Speaker, the department has set aside R497 million to provide the National School Nutrition Programme targeting 873 957 primary and secondary school learners in quintile 1 to 3 schools. This is another endeavour to improve school attendance and to ensure that learners are not denied access to education on the basis of not affording a nourishing meal.
To ensure 100% compliance with good health practices and to better manage this programme, the Department will train co-operatives in all the provincial Comprehensive Rural Development Programme (CRDP) areas on food handling and technical skills related to the Nutrition Programme. Added to this, we continue to request our communities and School Governing Bodies to establish sustainable vegetable gardens in all our schools.
No fee schools
In keeping with the dictates of the Freedom Charter of ensuring that the doors of education and culture are opened to all, the Department has set aside R73 million to support all No Fee Schools. Our coverage Honourable Speaker is now standing at 85% of children benefiting from this policy.
It is worth mentioning that at no stage should these schools withhold learners report cards, refuse learners to participate in curriculum enrichment programmes on the basis that the parents have not paid what is coined fund raising fees. This is illegal and those found doing it will be brought to book.
Honourable Speaker, following the engagement with the forum of the Association of School Governing Bodies and in keeping with the prescripts of Section 35 of the South African Schools Act as amended in 2008, the department will henceforth make transfer payments to public schools twice per financial year in May and in November.
This is intended to provide schools with requisite financial resources for day-to-day administrative processes. The provincial treasury is training school clerks on financial management to ensure that they can offer a helping hand in improving the management of financial resources in all our schools.
Curriculum Enrichment Programmes
Our desire is that all social ills which have a potential to rob our children of their bright future can be addressed in a more decisive manner. The implementation of Curriculum Enrichment Programmes is central to rid our schools of these hindrances to education delivery.
In this regard, the department has set aside R18 million to cascade the Mpumalanga HIV and Aids Council Prevention Strategy by increasing sexuality and reproductive knowledge as well as appropriate decision making skills available to learners.
This will ensure the implementation of the integrated school health programme and will assist in reducing the predisposition of children to HIV and STD‘s infections with particular attention to orphaned and other vulnerable groups.
Last year, there were 1 602 girls who fell pregnant in this province and figures for the first quarter of 2013 indicate that there are 1 564 girl learners who are pregnant. We need to work tirelessly with all stakeholders and civil society to curb this scourge.
I was delighted to read that the reigning queen of the province, Ms Mpumalanga 2013; Ntandoyenkosi Kunene intends to develop a programme to curb HIV infections and teenage pregnancy. This is a noble endeavour indeed, especially coming from a young person.
My plea is that we must all support such initiatives and I also wish to invite the church, the media, big business, our celebrities and parents not to stand on the sidelines but to join the bandwagon on such important matters of life.
The department has endorsed a booklet called Caring 4 Girls which is developed by Imbumba Foundation, and empowers girl learners and their parents on issues relating to puberty, adolescence, hormonal transitions, menstruation, and hygiene. We intend to make it available to all schools in the province in collaboration with the Banking Association of South Africa.
The department has set aside R1.2 million to implement a focused employee health and wellness programme through awareness campaigns and other referral systems.
School Sport
Honourable Speaker, working together with the Department of Culture, Sport and Recreation, we are making it our obligation that efforts aimed at promoting school sports receive the deserved attention. Together with the department of Culture, Sport and Recreation, the department has developed a School Sport Programme.
We will in due course sign a Memorandum of Understanding so that the roles of each institution can be clarified. To this effect, R17 million is set aside to stage circuits, district, provincial and national school leagues comprising of two nationally prioritized codes, including LSEN Summer Games and LSEN Developmental Games.
We also intend to establish a multipurpose court for netball, volleyball and basketball in each of the 16 schools in the 8 CRDP Municipalities as part of investing in school sport infrastructure.
Special Schools
Equally, we remain resolute to guarantee that all children including those with special needs enjoy their constitutional rights to quality education. In this regard, Honourable Speaker, the department will on an on-going basis conduct screening, identification and assessment in order to detect the learning needs of learners with disabilities in the 18 Special Schools in the province.
We have set aside R212 million to implement focused programmes for Special Schools and to compensate and capacitate educators on matters of curriculum adaptation and differentiation in the 140 Full Service Schools. This year, the department will upgrade three special schools namely: Thanduxolo, Wolvenkop, Osizweni and complete the construction of the new special school in Bushbuckridge Municipality to be called Tsakane Special School.
The planning and designing of a special school for the visually impaired and deaf learners will be completed during the 2013/14 financial year. This will be a comprehensive boarding facility which will run Grade R to 12 learning and teaching programmes.
I wish to take this time and make a clarion call to parents and communities to make it their obligation that children with disabilities are enrolled in our schools. Should there be any child with a disability who is not admitted in any of our schools, community members should contact the department on our toll free line 0800 203 116.
School Infrastructure
In our endeavour to comprehend the magnitude of the school infrastructure backlog within the province, the department commissioned a study called National Education Infrastructure Management Systems (NEIMS) to conduct a comprehensive school infrastructure audit.
Honourable Speaker, it gives me pleasure to inform this House that the exercise was concluded last year and we currently have an understanding of how much it will cost and how long it will take the province to address the infrastructure backlog if recent trends are anything to go by.
Last year, in collaboration with our implementing agent (i.e. the Department of Public Works, Roads and Transport) we were able to embark on 176 school infrastructure projects with an allocation of R692.3 million. Of these, 86 were completed and others are at various stages of completion.
In this financial year, the department has set aside R586 million to construct 11 new schools, to complete eight schools that are currently under construction and other projects that are ongoing. These include two boarding schools one in Amsterdam at Mkhondo Municipality and the other at Emakhazeni Municipality.
The concept of the boarding schools was well articulated in the State of the Province Address and is yielding the expected results judging from the experience of the two that are already operational (Ezakheni and Shongwe Boarding Schools). Consultations are being conducted with communities where there are small and multigraded schools that must give way to these boarding schools and I will soon publish my intention through a government gazette for public comments.
As I mentioned earlier, there will also be an upgrading of special schools, finalisation of the recapitalisation of the 14 technical high schools and renovations of 44 storm- damaged schools.
Mathematics and Science
Honourable Speaker, we intend to work around the clock to increase the number of learners taking and passing Mathematics and Science in our schools from Grade 10. To this end, we had targeted 33 000 learners in Grade 10 taking Mathematics by 2014, there are 40 779 learners already this year.
We also intended to increase the number of learners registering Physical Sciences in Grade 10 to 18 500 for the 2014 school year. To date there are 28 436 learners doing physical sciences. This means that our efforts of encouraging learners to consider Mathematics and Science are beginning to bear fruit.
However, we need to work hard to improve performance in this area and to sustain participation. We are concerned about the number of learners who are opting out of Mathematics when they reach Grade 12. To achieve this and as articulated by the Honourable Premier, the Department of Education will establish the first Mathematics, Science and Technology Academy. The department is working with Bhp Billiton to set up this academy.
This academy is planned to be at Emalahleni Municipality and will be linked to 100 schools including all the Dinaledi Schools in the province. Some of the schools which have been identified to participate in the academy will be expected to effect adjustments in their curricula streams.
Hon. Premier DD Mabuza and Bhp Billiton Asset President JH Dreyer; at the signing ceremony of a MoU between the Provincial Government and Bhp Billiton Energy Coal SA Pty (Ltd), Emalahleni, 24 April 2013
“It is our conviction that if we improve the performance of both educators and learners in the field of Mathematics, Science and Technology, we stand a better chance of creating a highly skilled labour force,” Premier DD Mabuza.
The department has already started with consultations in this regard. R22 million has been set aside towards this goal.
Honourable Speaker, it is worth expressing our profound appreciation for the visionary leadership of the Honourable Premier on matters relating to soliciting business-government partnerships from which this brainchild emerged. Had it not been for his foresight this was going to be a difficult hurdle to overcome.
School Connectivity
We are on course with soliciting the involvement of the business community and parastatals to come on board and fast-track our efforts to bridge the digital divide in our schools. This is intended to benefit our young people in the class room environment from the world of technology.
The department will in this financial year connect 100 public ordinary schools that include the 46 Dinaledi Schools to the MST Academy utilising video and smart technologies. To achieve this R22 million has been set aside. A further R5.7 million has been set aside for the connectivity of all public and special schools for administrative purposes.
Early Childhood Development
Honourable Speaker, it gives me pleasure to inform this August House that efforts to integrate the delivery of Early Childhood Development in the province are already showing positive signals. The cooperation between our department and the Departments of Health and Social Development is on an encouraging bedrock for the pursuit of a holistic development of the future generation of our province.
To this end, the department has allocated R178 million to improve the delivery of the Integrated Early Childhood Development Programmes in accordance with the resolutions of the ECD Summit held in 2012.
This allocation will ensure that we continue to professionalise the sector, train ECD practitioners and ensure the delivery of ECD curriculum in 1 030 schools across the province. We also intend to train 500 ECD practitioners towards an accredited qualification. To achieve this we have set aside R10 million.
The department has set aside R15 million for the provisioning of ECD LTSM and play equipment. For the provisioning of ECD physical infrastructure, the department has set aside R29 million. We intend to establish the first ECD Training Institute for the province and to this end, we have set aside R2 million towards the benchmarking, conceptual design of the institute, organogram, mapping and appointment of personnel.
Let me take this time and invite the business sector to collaborate with us in this endeavour.
A skilled and capable workforce to support an inclusive growth path
Honourable Speaker, as a department, we also are responsible for the Delivery on Outcome 5:
Human Resource and Skills Development
In keeping with the Provincial Human Resource Development Strategy and the Mpumalanga Economic Growth and Development Programme, the department has set aside R68 million to facilitate the recruitment of critical and scarce skills through bursaries, learnership, internships and transversal training in the province.
Currently, there are 2 383 students who are beneficiaries of the Mpumalanga Provincial Government bursary scheme.
Honourable Speaker, I had an opportunity to address most of these students in January this year and in that interaction it became clear that a lot needs to be done to support them.
We resolved amongst other things that we need to establish a liaison structure that will enhance communication between government and the students in the institutions of higher learning across the country. Let me take this time and express our appreciation to big business in particular Eskom for awarding 232 bursaries to students from Mpumalanga towards engineering and accounting programmes in different universities.
The model that the department and Eskom is currently implementing in granting bursaries needs to be shared with other companies for possible adoption to accelerate the pursuit of access to institutions of higher learning.
Siyabuswa Teacher Education Campus and University in the province
Last year, Honourable Speaker, we indicated a plan to facilitate the process of re-opening the first Higher Education Campus in Siyabuswa. It gives me great pleasure to report that the institution is up and running with the first intake of 100 students who are studying towards a B.Ed degree in the Foundation Phase.
Some of those students are in our midst. Let’s appreciate them. I wish to take this opportunity and express our appreciation to the leadership of the National Institute for Higher Education (NIHE), University of Johannesburg (UJ) and the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) for making this dream a reality. They have really made us proud.
This programme currently falls within the ambit of a four-party steering committee. As Mpumalanga Department of Education we have made a commitment to help in enhancing operations and to that effect R3.5 million is earmarked to develop the support capacity of Mareleng Primary School which is the teaching school for mentoring and coaching of students. The department has begun with the construction of a Grade R facility at the teaching school.
Adult Education and Training
We are equally obliged to support the delivery of Adult Basic Education programmes taking place in our schools. To this end the department has set aside R138 million to deliver adult education programmes including the introduction of FET programmes in our Public Adult Learning Centres. We will in addition pilot the concept of Community Education and Training Centres in one of our full time centres in Emalahleni Municipality.
Establishment of a University in Mpumalanga
The establishment of a University in Mpumalanga is no longer a matter of conceptualisation; it is a reality and we all need to gear ourselves towards its fruition. It is going to be the first university to be established by the democratic dispensation.
In his Budget Vote on 08 May 2013, the Minister of Higher Education and Training, Dr Blade Nzimande confirms this assertion as he said:
“Linked to the expansion of the university system is the establishment of the two new universities in Mpumalanga and the Northern Cape. Much preparatory work has been done and I now expect to establish the two institutions as legal entities in the next month. R2.1 billion has been earmarked for the development of the universities over the next three years.
Both universities will open their doors in 2014 in selected academic programmes, using existing buildings. We will be having architectural competitions for the design of the main facilities and launching these sites for construction from September this year”.
Indeed processes towards the realisation of the University are at an advanced stage. The province has established a political committee to support the Ministry of Higher and Training and to unblock any challenges that may arise.
FET Colleges
From 2013 onwards FET Colleges fall within the jurisdiction of the Department of Higher Education and Training in line with the Higher Education Act. The province will in this financial year be responsible only for processing salaries of officials in this sector until this task has been fully transferred to DHET.
An amount of R130 million has been set aside to achieve this. All other programmes for FET Colleges are budgeted for by the Department of Higher Education and Training. Be that as it may, we remain with the responsibility to ensure that these institutions are able to improve their certification levels by assisting students with the requisite experiential training opportunities.
So far the Mpumalanga FET Colleges are doing well in this regard with Gert Sibande FET College certification levels standing at 55% followed by Nkangala FET at 35% and Ehlanzeni FET at 32%.
The Mpumalanga FET Colleges continue to do us proud with their performance in the National Curriculum Vocational (NCV) by being the second best in the country after the Western Cape province. Present in this House is the provincial top learner for 2012 in National Curriculum Vocational, Mr Ernest Kunene a level 3 marketing student who obtained six distinctions with an average of 90% from Sibanesetfu Campus in Gert Sibande District.
I request the House to appreciate him. We are working closely with the business community to ensure that these students find it easy to do experiential training and to facilitate their permanent placement upon graduation.
Mpumalanga Regional Training Trust (MRTT)
Honourable Speaker, through MRTT we intend to increase the intake of out of school youth into Hospitality, Tourism, Technical and Entrepreneurial fields. We also target to train 720 youths from CRDP areas in bricklaying, plastering, tilling, carpentry, plumbing, painting and electrical courses.
We will offer an Artisanship Programme to 41 students who will be assessed in recognition of prior learning (RPL) and trade testing. To this end, the department has allocated MRTT R98 million to implement these programmes.
Honourable Speaker, in 2009 I stated that we made a commitment to improve the administration of finances of the department. It gives me pleasure to indicate that since that time the department has made significant inroads in its endeavour to ensure that resources of government are managed in accordance to the legislative prescripts of the Republic.
For the past two years the department received unqualified audit reports. This resonates very well with government’s vision towards 2014 Clean Audit and we are optimistic that this is something within our reach. As part of our efforts to further improve the management of finances, we also make a commitment to ensure that all our service providers are paid within 30 days upon receipt of invoices.
We are fully aware that to achieve this, the department requires sound and functional supply chain management systems and we will make every effort to attain this.
Quality Learning and Teaching Campaign
At the closing of the Mangaung Elective Conference of the African National Congress, President Jacob Zuma said:
“The ANC will also lead by example by being the champion of education and skills development in this phase of revolution. We therefore call on every branch to strive, through education, to improve the literacy rate and general level of education and skills among the people in every ward”
In this context, it gives me pleasure to report to this House that last year we established the Provincial Quality Learning and Teaching Steering Committee whose primary responsibility will be to mobilise all sectors of our communities to play an active role on matters pertaining to education.
I want to take this opportunity and express my appreciation to the members of the steering committee for the commitment and dedication they display in the execution of their tasks. We remain optimistic that working side by side with them, the business sector, the media, the church (through the Moral Regeneration Movement) and Traditional Leadership we will reach our destined goals.
Enhancement of Financial Management
Honourable Speaker, Let me boldly state that the bright future is certain under the leadership of the ruling party in government.
Request members to adopt the budget
Honourable Speaker, I take this time to request the members of this August House to grant the Department of Education approval to use R14.896 billion towards programmes aimed at improving the delivery of education in this province.
Conclusion
I wish to take this opportunity and express our profound appreciation to all our stakeholders who have made it mandatory from their side to support this noble course of empowering our children with quality education.
The visionary leadership of the Honourable Premier has always been unprecedented and as such it is worth mentioning. I want to thank the Head of Department, Mrs Mahlasedi Mhlabane and her team for the dedication they continue to display in improving education delivery in the Province.
Ngesintu Sithi Siyabonga Mbokodo! Ubamba Kuzwakale.O Moswara Thipa Ka Bogaleng wa nnete.
It will be an injustice if I don’t mention the support we enjoy from the religious community; I say to my pastors, the bishops, the reverends, the educator unions, and the associations of the school governing bodies and to our entire teaching community.
Thank you very much for your efforts in landing a helping hand towards raising this future generation. The support I receive from all members of my family, my mother, my husband and children is awesome. Without you, this work was going to be heavy and we are delighted to always have you all on our side.
Honourable Speaker and Honourable Members of the Mpumalanga Provincial Legislature, on behalf of the Department of Education, I thank you for all the support.
Sisonke Sifundzisa Sive.
