MEC Jerry Ndou: Limpopo Education Prov Budget Vote 2015/16

Honourable Speaker Deputy Speaker
Honourable Premier
Colleagues in the Provincial Executive Council Members of the Provincial Legislature Leadership of the African National Congress Leaders of the Opposition Parties
Director General
Acting Head of the Department
Senior Management of the Department Staff of the Department
Veterans of the Struggle Education Ambassadors Invited Guests
Members of the fourth estate
Ladies and gentlemen

It is my honour, on behalf of the Education fraternity in the province, to present the budget for the Limpopo Department of Education for the 2015/16 Medium Term Expenditure Framework period.

I stand here Honorable Speaker, representing the 61 379 proud officials and educators serving our people in the Department of Education to realise the ideal we have set ourselves - of excellence in the provision of quality basic education - to the 1,6 million learners that the people of Limpopo have entrusted to our care and tutelage.

We do not take lightly the mandate given to us by the ruling party when it declared that Education is the number one priority. This is a mandate stemming from the proclamation of the Freedom Charter which has set a goal for us which we are aiming to achieve. Our people have through the Freedom Charter declared that “The doors of learning and culture shall be opened to all”. And in striving for this the Charter goes further to state that “education shall be free, compulsory, universal and equal to all children” and that “the colour bar in cultural life, in sport and in education shall be abolished”.

As we celebrate 60 years of the Freedom Charter we cannot help but reflect on this mandate that has been so clearly set for us. As we table this budget we wish to indicate how we plan as a department to implement the various programs within the Department that are aimed at achieving these goals.

We are also guided by Batho Pele principle number six of openness and transparency which states that citizens should be told how National and Provincial Departments are run, how much it costs to run them and who is in charge. In compliance with Batho Pele principle number five which dictates that citizens should have access to information this budget speech is also printed in braille to allow those of us who are partially sighted or visually impaired to have access to this information.

In drafting this budget we were also guided by the Schooling 2030 Long Term Plan which broadly states that by 2030 we will have:

  • Learners who are motivated to come to school and to learn,
  • Trained teachers who conduct themselves in a professional manner and continue to develop themselves,
  • Principals who are leaders and do all to ensure that a conducive environment for teaching and learning takes place at their schools,
  • Parents who are interested in and well informed about the affairs concerning the education of their children,
  • An abundant supply of teaching and learning materials with computers playing a pivotal role, and
  • Suitable school infrastructure which is taken care of by the proud learners and teachers

Service Delivery

Street Poet, Nasir Olu-Dara Jones, in one of his poems titled "NY State of Mind" says;

"... It drops deep
as it does in my breath.
I never sleep
'cause sleep is the cousin of death. Beyond the walls of intelligence life is defined..."

Ga gona kgomo ya boroko – Aku tleriwi! as we all move in concert for the advancement of quality education for all and the realisation of the ideals of schooling 2030-. Ladies and gentlemen, the time has arrived.

Using the words of the late MEC of Education, Mme Nwedamutswu, May her soul rest in eternal peace, "Managers must manage". For us to attain the ideals as set out by the Freedom Charter, The National Development Plan and Schooling 2030 we will need managers who will lead from the front and drive the Department steadily towards that mark that has been set. In doing so we are encouraged by the immense gains that have been made in the education sphere since the dawn of democracy.

Full Speech.....

Province

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