Worcester International Literacy Day, Cape Town
6 September 2006
MC Programme Director
Director of the Breede River/Overberg EMDC
Mr Piet Hermanis and his team
Pastor JJ Jack
Mr Williams
Distinguished guests
Ladies and gentlemen
Thank you for inviting me to this occasion. I want to commend this Education
Management and Development Centres (EMDCs) and pay tribute to the work of Mr
Piet Hermanis and his team. This occasion could not come at a better time.
About three weeks ago we held our inaugural Community Schools Initiative Week,
which is part of the overall Learning Cape Festival. As you may very well know
that this is also International Literacy Week, of which International Literacy
Day is celebrated on 8 September.
On that evening our Minister Naledi Pandor will present awards to the Best
Adult Learner, Best Learner Educator, Best Centre Project and other awards. The
Western Cape is of course well represented with the following nominations:
Portia Godfrey, a 19 year old learner from the Share Community Learning Centre
(CLC), in the category Adult Learner of Year; Elsabie Petrus from the Westwood
CLC (Mitchell's Plain) for Adult Educator of the Year; Winsley CLC (Bellville)
for the Provincial Group Award; and the Breede River-Overberg's programme "Abet
160 Days Intervention Strategy" will compete for provincial project of the
year.
In the category "Special Awards" our much loved 97 year old grandmother Anna
Ernest from this area here in Touwsriver, I am sure will win many hearts, if
not win the prize. We keep our thumbs for all of them.
All of the people who are participating are truly an inspiration to all of
us and entire communities. Grandma Ernest, we know, is also the product of the
commitment and dedication of our EMDC officials in the Boland/Overberg, with
their sustainable 160 day intervention campaign.
International Literacy Day is a day used by the United Nations and the
international community to remind us that there are still some 771 million
people in the world who cannot read or write, of which the majority is to be
found in sub-Saharan Africa, Asia and the Pacific.
This year's theme, "Literacy sustains development", emphasises that literacy
is not only a positive outcome of development processes but also a lever of
change and an instrument for achieving further social progress.
To quote Koïchiro Matsuura, the United Nations Education, Scientific and
Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) Director-General in his message on the occasion
of International Literacy Day 2006: "Literacy is not merely a cognitive skill
of reading, writing and arithmetic, for literacy helps in the acquisition of
learning and life skills that, when strengthened by usage and application
throughout people's lives, lead to forms of individual, community and societal
development that are sustainable,"
Literacy is an indispensable means for effective social and economic
participation, contributing to human development and poverty reduction.
According to United Nations (UN) figures, approximately 50% of the South
African adult population (or 10 million adults) had less than nine years of
schooling.
In the Western Cape alone, the 2001 Census indicate that 162 000 people over
the age of 21 never attended school. Nationally it is estimated that about
four-and-half-million never attended a school.
Research indicates a strong link between poverty, unemployment and
illiteracy. Businesses cannot succeed in the long term by drawing workers from
illiterate and innumerate communities.
So, clearly adult literacy is an indispensable means for effective social
and economic participation, contributing to human development and poverty
reduction. It empowers and nurturers societies and contributes to the fair
implementation of human rights.
In 1998 approximately 14 000 adults attended our Adult Basic Education and
Training (ABET) centres. In 2005, 34 500 learners were reached. This indicates
the tremendous progress we have made with adult education in this province. It
is clear that Abet has a fundamental role to play in achieving the objectives
of the Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative (AsgiSA).
Through our Human Capital Develop Strategy, the Western Cape Education
Department (WCED) aims to reach 72 000 adults by 2014. The question must and
can rightfully be asked: Are we geared towards achieving these and other
objectives of government and are our ABET programmes aligned to ensure the
success of these initiatives?
In all honesty we have to concede that our currently delivery are not
necessarily adequately responsive towards achieving the objectives of the
Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP), the Human Capital Development Strategy
and AsgiSA, amongst others.
With regards to delivery of ABET, we continue to face some serious
challenges, which among others include an inadequate budget; lack of support
and infrastructure; shortage of learner teacher support material and inadequate
human resources personnel.
Many centres still operate mostly in the evening; the curriculum often does
not address the needs of local communities and/or does not prepare learners for
participation in the local economy; there is a lack of involvement of the
private sector and business; and lack of involvement of learners in the
operations of centres.
Another very important matter is the issue of the conditions of employment
of personnel. A lot must still be done to professionalise the sector, and it is
something currently addressed by the National Department of Education. A school
is part of the community, its community role is to reach and serve the
community, opening its doors to everyone and enabling the whole community to
become a learning community.
I believe that learners, teachers and administrative staff are not only
school agents; they are also community agents, agents of social change and
development. During our first WCED Community Schools Initiative Week, which was
an inter-sectoral and transectoral effort, engaging all role-players, I
witnessed some inspiring and creative activities. The key words were
participation, collaboration, learning, ownership, integration and joy.
Some 200 of our schools rose to the challenge and reached out to serve their
communities in a different way. Many of our schools opened their doors to
everyone and enable the whole community to become a learning community. I have
witnessed some amazing and creative initiatives.
The principal of Westridge High School in Mitchell's Plain told me that they
have regular incidents of burglary, and that they had suspected that it was
maybe residents of a nearby informal settlement. But I thought the way they
responded to this was fantastic; they have used the Community Schools
Initiative Week to make friends with the residents, and actually delivered to
them blankets, clothes and food.
Another school, some years ago, had a problem of gangsters frequently having
running battles on the premises. What they then did was to offer one of the
classrooms to the local neighbourhood watch as a base, and the school appears
not to have any problems now.
Kalkfontein Primary in Kuilsriver presented an amazing sight. The whole
school was lit up and in use, as it is three times a month, as a medical clinic
being run by students from Stellenbosch University. The parking lot full of
Bambanani volunteers made visitors feel secure and welcomed. Inside, the
classrooms were filled with mothers and babies, a pharmacy and signs of huge
efficiency. There were educational speakers, entertainment and every indication
that this is a community hub to be proud of.
This meeting in particular will be interested to hear that this service runs
under an impressive Kuilsriver Network called the "Local Integrated Network of
Kuilsriver". I cannot list the achievements and wonderful work done in all of
our schools and I am not going to try: these are just some examples of
communities and schools that are already fully mobilised.
I am convinced that it is through inspired partnerships and the conscious
cultivating of social capital that we will find the power to make huge and real
strides in learning and development in this province. Also, when I visited the
United Kingdom (UK) last year, I have come to learn how Ireland managed to turn
their economy around. It was based on two key elements, which was entry into,
and participation in the European Union (UN), which then led to direct
investments in their education system; in other words, capacity building
through networks.
Believe it or not, England and Ireland have similar problems when it comes
to the levels of literacy and numeracy. However, what was interesting was that
their definition of literacy included the use of everyday technology. Ireland,
for example, has established a dedicated independent national agency, funded by
government, to run literacy programmes. Workers who want to participate in
these programmes, are given time off by their employers. The President of the
country is the patron of this agency, which is a clear indication of the
seriousness with which they are tackling the issue.
I have already identified and committed myself to making literacy and
numeracy one of my five key priorities during my term of office. The others
include school safety, infrastructure provisioning, and the implementation of
the National Curriculum Statement in schools and Further Education and Training
(FET) Colleges, and the re-engineering and transformation of the Western Cape
Education Department.
Ladies and gentlemen; let us enjoy and celebrate five years of the Learning
Cape Festival. It is important that we continue to highlight education,
training and development opportunities to promote lifelong learning as an
important vehicle for achieving equity and redress.
As the WCED we have been an active participant in this annual showpiece, and we
have now even added the Community Schools Initiative Week.
I believe we must use occasions like these to bring hope to those South
African women, men and children who cannot read or write even their own names.
We must use occasions like these to remind us of the challenges, and to inspire
individuals, families, communities and indeed whole societies.
I thank you.
Enquiries:
Gert Witbooi
Media Liaison Officer
Tel: (021) 467 2523
Fax: (021) 425 5689
E-mail: gwitbooi@pgwc.gov.za
Issued by: Department of Education, Western Cape Provincial Government
6 September 2006
Source: Western Cape Provincial Government (http://www.capegateway.gov.za)
