Bank
13 April 2007
Programme Director,
Superintendent-General, Mr Rakometsi,
Members of Senior Management present,
Councillors present,
District Officials,
Educators,
Members of School Governing Bodies (SGBs) present,
Parents,
Learners,
Distinguished guests,
Members of the media
It gives me great pleasure to be with you today, as we officially launch the
Uniform Bank Programme. Surely this is a very special occasion, not only for
the community of Thabo Mofutsanyana District, but also for all those
disadvantaged learners including those communities throughout the Free State
province. The project we launch today will complement what we have already
started with the Vulnerable Learner Project as part of the Learner Support
Programme to ensure that our learners get greater access to quality education.
The project is aimed at enhancing the dignity of those affected, thereby
providing care and support.
Education is a very essential tool that we must use to elevate our social
position, as a people, to a higher level. With today's launch, the whole
scenario will change and most of the hardships experienced by our children will
change for the better.
Programme Director, the matter of penetrating social disparities
characterising our society, need not be told. These are disparities that have
left a vast majority of our people in the deep end of misery. We know too well
that the debilitating state of poverty, hunger and diseases amongst our people
will prevail into the midst of time if there is no timely intervention from all
caring social forces.
Many of our children, who are bright and capable of attending school, fail
to do so because they feel ashamed that their clothing is not suitable for
school. As responsible individuals, families and communities, we cannot ignore
our inner person, informing us of such children who go to school with ragged
clothes and no school uniform. We are embarking on this programme to bank
school uniform and hand it out later in order to give to poor children a start
so that they are inspired and can one day become engineers, accountants,
artisans and technicians. Our efforts are aimed at ensuring that the affected
children can have access to quality education, school nutrition as well as
school uniforms.
The project we launch today is therefore aimed at providing school uniforms
to such children, including orphans who cannot afford to buy their own uniform.
The project is aimed at galvanising support from parents and members of the
community to hand in uniforms which are not used; uniforms which were used by
children and are no longer of any use to them as they have new ones or maybe
they have outgrown them.
The uniforms have to be donated to school. Principals will develop registers
for all items received from donors. The District and Head Office will jointly
monitor the process and furthermore give the uniforms to the learners in
identified areas. We call on all Free State people, in the spirit of Letsema
and guided by the ideals of Ubuntu, to show that we care enough to help. We
call on all learners and students who have gone to institutions of higher
learning and other educational institutions to donate the uniforms that they no
longer need to help our needy learners. We refer to those uniforms which have
been locked away and are not being utilised anymore.
We know our people can open their hearts and lend a helping hand. Let us all
show that we care. No matter how big or small your donation of the uniform is
highly appreciated. As part of our continued commitment to the protection of
vulnerable children in our province in line with the ethos of a caring
government department, we will endeavour to protect the dignity and the rights
of the needy, vulnerable learners and those in distress by continuing to
intensify our learner support projects. We have a mandate to fight social
deprivation and to provide resources and public facilities for the poor.
I want to point out that the kinds of challenges facing us can be overcome.
However, this requires dynamic partnership and solidarity amongst the
government agencies, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), community based
organisation (CBOs) and faith-based organisation (FBOs). Our country abounds
with several fruits of co-operation that we can highlight to showcase the
essentiality of collective action by both government and non-government
structures. By working together in partnership as government, business and
communities, then we will achieve all our set goals and targets.
It is incumbent upon all of us to stand up and help the needy children
including those in farm schools, with education and other forms of support. It
is important to re-dedicate ourselves to ensuring that vulnerable and needy
children fully enjoy their dignity of freedom. We have to work hard to ensure
that the socio-economic rights of these children as enshrined in our
Constitution, including the right to education, care and support become a
reality as a matter of priority.
In conclusion, Programme Director, we are confident that our plans and
measures that have been put in place will ensure further development of our
education institutions and the department as a whole, to enable us to improve
the quality of life of all Free State citizens by providing life-long education
and training.
I thank you.
Issued by: Department of Education, Free State Provincial Government
13 April 2007
Source: Free State Department of Education (http://www.fsdoe.fs.gov.za)
