6 March 2006
The Western Cape Education Department (WCED) launches a major new Human
Capital Development Strategy, with a focus on youth, in Khayelitsha today
(Monday, 6 March 2006).
The strategy is a cornerstone of the provincial government's iKapa
Elihlumayo strategy to grow and share the Cape, and will guide education
planning in the province for many years to come.
Targets of the strategy include increasing the number of candidates passing
matric from 32 573 in 2005 to 50 000 by 2014.
The strategy will also seek to increase the number of learners enrolled in
Further Education and Training (FET) college programmes and in learnerships
during this period from 20 000 to 60 000.
The Human Capital Development Strategy is among eight lead strategies of the
provincial government's Ikapa Elihlumay Strategy to ensure social and economic
development.
The others cover social capital development, spatial development,
micro-economic development, strategic infrastructure development,
communication, financial governance and greater interdepartmental
co-ordination.
Premier Ebrahim Rasool directed the WCED as the lead department responsible
for human capital development. The launch of the strategy today follows two
years of consultation and development.
Building human and social capital is about building people and building
networks. The HCDS has set targets for every education phase. They include the
following:
* Ensuring that all five-year-old children in the Western Cape have full
access to high quality learning programmes. In 2005, 50 000 children attended
Grade R. The WCED plans to cater for 80 000 Grade R learners by 2014.
* Every learner in General Education and Training (GET), which covers Grades R
to 9, must be able to read, write and calculate at levels required by the
national curriculum. GET must provide a solid foundation for all future
learning.
* The education system must increase the number of learners, especially black
learners, participating in Further Education and Training (FET) in schools and
colleges. FET will provide opportunities for learners to specialise according
to their interests, aptitudes and the needs of the economy.
* The WCED plans to increase the number of learners acquiring endorsement to
enter higher education from 10 394 in 2005 to 20 000 by 2014.
* The strategy intends increasing the number of learners in Adult Basic
Education and Training (ABET) to encourage skills development and opportunities
to complete formal schooling to 76 000 ABET learners by 2014.
The WCED will establish two structures to ensure careful co-ordination,
monitoring and reporting on the strategy.
* An Advisory Committee, consisting of representatives of the Provincial
Development Council and provincial government departments, and a dedicated
Human Capital Project Team, to monitor and report on progress in implementing
the HCDS.
Said Education MEC Cameron Dugmore: "This strategy acknowledges the
intrinsic importance of people as they develop their potential and build
successful communities and societies.
"Education has a crucial role to play in social and economic development and
we have to work with partners in all sectors to meet this challenge.
"The Western Cape is regarded as one of the wealthiest provinces in South
Africa, however the gap between rich and poor is also the largest in the
country.
"Building human and social capital cannot be left to chance. Government must
intervene directly to ensure human and social development, especially in our
poorest communities.
"About 50% of our learners who enter Grade 1 do not complete Grade 12,
primarily black learners from poor communities. Only 23.4% of the population
have matric, while only 11.2% have a tertiary qualification.
"The HCDS includes strategies for systemic change, as well as strategies for
each education phase. The strategy is committed to transforming education, by
ensuring access, redress and equity, and to ensuring quality education for
all.
"The strategy emphasises quality assurance, through monitoring, measurement
and evaluation. Every aspect of education will reflect our drive for quality,
from ensuring relevant curriculum packages to teacher training and classroom
management.
"We will focus on the conditions in which we work and our general
educational environment. These issues include facilities and equipment and
whether our schools provide the kind of environments we need to ensure
effective teaching and learning.
"The success of the strategy will lie in the extent to which schools are
able to take up the challenges of the strategy. The WCED will therefore pay
special attention to school effectiveness.
"Other key concerns include teacher supply and development; the WCED as a
learning organisation; and organisational redesign, to ensure that the WCED has
the capacity to meet the objectives of the strategy.
"But the success of the plan depends on how schools and our learners respond
to the opportunities. This plan is about and for the youth. We have to work
together to ensure success."
For enquiries contact: Gert Witbooi
Cell: 082 550 3938
E-mail: gwitbooi@pgwc.gov.za
Tel: (021) 467 2523
Fax: (021) 425 5689
Issued by: Department of Education, Western Cape Provincial Government
6 March 2006
