The Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Basic Education, Ms Nomalungelo Gina, has urged communities in the Northern Cape to guard against any interference with the education of children.
“The communities around this area should be jealous about their children who attend school.
They should be saying interfere with everything in the area but not the schools and the education of our children,” Ms Gina said.
“Education is key to success and is the only way the communities could defeat poverty. The committee is concerned about disturbances at schools, and did not wish to see what is happening in this community; these are our children, everybody should be looking to finding a solution,” she said.
The committee is currently undertaking an oversight visit to Kuruman following a three-month-long disturbance to schooling. Learners returned to school on Monday, but the department has conceded that the year was “wasted for all junior grades” and that Grade 12 will only benefit because it had been allowed to write supplementary exams in March 2015.
Ms Gina pleaded for support from all stakeholders and said if there was a way to help the children salvage anything in what is left of the year then that should be done. “The department and the district should commit to specific school catch-up programmes for Grade 11s downward,” she said.
She welcomed the commitment from members of the Road Forum to support children who want to return to school, and for condemning vandalism at schools in the area.
For media enquiries or interviews with the Chairperson, please contact:
Sibongile Maputi
Tel: 021 403 8041
Cell: 081 052 6060
E-mail: smaputi@parliament.gov.za
