President Jacob Zuma wishes all children of South Africa a happy National Children’s Day. National Children’s Day is celebrated annually in South Africa on the first Saturday of November.
It is a day when we reflect the progress that we have made in realising and promoting the rights of children. And there can be no better indicator to highlight our progress than the National Census 2011 results which were released this week.
The results showcase the strides we have made in educating our children – which remains the key right of all children. According to census 2011 results the proportion of children with no schooling has halved over the period between 1996 and 2011.
There is also a huge increase in the enrolment of our children from pre-school to primary and high school right up to tertiary level. The proportion of our children who go on to complete matric has also increased significantly from 16% in 1996 to 29% in 2011.
This shows that government is on the correct path in achieving its goal of universal access to education for all our children.
“Any country that wants to be prosperous economically needs to invest in the education of its children. By educating our children we also creating better leaders of tomorrow who will take this country forward. We are working to correct all the systemic challenges in education, and with the support of all stakeholders in society including parents and communities, we will improve our outcomes in education especially for children in poor households,” said President Zuma.
“As a nation it is our duty to protect the rights of our children. Let us all ensure that we play a role in providing the best environment possible for the upbringing of our children, free of poverty, hunger, abuse and neglect and which unlocks their true potential. Their future is the future of our country, said President Zuma.
Happy National Children’s Day!
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