Speech delivered by the Deputy Minister Rejoice Mabudafhasi at the launch of Heritage in Schools and Capacity Building Programme in Nababeep, Springbok
Programme director
Chairperson of the Pride of Ubuntu Arts Centre: Mr Olebile Mothelesi;
Representative from the Department Education;
Principals, educators and learners
Members of the community;
Members of the media
Ladies and gentlemen;
Allow me to convey our sincerest appreciation to the people of the Northern Cape Province for the hospitality that you always extend to us. It indeed feels like a home away from home.
I equally would like to extend our gratitude to the Provincial Government, for always creating an enabling environment that has consistently provided us with opportunities to be here to advocate and jointly implement the Department of Arts and Culture’s work, particularly with special reference to programmes that promotes Nation Building and Social Cohesion.
It is with great pleasure to be back here, especially in Nababeep Namaqua to participate at the Launch of the Heritage in Schools and Capacity Building programme that is been spearheaded by one of Northern Cape Province’s dynamic youth organisations called Pride of Ubuntu.
I am quite elated and humbled by the choice of this area as it plays host to the launch of this magnificent programme. I also hope that the roll-out of the programme, moving forward, will continue to be biased towards poor rural and peripheral regions of this vast Province.
When I read their correspondence, that is; Pride of Ubuntu, I was totally overwhelmed by the quality of articulation of their objective particularly with regard to promoting National Identity as part of overarching strategy for achieving Nation Building and Social Cohesion (Outcome 14).
This organisation, together with its partners, seek to collaborate with government, mainly the Department of Arts and Culture as well as the Provincial Departments of Sports, Recreation, Arts and Culture and Education, including municipalities in promoting the culture of reading and writing as well propagating South Africa’s National and Provincial symbols mainly the National Anthem, National Flag and the African Union Anthem to all the primary schools learners in all the five districts of the Province.
The founding father of our democratic nation President Nelson Mandela said “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world” and today as we launch this programme we acknowledge that. With this programme we will tackle the many challenges that affect our youth in the education system, namely a lack of interest in reading, a lack of knowledge of our heritage and national identity and the rising lack of interest in education.
The National Identity Project which targets schools is building partnership throughout the country to build a sustainable programme includes reciting of the Preamble of the Constitution, installation of the National Flag in schools as well as the distribution of the CD Toolkit on how to sing both the National and AU anthems, posters and the national identity booklet called the Passport of Patriotism. We have prioritised schools as we believe that when you educate a child you educate the entire nation and the future generation.
The national symbols are highlighted in the curriculum and therefore teaching about them cannot be avoided. There is a need to create awareness about the correct etiquette of singing the national anthem throughout the country.
The promotion of the values embodied in our national symbols is important not only for the sake of personal development, but to ensure that a national South African identity is built on the values enshrined in our Constitution. That is why we are also promoting constitutional values in the schools and expect every learner to know the preamble of the constitution and what it expresses.
This year marks 22 year of our democracy dispensation and 20 years of our constitution. Our National Symbols are defined in terms of the constitution and are meant to promote reconciliation, unity and Nation building. Our youth who are the future custodians of our country with its heritage must be taught about our symbols and constitution at an early age to become better citizens in the future. Through this programme we are investing in the future and our grandchildren and their children will reap the fruits of this effort.
Nation building is a societal project and thus cannot be left to government alone. We encourage all members of our society to be good patriots and fly the flag of our country high by teaching young people and encouraging them to learn. This is how great nations are built; by everyone pulling together in the same direction and making sure that through such programmes the future is taken care of.
It is also important to remember that this important event takes place within the context of the national celebration of the 2016 National Heritage Month which is steadily and sadly coming to an end this coming Friday on 30 September 2016.
As you know, the theme of this year’s National Heritage Month’s celebrations is “Celebrating Human Treasures by Asserting our African Identity”. I am very certain that each one of you has participated in celebrating your “human treasures” at all social and institutional strata and have further and boldly asserted your African Identities to the best of your abilities.
We support the launch of the Heritage in Schools and Capacity Building programme and insists on its biasness towards interventions that promotes National Identity and Social Cohesion among all the learners in the schools, particularly in poor rural and township regions.
I am quite certain that this initiative will further solidify our current interventions that are been implemented in the Province through the Departmental Schools Based Arts Education programme that we are championing. These include amongst others; “the National Identity - Flag in Every School Campaign” and the Artists in Schools programmes.
To date, a total number of 25 720 schools in all the nine Provinces have benefitted from the intervention since inception.
Recently, the department has conceptualised a ground-breaking and significant initiative called The Young Patriots Programme (TYPP).
The initiative has been positioned as DAC’s National Youth Service programme and targets the out-of-school youth of ages 18 – 35 years old as primary beneficiaries. Amongst other responsibilities that these young people will be expected to execute after undergoing rigorous capacity building intervention is to promote the Nation Building and Social Cohesion through popularising the National Symbols as well as participate in the auditing of the Flag in Every Schools campaign in all the nine Provinces.
The department has also supported the implementation of the Artists in Schools programme in the Northern Cape Province since 2014/2015. The programme’s main objective is to respond to capacity constraints that are prevalent with regard to the implementation of the Creative Arts subject within the framework of the Curriculum Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) in the public schools.
Through the intervention, the arts practitioners across all cultural and creative spectrums are recruited and provided with necessary training to be able to assist the subject teachers and collaborate in transmitting relevant knowledge to the learners, particularly at General Education and Training phase. The department has therefore planned to place 38 arts practitioners to more than 40 arts schools in the Province in the current financial year of 2016/17.
I am very ecstatic and certain that necessary synergies will be formulated amongst all the DAC’s Integrated Schools Arts Education programmes that are currently taking place in the Northern Province.
I thank you.
