Correspondence
The Premier of the Northern Cape, Dr. Zamani Saul, says the Province is forging ahead to build more schools. Saul recently announced that the Province is building 13 State-of-the-art schools in various districts, reiterating the administration’s commitment to improving the quality of education in all Province’s schools across all Grades.
He explained that this was backed up by significant budgetary allocations to ensure that education enjoyed the priority status it deserves. Saul says 35 percent of the Province’s budget has been allocated to education.
“We are convinced that we are making great strides in mitigating factors that harm education and improving its quality while ensuring equal access for all. It has been proven that excellent educational outcomes are influenced by adequate access to resources such as proper school infrastructure, classrooms, libraries, decent water and sanitation,” he said.
Dr Saul admitted that motivated and committed principals and teachers also form an integral part of a well-functioning learning environment and ultimately contribute to high levels of academic performance.
“There are still many challenges, and more needs to be done in the education sector. As a country, we have been steadily moving towards the reality of Section 29 of the Constitution, where everyone has the right to basic education,” noted the Premier.
On the issue of Early Childhood Development Programmes, Saul added that they are pleased that the Census results for 2022 show a positive trajectory in several critical indicators, including education, where the total number of people aged 20+ with no schooling declined. He said that 43,3% of children aged 0-4 have access to Early Childhood Development Programmes and are reported to be attending various Educare Centre(ECD) facilities around the Province.
“This shows good progress as the Province is changing the narrative when it comes to education and is showing commitment to providing sustained investment in education. It remains our priority as a government to make the process of either attending school for the first time or continuing one’s education as seamless as possible,” he said.
Saul concluded by highlighting the importance of private-public partnership in educational projects.
Comments are closed.