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Media Release

31 July, 2003


WCED prepares for Learning Cape Festival

The Western Cape Education Department (WCED) has joined Economic Affairs and Tourism and other partners in organising the 2003 Learning Cape Festival.

The month-long festival will take place from National Women’s Day, 9 August, to International Literacy Day on 8 September 2003.

The aim of the Festival is to encourage and celebrate learning throughout all parts of society in the Western Cape, making it a premier learning region, and building the human resource base for a better life in South Africa.

The WCED contributes to the Human Resource Development of the Western Cape in two fundamental ways:

  • The General Education and Training curriculum (Grade R – 9) provides the bedrock or foundation for all human resource development in the province.
  • The Further Education and Training band provides opportunities through a variety of curricula and programmes to further develop the skills required for the province’s social and economic development. Details of our specific contribution to iKapa Elihlumayo will be made public in the next few weeks.

Sustainable development depends absolutely on developing the knowledge and skills of our entire population. For this reason, education has a vital role to play in ensuring economic growth.

It therefore makes sense for the WCED to work in a close partnership with Economic Affairs and Tourism and other role players to ensure economic development, and a prosperous future for all in this province.

The Learning Cape Festival provides an excellent opportunity to build these partnerships through a focused series of activities, and to draw attention to the importance of these partnerships through an well-organised campaign.

Learning on all levels will feature in the WCED’s contribution to the Festival. This contribution will include the following:

  1. The Year of FET: Education authorities countrywide have declared 2003 to be the Year of Further Education and Training (FET), to draw attention to the developments taking place in FET in schools and colleges. Activities will include seminars and special events. The Festival will provide FET colleges in particular with opportunities to highlight their contributions to vocational and technical training.

    These activities will include a major seminar on 16 August on the relationship between FET Colleges and FET schools. All our FET colleges will host events and will showcase their programmes and achievements.

  2. Focus on eLearning: The Festival will provide opportunities to showcase eCurriculum development and other advances in eLearning at the WCED. Examples include online presentations and discussions on developments in eLearning in the Western Cape and further afield.

  3. Reading Promotion: The WCED will promote its campaign to provide 100 reading books to every Foundation Phase class in the province. We plan to ensure that every Foundation Phase learner reads 100 books a year. All schools have submitted their selections or the books and the WCED is now placing orders with the publishers and books will be delivered by December 2003.

  4. The Festival will include an Adult Learners Week to promote Adult Basic Education and Training (ABET), which offers a second chance to adult learners wishing to complete their schooling, or to acquire other skills needed for employment or to start a small business.

  5. The week will include debates, reading, writing and essay competitions, the launch of the WCED Provincial Representative Learner Council, and its first meeting, and the WCED ABET Choir Festival, involving Community Learning Centres (CLCs) in the greater Cape Town area. The department will present WCED Learner Efficacy Awards during the week. CLCs in the Cape Town area are organising a CLC Dominoes Competition on 30 August.

  6. The WCED will highlight the importance of early childhood development by celebrating a milestone in the growth of registrations of pre-primary schools in the Western Cape. The function will take place at the Civic Centre on 30 August.

  7. The WCED will launch a teacher recruitment drive on 30 August, to encourage young people to opt for teaching as a career, and to encourage former teachers with specialist skills to return to teaching. The campaign will also highlight the vital contribution teachers make to economic and social development.

    The Western Cape Education Minister, André Gaum, will announce details on our teacher needs, established by supply and demand research, and will launch a drive to recruit teachers to the profession. The WCED will distribute brochures and will take the campaign into rural communities and schools over the next three months.

While we face considerable challenges in our efforts to provide quality education for all, we also have much to celebrate.

The Learning Cape Festival will provide an opportunity to celebrate the excellent work being done by so many to provide learning opportunities in the Western Cape, and to encourage all citizens to make the most of these opportunities.

We call on all citizens to join us in this celebration.


Issued by:
The Communications Directorate
Western Cape Education Department
Private Bag X9114
Cape Town 8000
Tel: (021) 467-2531
Fax: (021) 467-2363
Email: pattwell@pgwc.gov.za
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