Released by Adv. André Gaum, Minister of Education in the Western Cape

Adv André Gaum, the Western Cape Education Minister, called on the youth today (Thursday 6 November, 2003) to foster a culture of learning in the Western Cape, to facilitate economic growth and development.

Addressing the Western Cape Youth Sector Summit on Growth and Development, he said that the most important contribution the youth could make to economic growth and development was to acquire the capacity to contribute, through education and training.

Minister Gaum said that his department was working with the provincial Department of Economic Affairs on a human resource development policy for the Western Cape, and outlined key elements of this strategy.

The summit was organised jointly by the Western Cape Government, the National Youth Commission, the SA Youth Council and the Umsobomvu Youth Fund

Minister Gaum said: "We recognise that education lies at the heart of our efforts to achieve growth and development. We have to build the human capital we need to ensure sustainable economic development, and we can only do this through education and training. Our efforts are largely geared towards the youth, through our schools, colleges and other educational institutions."

"My department has proposed four basic strategies to support human resource development in the province. These are the following:

• Firstly, to provide high quality learning programmes to all five year-old children in Grade R in the Western Cape by 2010.
• Secondly, to provide quality programmes to learners in Grades 1 to 9 so that learners leave the General Education and Training Band with the high level language and maths skills that are most likely to enhance their earning and learning opportunities^.
• Thirdly, to increase the number of the learners in the 15 to 17-year-old age group who enrol for relevant programmes that lead to employment. This strategy also aims to achieve a more equal balance between those who enrol for FET in schools, and those who enrol at FET colleges.
• Fourthly, to increase the number of learners who are 18 years or older, who enrol at education and training institutions, such as Community Learning Centres or FET colleges. They can include youth that are either employed or unemployed."

Minister Gaum indicated that the report by the Task-team set up by his department in conjunction with the department of Economic Affairs of Minister Rasool, to develop a human resource development strategy, will propose further plans to expedite economic growth and development.

The following statistics display and accentuate the reality of the education and training challenge in the Western Cape:

• 26% of the economically active population are unemployed
• Only 18% of the population over 20 years of age have passed the Senior Certificate
• Only 10% of the population over 20 years of age have a higher education qualification
• Over 21% have no primary education or have not completed it.

Only about 180 000 of the 240 000 youth between 15 and 17 years-of-age are currently studying at either schools or FET colleges.

This means that about 60 000 young people in this age group are not furthering their studies in the Western Cape, and are unlikely to contribute significantly to economic growth and development. Of those who are studying, only 20 000 are enrolled at FET colleges.

In the medium to longer term, the WCED plans to ensure that between 150 000 and 160 000 learners undertake FET in schools, and that the number of learners at FET colleges increases from 20 000 to about 50 000 by 2020.

At the same time, we will increase the number of learners who have access to Adult Basic Education and Training, or ABET. At the moment, about 6 000 learners have enrolled for ABET Levels 1 and 2 courses, and 16 000 FET learners on Grades 10 and 12 programmes. We plan to increase the number of new ABET learners by about 2 500 a year.

Minister Gaum also called on the youth agencies to partner with his department and affirmed the important role of the youth in dealing with the challenges education and economic development face in the province, and said:

"We look forward to exploring new ways of assisting the youth with the agencies represented here today, the Umsobomvu Youth Fund, the National Youth Commission and the South African Youth Council, and others, and our colleagues in provincial and national government.

You all have strategies in place to encourage youth participation in economic growth and development. The biggest single contribution you can make in this regard is to work with us in building a culture of learning, to encourage the youth to develop their knowledge and skills continually to make a difference to their lives and society at large."