NEARLY R7-billion for the 2006/07 financial year has been budgeted for Education to boost the skills profile of the people of the province and in particular the youth, to fight poverty and create work.

The R6.988-billion budget constitutes 38% of the total provincial budget, which is an increase of R728-million compared to the previous financial year on education in 2006/07 (30,4%).

I am pleased to announce that 419 schools have applied for "no fee" status in the Western Cape, out of 424 that we originally invited to apply. This represents a positive response of 98.8%. The parents of a total of 146,192 learners (about 15.9%) who attend these schools will no longer have to agonise over school fees.

The department will allocate R29-million during the 2006/07 financial year for this initiative, followed by amounts of R139-million and R237-million 2007/08 and 2008/09 respectively. Because of limited funds available for the 2006/07 financial year, the WCED will focus on the poorest primary schools as part of the first phase of implementing "no fee" school status.

We are increasing our total allocation for Grade R by 49% from 2005/06 to R107.4 million in 2006/07, reflecting increased concern for early childhood development. The province will spend R534.3 million during the MTEF period on ensuring that increasing number of learners have access to quality Grade R programmes.

R228.1-million has been allocated to improve the conditions of schooling and meeting equipment backlogs and replacing rundown equipment in disadvantaged schools.

R68,8 million has been allocated for the implementation of the National Curriculum Statement (FET) in schools. We are currently recapitalising all six FET colleges in the Western Cape, using national conditional grant funding of R70-million in 2006/07, and R227-million during the MTEF period.

We also plan to spend more money on bursaries for financially needy and academically deserving learners, especially in those skill areas most in demand by the provincial economy right now. For this purposes R25-million in 2006/07 will be allocated to provide financial aid for needy students. We anticipate that 1,500 learners will benefit during 2006/07.

This significant increase in the budget is a bold statement of the commitment of this Provincial Government to build human capital and to grow and share the Cape, and places an awesome responsibility on both myself and the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) to spend this money wisely.

Possibly the most complex and difficult task we face as we seek to provide quality education for all, is to ensure that all of our learners achieve the outcomes required by the national curriculum, especially in our poorest schools. We have to start at the beginning with reading, writing and calculating in the Foundation and Intermediate Phases, from Grades R to 6.

Our target at this stage is to ensure that our learners achieve a pass rate of at least 50% in literacy and numeracy. We are asking schools to set targets that can be achieved, and to develop plans on how to achieve them. We are recording these individual targets and will monitor progress. I believe we must adjust our targets upwards of 50%.

It is critical that Early Childhood Development and concurrent parental and community literacy are central elements of the steps to prosperity. We have to create massive social mobilization to make sure that all our children can read, write and calculate at levels required by the curriculum. Our proposed family literacy drive rests squarely on a comprehensive trans-sectoral and "Learning Cape" model.

This strategy will be the cornerstone of our plan to build human capital, and of our response to the President’s call for accelerated growth and skills development.

In April this year, we have appointed 510 Teaching Assistants to support Foundation Phase teachers in poor schools across the province, where they have the greatest need for this kind of support. The Teaching Assistants are helping teachers to improve the numeracy and literacy skills of learners in the Foundation Phase in schools, which covers Grades 1 to 3. This is a pilot project involving 163 schools.

The results of our Adult Basic Education and Training learners also give us reason for hope. Ninety-nine centres and 1,855 candidates registered for the October 2005 assessment. This represents an 11,2% increase in the number of centres participating and a 9.9% increase in the number of candidates registering compared to October 2004.

The number of candidates (56) that achieved sufficient credits in this examination alone to qualify for a GET Certificate was more than double that of October 2004 (24 candidates). The evidence shows an increasing number of enrolments of adults in various programmes offered through our ABET centres.

These programmes make it possible for many adults to continue their interrupted education: ABET forms an important component of our Human Capital Development Strategy. Part of our ABET focus includes a review of the ABET provisioning with a focus on the question of possible full-time centres.

FET in Colleges and Schools: A very important development in building capacity in our FET Colleges, is the imminent appointment of Deputy Chief Executive Officers to all six FET colleges. I regard this as very important to our Human Capital Development Strategy and will give it my urgent personal attention.

Meanwhile, thanks to thorough preparation in our schools and by the WCED administration, we have successfully launched the national curriculum for Grades 10 to 12, starting with Grade 10 in 2006. Our preparations for introducing the curriculum in Grade 11 in 2007 are proceeding well.

We have also launched our programme to establish 28 focus schools in the Western Cape, specializing in Arts & Culture; Business, Commerce and Management; and Engineering and Technology. The programme will support the introduction of the national FET curriculum in schools and will improve access to quality education in subjects that were not previously available to learners in many disadvantaged areas.

Today we must pause to remember the victims of the 2005 bus accident; we remember young Dane Darries and Cheslyn Jones who died in violent attacks; we record our pain at all the assaults, rapes and traumas experienced by our youth.

At the same time, we note our admiration for the heroes who helped out in these traumas – those who gave comfort, who gave counsel, who gave hope to the victims. In particular, Premier, I want to single out Kevin Arendse, a ten year old learner at Monte Video Primary, who was taken hostage and, in that time, showed incredible wisdom and bravery.

I will formally nominate Kevin for a special Premier’s award this year. Our teachers are heroes too as they stand up against incursions onto school property and cope with the trauma, heartbreak and violence, which seem to be part of the fabric of our society. I salute you all.

While we still have a long way to go before we have enough classrooms where they are needed the most, we have made significant progress over the past year, and will continue to make progress in this regard during the current financial year.

In 2005/06, the province set a record by completing no less than 15 schools in one year and in time for the opening of the 2006 school year. We will complete a further nine schools by June this year, as well as 60 additional classrooms. The province will build a further 11 schools during the 2006/07 financial year, bringing the total number of school built during the financial years of 2005/06 and 2006/07 to 35.

The Premier said in his State of the Province Address: "Ordinary people are the most important actors in achieving developmental success over the long term. What guarantees such success is when ordinary people are organised and networked into and across community structures both to protect and serve communities"

On June 15 this year we will launch the provincial Representative Councils of Learners (RCLs) as part of paying tribute to the 30th Anniversary of the generation of 1976. I believe our RCLs can play a crucial role in our schools by addressing issues such as learner rights and responsibilities, human rights, learner discipline, diversity, substance abuse, gangsterism and HIV and AIDS, to mention just a few.

We are also encouraging retired and ex-teachers to come together and form an association, to work in a partnership with government in improving education for all our learners.

Between May and June this year, all public schools are expected to elect members of School Governing Bodies. The national theme for this year’s elections is: 'Vote for your child's future'. I want to call on all our parents, and even Members of this House, to become involved as positive agents for transformation. SGBs are responsible for effective governance of schools. It is therefore important that they consist of members with the necessary capacity for the task.

We will redesign the WCED where necessary to ensure that we have this capacity. Restructuring is critical to ensure that our organizational structure and culture is aligned to our strategy. At the same time the opportunity will allow us to make sure that our department represents all the people of this province.

Conclusion

President Thabo Mbeki has reminded us that our country was entering an "Age of Hope". In his State of the Province Address, Premier Ebrahim Rasool stated that "¼ we are standing on the threshold of prosperity".

The tabling of this budget today signifies greater stability in education in the Western Cape. The growth since my first budget speech in 2004/05 is 22.8%; and since the main appropriation in 2005/06, it is11%;

The last two years have seen an increase in the basket of posts to 657 additional posts; the completion of 19 schools in mostly poor communities over the last two years, which meant an additional 22,080 learners were accommodated, and 580 teachers employed.

Not a single school in the province is now without electricity, including those in the most far-flung of rural areas; and almost without exception our high schools have computer labs.

The challenges are as daunting as ever, but so is our resolve to indeed make a difference.

Our theme for this budget is: "Each one, teach one – together building a learning home for all". By reaching out to help one another, we will release an unstoppable force that can only serve to build better lives for all.

For enquiries, contact Gert Witbooi:  082 550 3938, or gwitbooi@pgwc.gov.za.