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Programme director
The MEC for Education, Mr Kganare
Members of the Legislature present here
The Executive Mayor of Xhariep, Mr Mofokeng
The Mayor of Kopanong Municipality, Mr Ntaitsane
Delegates from farming community structures
Distinguished guests

We gather here today to celebrate a very special occasion, which I am sure, has taken months of hard work and planning. I am in deed privileged to be in your midst at this the launch of the Farm School Hostel Project in the Free State.

I strongly believe that events such as this one provide a window of hope to all South Africans as we deal with the challenges of transformation in our education system.

The realisation of this launch this morning is indicative of the successes that can be achieved if all of us work together in pursuit of a common objective.

During his State of the Nation Address this year, President Mbeki called on all South Africans to dedicate themselves to building unity in action for change. We are obliged to explore ways of dealing with the difficulties we are faced with especially with regard to rural education development.

Mmuso wa rona wa democracy o shebane le mathata a mangata ao re lokelang ho a lokisa hore re netefatse ntshetsopele ya maphelo a baahi bohle ba Afrika Borwa. Phediso ya bofuma, twantsho ye lefu la HIV/AIDS, thlahiso ya mesebetsi le ntshetsopele ya moruo ke tseding tsa mathata ao re tobaneng le ona.

E nngwe ya dinthla tsa bohlokwa leonong la ntshetsopele la mmuso ke ho netefatsa hore menyetla ya thuto ea buleha bakeng sa batho barona bohle.

The enactment of the Bantu Education Act in 1953 stipulated that black people should not become qualified for positions not envisaged for them, this policy was thus designed to protect the interests of the white minority.

Furthermore, the introduction, in 1967, of the Education Policy Act promoted a racially and culturally segregated and differentiated education system. This act also prompted the disproportionate distribution of funds and educational resources to different groups.

Ladies and Gentlemen, the implementation of the Bantu education policy was devastating and detrimental to the lives of our people, resulting in high levels of illiteracy, innumeracy and a lack of skills amongst our people.

It is therefore imperative to note that our current government inherited an educational system that was insensitive and repressive. This government has identified the development of policies to redress educational inequalities as a priority matter.

The South African Schools Act, which replaced the apartheid education laws, asserts that all children have a right to access basic and quality education, without any form of discrimination.

The rights of our children are also deeply entrenched in our new constitution, which stipulates that all children have a right to family care or parental care, or to appropriate alternative care when removed from the family environment. All children have the right to basic nutrition, shelter, health care and social services.

The Constitution further establishes the right of all South Africans to basic education and it makes it compulsory for the state to uphold this right for all its citizens.

Although it will take some time to address the educational imbalances of the past, tremendous progress has been made in the development of the education system in our country.

The Free State Development Plan (FSDP) adopted by my Executive Council identified PEOPLE DEVELOPMENT as one of its key objectives.

In 1996 the literacy rate in this province was 88.7% and we hope to significantly increase this figure in the next three years. We anticipate that through the FSDP:
Adult literacy increases to 95%
The matric pass rate rises to 65%, and that
People skills development is improved

The above objective does not exclude rural or farm schools. Research indicates that these schools are the most under resourced and that farm schools make up about 17% of all schools in our country.

This figure indicates therefore ladies and gentlemen, that we simply cannot ignore rural schools in our overall educational development plans.

Source: Free State Provincial Government (http://mangaung.ofs.gov.za)