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One of the most valuable aspects of our recent Provincial Imbizo Focus Week and the Presidential Imbizo this past weekend was the insight, which it provided our Government into the priorities and concerns of the Western Cape communities. What was especially important for us was the emphasis, which our people placed on education as the key to almost every other challenge. From crime to poverty, from health to the environment, the message was clear: that the key to lasting change is the best possible education of our children.

This is a message, which our Provincial Government has taken to heart. There is much about Western Cape education achievements of which to be proud: the fact that almost 100% of learners eligible for primary schooling are now attending school in our province; the fact that our Senior Certificate pass rate rose again last year from 82,7% to 86,5%; and the fact that the number of schools with less than 60% pass rates dropped from 47 in 2001/2 to 28 in 2002/3. We are also particularly pleased that our education budget rose from R4, 5 billion to R5 billion, with more than R70 million extra allocated to textbooks and general school expenses this year.

The message from our Izimbizo, though, was that this is not enough. Many communities have complained about the number of learners who do not complete their studies - or who take much longer than the normal 12 years to do so. Our research has shown that only 48% of learners who begin Grade One in the province complete their education in the normal 12-year period. While some learners move on to Further Education and Training (FET) colleges and other forms of training, most appear to have dropped out. Another worrying study has shown that only 36% of Grade 3 learners in the Western Cape are reading and calculating at the level required for Grade 3.

Our Education Department, under the leadership of our MEC for Education, Minister André Gaum, is in the process of putting in place a number of comprehensive strategies to improve learner performance in numeracy and literacy, and to assist us in reducing the dropout rates in our schools. These strategies include:

Better Teacher Training: We launched our Cape Teaching Institute in September last year to provide intensive in-service training for groups of up to 50 teachers at a time for periods of between 6 to 8 weeks. During the July school holidays our Education Department trained 5 810 primary school teachers and 959 school principals on the newly revised national curriculum.

New Curriculum: Our Provincial Education Department has been closely involved in the development of the newly revised curriculum, which provides the blueprint for education in the country. This will begin to be introduced in Grades R to 3 in 2004, Grades 4 to 6 in 2005, Grades 7 to 9 in 2006, 2007 and 2008 respectively. Grades 11 and 12 will follow in 2007 and 2008. We also support the restructuring of our education system into three levels, with the GET Certificate issued on successful completion of Grade 9 and the FET Certificate after passing Grade 12. We do, however, remain very concerned about the four basic assessment levels proposed for the FET Certificate as they will not provide a clear enough indication of achievement by excellent learners.

More Schools and More Education: At both ends of the education spectrum - young and older - our Provincial Government is doing more to support life-long learning. Last year the number of Adult Basic Education and Training (ABET) sites which we subsidise rose from 230 to 301, and the number of subsidised pre-primary sites for Early Childhood Development (EDC) rose from 879 to 1315. We have also completed 17 new schools over the past 2 years.

Maths, Science and Technology Skills: The launch in March this year of our new Cape Mathematics, Science and Technology Academy will provide talented youth in the province with opportunities to excel in these fields, and combined with our Maths, Science and Technology strategy will be targeting better learner performances in these subjects across the board.

Mother Tongue Education: This year a Ministerial Task Team completed a major study into language policies in our schools and recommended that we implement mother-tongue-based education in Grades R to 6 in all primary schools, and that we should provide incentives to guide all children towards choosing the third official language of the Western Cape as a second additional language. Our Education Department is currently investigating how best to implement this strategy.

We know that, in Atlantis particularly, things are not always easy. With a 42% rate of unemployment, a housing backlog of almost 9 000 units, gangsterism, teenage drug abuse and teenage pregnancies there is a heavy burden on our families, our communities, and our youth. There are however no quick fixes for poverty and joblessness, but education plays an important role in developing the human resources needed for economic growth, job creation and social upliftment. This was the message of our Izimbizo and it remains a central commitment of our Government. We are continuing to build our World Class Province, which Cares for all its people.

Enquiries: Riaan Aucamp on 083-778-9923

Issued by Western Cape Provincial Government

2 September 2003