ACDP questions ANC commitment to eliminating poverty and reducing inequality Agriculture, Education, Politics, Press Releases, Speeches, Unemployment, Youth Speech: Jo-Ann Downs, ACDP MP “The ANC maintains that it is dedicated to eliminating poverty and reducing inequality. There is a direct correlation between education and poverty. All poor people in the lowest LSM groups have matric or lower qualifications. All of us are deeply concerned about ANA scores in literacy and mathematics, which directly affects a young person’s ability to go on to tertiary education. It is therefore incomprehensible to ACDP that education in this province is consistently under funded. In earlier years the Education MEC said “The Early Childhood Development programme is a cash cow for the department which we have had to raid to cover shortfalls in funding”. This has put many of our grades 2 upwards at a lifetime disadvantage. Couple that with shortage of mathematics and science teachers, books, libraries, computers, and we are totally perpetuating poverty. There is a shortfall of R500 million just on teachers salaries which will totally squeeze out expenditure on maintenance, new schools and all facilities required by children to have a successful learning environment. It is even more galling, when the province proposes to spend R121 million on advertising. Entities like Mjindi farming, which have been funded for all the 16 years that I have been in the legislature and never once produced a result, receives R68 million. Economic Development with a history of under spending between R60 million and R100 million still continue to receive funding, then I begin to doubt the ANC’s commitment to reducing poverty. R249 million is going to Ithala to fund SMME and co-op development programs, which are necessary; however the way the programs are run is wasteful. If we consolidated some entities into departments, we could save on the enormous salaries, rentals and infrastructures that are set up separately. It is imperative that we address the issues in education. When I visited a school in Umkhanyakude last year the only reading books they had were their workbooks. Children were being instructed in English, and with no possibility of practicing thru reading or talking at home; it is impossible to become proficient in a non mother tongue language. The ACDP’s first priority is education. We would address the basics such as the provision of books and computers in every school. Once the basics have been taken care of, the curriculum needs to be adjusted. There needs to be place for bright children to have enrichment courses to equip them for tertiary education. There also needs to be place for pupils who are more practically orientated to have enrichment courses to enhance practical skills so that they leave school with a marketable skill or preparation for FET colleges.”
Posted on: Thu, 13 Jun 2013 16:26:44 +0000
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