Sedibeng - Minister in the Presidency Collins Chabane rolled up his sleeves and got down to business during a tour of schools in the Sedibeng District on Tuesday.
The visit was aimed at experiencing first-hand the progress government is making in the implementation of its programmes.
Chabane, who is also responsible for government's Performance Monitoring and Evaluation, made his first stop at the Isizwe - Setjaba High School in Sharpeville, where he was greeted by ailing infrastructure.
Flanked by officials from the local municipality, Chabane said the visit was meant to oversee the readiness of schools for the academic year in terms of having all the necessary supplies, while also gauging progress made on programmes linked to the five priorities of government.
"I visited the schools to find out exactly what the problems are in this area and what can government do to address the challenges," said Chabane.
He said as a department, they were now at a stage of monitoring the achievements towards the outputs that are essential for the evaluation process at a later stage.
The outcomes approach has given government greater strategic focus to ensure that the limited resources are spent on critical development areas, which will then assist the country moving forward.
Chabane used his address to the learners to highlight the importance of education.
He said the most effective way of eradicating poverty was by encouraging young people to go to school and acquire skills.
The minister said an educated society was the key to winning the battle against poverty and building a better nation.
The school, which was built in 1942, has ailing infrastructure from a dilapidated ceiling to non-functional restrooms. The community around the school also seems to be impoverished.
For the past three years, the school's matric pass rate has been unsatisfactory. But in 2011, it recorded a 62 percent pass rate from 41 percent in 2010.
Principal Thabo Letsatsi contributed the increase to the hard work of the learners and teachers in collaboration with the school manager team and school governing body.
Letsatsi welcomed the visit by the minister, saying that "it will make a difference" and motivate the learners to also improve their results, a view that was also shared by the learners.
Currently the school has a low enrolment of 512 learners, with only 70 matriculants this year.
Despite schools having reopened last week, some learners - accompanied by their parents - could be seen trickling into the school for application.
Gauteng schools have been hit hard by late applications, mainly because of high rates of in-migration into the province.
The minister then moved to Raster-Vaal Combined School, where he was told about the school's problems such as the lack of resources and poor infrastructure.
Chabane commend both schools for their dedication to ensuring education was administered despite the odds.
He promised to inform the Presidential Infrastructure Project - which deals with the lack of coordination and integrated planning surrounding key infrastructure projects - to intervene in the problems experienced in both these schools, adding that government saw the task of service delivery as a top priority.
