Pretoria – President Jacob Zuma says government is working harder to give the country’s children a brighter future by improving access to quality education.
Delivering the last State of the Nation Address for this administration, the President said government has been investing in teacher training and the re-opening of teacher colleges to produce a skilled workforce in the future.
Zuma noted the improved matric pass rate -- up from around 61 percent in 2009 to 78 percent last year -- and the increase in bachelor passes as some of the indicators that the country was moving in the right direction.
The number of children attending Grade R has more than doubled, growing from about 300 000 to more than 700 000 between 2003 and 2011.
The President said more schools to replace mud and unsuitable structures are to be built. To date, 370 new schools have been delivered throughout the country via the Accelerated Schools Infrastructure Delivery (ASIDI).
The programme also addresses basic services backlogs and the provision of water and electricity at schools.
The programme forms part of government’s Strategic Infrastructure Projects –SIP 13, which involves the rebuilding of schools.
The R8.2 billion public-private programme aims to eradicate the 496 mud schools, provide water and sanitation to 1 257 schools and electricity to 878 schools by March 2016.
From 22 July until 6 December 2013, ASIDI handed over one school per week in the Eastern Cape.
Touching on other developments in education, Zuma said eight million children are exempted from paying school fees and nine million children are getting food at school.
Government also launched the Annual National Assessments to keep track of improvements and interventions needed, especially, in maths and science. – SAnews.gov.za
