Pretoria - Improving South Africa's education system; broadening access to tertiary education and accelerating efforts to enhance health care, will be some of the key priorities of the ANC Government in 2011.
Speaking at the ANC's annual January 8 statement in Polokwane on Saturday, the party's President Jacob Zuma, said while marked improvement in the 2010 matric results was proof that the ANC's plans aimed at improving education were on the right track, more efforts would be made in 2011.
The ANC would continue to promote its education "non-negotiables" which included that teachers must in school and class on time and that they should teach for at least seven hours a day.
"Government must provide textbooks and all materials on the first day of school and provide the necessary support.
"Government must improve the infrastructure; including attending to the more than 3000 schools that need to be brought up to basic safety functionality levels by 2014," Zuma added.
He called for ongoing programmes to replace mud schools with newly built schools to be included as part of the Infrastructure and Expanded Public Works programmes.
Efforts will also be intensified to widen the poor and working class' access to tertiary and further education.
"We have to prioritise further education and training and provide resources including expanding bursary schemes for supporting attendance at FET institutions," Zuma said.
The ANC's commitment to progressively introduce free education up to graduate level will also be stepped up in 2011.
Zuma announced that from this year students who qualify for funding from the National Student Financial Aid Scheme are in their final year at a public university will receive a loan equivalent to the full cost of study. This will include the full fee and necessary living expenses.
In addition, if that student graduates at the end of the year, the loan for the final year will be converted to a full bursary and the student will not have to repay it.
"This model will be phased in over the next few years to include students in earlier years of study. Also from 2011, students in Further Education and Training Colleges who qualify for financial aid will be exempted completely from paying fees," he added.
In terms of access to health, Zuma said work must be accelerated in the area of further revitalising and improving the public health care system in order to address the challenges facing health services in some province.
"Interventions must include appointing qualified personnel and improving infrastructure such as rebuilding dilapidated clinics and hospitals. The ANC must also ensure that government increases the training and employment of doctors, nurses, health technicians and other health professionals."
The National Health Insurance scheme also had to be fast-tracked. Zuma said developing time frames for the scheme's implementation was the crucial first step in the process.
Priority will also be given to creating a health care system that promoted women's health as a fundamental human right.
He noted that progress had been made in the fight against HIV and Aids, but urged South African to know their HIV status.
