Speech by Millicent Tingwe ANC MPL in debate on Premier Helen Zille's speech on the state of the Western Cape province, February 21 2012
Deputy Speaker,
Another year, another glossy State of the Province Address for media coverage and to score political points: That is what this Premier does with distinction!
Now, let's get to the realities of what's happening in the education sector in the Western Cape - not only in Cape Town as the DA is so confined in the Metro...
Under the hands of this Premier and the DA we continuously see, witness and feel the exclusion of black learners in the so-called former Model C schools. It is ensured that it is only a few learners or one black child in those schools; continuously block them from enrolling in those schools even when parents can afford to take their kids to such schools.
I have personally experienced that if I was never privileged to know and understand how the SA School Act protects me and my rights, my child would not have been enrolled where she is today and my worry is other parents who are not privileged as I am.
The former Model C schools that used to benefit in the apartheid era, are still the ones that continues to benefit under the DA-led administration and still amongst the most advantaged schools of the Western Cape hence they will always produce great results.
The so-called preforming province has been one leading the closure of schools in previously disadvantaged areas, such as Robben Island and Salt River Muslim School. Why the closures of these schools do only happened where mostly black and coloured learners go, and not in the white dominated areas?
And what then happens to the buildings that are left unattended? Does it become the playing field of thugs because that is exactly what the DA-led government is encouraging - other than utilising those buildings for learners who can actually acquire practical skills there.
It's interesting, you are always talking about savings and do the opposite... Close current schools and leave it unattended to build a news school instead of maintaining what we already have.
We still see and witness the previously disadvantaged schools overcrowded as it was under the hands of the late P.W. Botha where we were seventy-five in the class and that was in 1983, and still today if you can go to Zimasa Public School, Grade R class has 60 learners, rats come through the floors of the Grade R wooden classroom floors and they have to share ablution facilities with the older learners in a school that starts from Grade R to Grade 8. And, it is expected of us to clap hands and say all is well and the Western Cape is the so-called best performing province in South Africa.
Who really benefits in this open opportunity society for all? Is it the minority of this province or the majority?
On February the 17th it was reported that more than four hundred kids are still not placed in schools. (Daily Voice, 17/2/2012) and today it was reported in the legislature's Standing Committee two hundred learners were unplaced on February the 12th. By when will these learners be placed? Are they not losing out on valuable education activities and time? The DA must stop blaming the migration from the Eastern Cape and take responsibility to solve the problem. It you were not closing down schools, you would not be sitting with the challenges that you find yourselves in.
It is good that steps were taken against learner transport, but much more still needs to be done, because indeed lives of innocent children are at risk with these un-roadworthy buses that continues to be hired even though you see and know they are in good conditions.
I guess the DA should now SHUT UP and STOP making noise about the much talked about Protection of State Information Bill, because here in this province under the Democratic Alliance there is just SECRECY!
The DA fails to give SCOPA and honourable members the internal audit report on learner transport? Parents fear for their children's lives and this DA government is not open on the matter.
Interesting enough the DA has stopped the busses for learners that travel between Delft and Langa without any proper consultation with the parents and still claim "better together"? Some of the very busses drop learners not anywhere closer to their homes and today it was interesting to hear that by 2014 you want to get rid of providing transport where does that leave the poor that you claim to be attending to? Is that service delivery?
Yes, indeed madam Premier we can rejoice with the matriculation results, but education does not start from top to bottom. How do you explain the almost twenty thousand (19 997) Grade 1 failures? Grade 9 sees 22 108 and Grade 10 18 042 learners not passing. Where have you lost it?
Issued by the ANC Western Cape, February 21 2012
Click here to sign up to receive our free daily headline email newsletter
