Resources for VTSD schools � top priority for Provincial Government

The North West Provincial Government will through the Department of Education and Sport Development take a deliberate decision to redirect more education resources to schools in the province’s villages, townships and small dorpies (VTSD), this in a bid to improve these schools’ overall performance and matric results.

This was said by Premier Supra Mahumapelo while addressing hundreds of high school principals and chairpersons of schools governing bodies on Friday, 20 January at Rustenburg Civic Centre.

According to Premier Mahumapelo, this conscious decision will not only be consistent with the provincial government’s VTSD strategy and its efforts to fight the levels of poverty, but will help in ensuring that quality teaching and learning takes place at all schools in the province, with special focus on VTSD schools.

While we are pleased by the performance of the province in the 2016 matric results, the fact that schools in urban areas continue to perform far much better than those in rural areas, remains our concern.

A radical action must therefore be done, to ensure that the contribution of VTSD schools in the province’s overall pass rate is pleasingly visible, emphasised Premier Mahumapelo.

In evaluating the schools’ contribution to the overall provincial percentage, Mahumapelo announced that from this year onwards, the province will announce matric results per village, township and small dorpie.

Premier Mahumapelo also expressed the provincial government’s concern about the seemingly high discrepancy between the number of learners who started Grade 1 in 2005 and those who wrote the 2016 matric examination.

According to the Department of Education and Sport Development, approximately 80 000 learners started Grade 1 in 2005, and only 32 049 wrote the 2016 matric results.

While we note that there could be various reasons for this difference, it remains my dream as a leader that every learner who starts schooling at Grade 1 must complete by the twelfth year, and that every learner who is in class, doing Grade 12, must pass.

The purpose of this meeting was for the Premier to thank the schools principals, teachers, members of the schools governing bodies and parents, for the support shown to the learners during the 2016 schooling year, and to encourage them to continue enforcing efficiency and discipline at all schools.

Accompanied by MEC for Education and Sport Development Mr Sello Lehari and MEC for Finance, Economy and Enterprise Development Ms Wendy Nelson, Premier Mahumapelo expressed his satisfaction about the readiness of the province on the first day of schools reopening, saying so far 98% of schools across the province have recorded 100% of learner supported material delivered.

Source: Government of South Africa