Gwarube shifts focus to addressing key education challenges

Gwarube

Cape Town — After she is appointed the Minister of Education, the Democratic Alliance’s (DA) Sivwe Gwarube is determined to engage with all unions and address the issues the education system currently faces.

Gwarube is one of six DA members elected to the cabinet, and after the initial backlash over her appointment from the SADTU, Gwarube revealed she’s looking forward to engaging with all unions. She has thus far immersed herself in the education legislation and has recognised the Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) Bill, which her party had previously opposed, EWN reported.

“The education legislation has not been amended since 1996, so there are things that need to be amended. So, it’s important not to throw out the entire bill with the bath water,” she said.

“I don’t want this to become some kind of divisive lightning rod in the sector. Ultimately, mine is to make sure we get a good education system to ensure millions of black children who haven’t always had access to good quality education start to have one,” she added.

According to IOL, Gwarube wants to implement urgent reforms to address the critical issues in the education system, which include literacy and numeracy, eradicating pit toilets, and improving education standards.

“If we are going to raise a generation of children who are going to be primed for future economies, we need to get literacy and numeracy right, and we need to get it right urgently,” Gwarube said.

She stressed the need for structured pedagogical interventions to improve foundational skills among South African students.

Gwarube also said, “The issue around literacy and numeracy rates in South Africa is very important to me. Some of these issues are close to my heart,” underscoring her commitment to addressing these challenges effectively.” she added.

A report from the 2030 Reading Panel showed a significant decline in basic literacy in South Africa, as many children complete Grade 1 without knowing their alphabet, while 82% of Grade 4 children cannot read for meaning.

She emphasised her goal to create a world-class education system through collaboration with cabinet colleagues and stakeholders to implement comprehensive reforms.

According to SABC News, Gwarube said she was here to serve every learner in South Africa and wants to completely eradicate the issue of pit toilets.

She says eradicating pit toilets, amongst others, is a priority.

“I’m here as a Minister of Basic Education and I’m here to serve the 14 million learners in this country who all deserve access to quality education, which has not always been available to them. There are issues in South Africa, about 80% of Grade 4 learners cannot read for meaning. Children are still dying in pit toilets, 30 years into our democracy, and teachers are working in unsafe conditions. These are all the things that require my urgent attention.” she said.

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Compiled by Matthew Petersen

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