EFF WELL WISHES FOR ALL GRADE ONE LEARNERS WHO WILL START 12 YEAR ACADEMIC JOURNEY TOMORROW.
Tuesday, 8 January, 2019
The EFF sends best wishes to all Grade 1 learners, who will start their 12-year basic education journey tomorrow, in different primary schools across the country. We impress upon the Minister and Department of Education, that preparing for Matric exams begins tomorrow with each child who will report for Grade 1. Care must be given to ensure quality education, not only 12 years later when the department cannot account for over 60% of them, as is the case each year during matric results.
The South African education system must correct the sin of child neglect it has committed over the years. Just in the last five years, of the learners who started Grade 1 over 12 years ago, the department only managed to pass an average of 35%. Over 60% have either failed, or dropped out, and no doubt, majority of these children are the black poor in townships and rural areas.
No country must ever satisfy itself with such a track record, unable to ensure that majority of its youth, particularly the poor and marginalized, attains a National Senior Certificate. It is the greatest shame on the ANC government, that they could not improve this situation, thus keeping millions of black youth in a permanent state of under-education.
We call on all primary schools not to tum any child away tomorrow, because of the color of their skin. We warn all Semi-private and private schools, that they must not use the technicalities of registration dates and tuition fees, to keep their schools white-dominated, so that they can safely continue the racist lie that white people, because of the colour of their skin, are privileged and superior.