SACP CONGRATULATES 2011 GRADE 12 LEARNERS

The SACP welcomes the improvements in the pass rates of the Grade 12 results announced by the Minister of Basic Education, Cde Angie Motshekga, yesterday. We congratulate all those who have passed and wish to encourage those who have not been successful not to despair. There are many available opportunities to be explored in the post school sector.

The stabilisation in the Grade 12 results is a sign that our movement and government was correct in identifying education as an important societal issue. The SACP on its part will continue to mobilise communities to ensure that our schools are functional and the quality of teaching and learning is improved throughout the schooling system. We should move away from a narrow focus and obsession with Grade 12 results regardless of their importance, but focus on the system as  whole.

The SACP commits to convene urgent district stakeholder meetings in the Eastern Cape to attend to the 11 districts of the 16 that are underperforming. Similarly our districts in the remaining 5 education districts in the country, will, as part of our Red October Campaign, convene urgent stakeholders fora to develop a turnaround for those districts. If our communities are united there will indeed be a solution to the crisis.

The SACP however remains concerned about the continued reproduction of class and racial inequalities in the patterns of performance of matric students in our schools. The SACP therefore calls for increased infrastructural investment in poor schools. However financial resources alone are not adequate, and we call upon teachers, learners and all our communities to make sure that they pay closer attention to all our dysfunctional schools.

The SACP also strongly condemns all those governing bodies of former model C schools which are taking government to court as an attempt to keep these schools as islands for whites and the rich. Racist attitudes and practices must have no place in our education system and society as a whole. Therefore the SACP fully supports MEC Barbara Creecy in stamping her foot down against the actions of such governing bodies.

We also encourage our learners to use the opportunities provided by government in the FET sector to enable us to produce more technicians for the survival of our economy. Studying in FET sector is free for all poor students and this opportunity must be fully utilized. The SACP further calls on the learners to use the opportunities availed by NSFAS to pursue their studies in universities. The SACP calls on our universities to admit our students. Exclusions will not be tolerated. We are hopeful that government will increase the conversion of loans to full bursaries for poor students to second year.

The SACP commits to work with all relevant organisations to make our education system work. We will continue to strive for a system that produces holistic graduates who can contribute positively to the advancement of progressive values in society.

Statement issued by the SACP, January 5 2012

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