Disadvantaged learners far better off under DA government
If the ANC is truly concerned over the poverty grading (quintile) system in the Western Cape, they must lobby the national minister of education on the issue.
In their latest, unsubstantiated attack on the Western Cape education system, the ANC calls on Western Cape education minister, Donald Grant, to review the poverty grading (quintile) system in the Western Cape.
This is entirely disingenuous as the quintile system is a national policy and it is only within the power of the national education minister, Angie Motshekga to change it. Minister Grant has asked minister Motshekga on a number of occasions to review the system, but this has not happened. That is why the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) extended its no fee school policy to include some schools from quintile 4 and 5 in order to accommodate disadvantaged children in these schools as well.
The fact is that underprivileged learners are far better off under the DA government than they were when the ANC was in charge. This is revealed by the following statistics:
- The number of no fee schools have increased - In 2007 (under the former ANC government) schools in income Quintiles 1 and 2 were declared to be no-fee schools. In 2010: We extended this policy to include quintile 3 schools and last year we have extended this to schools in quintiles 4 and 5
- We have built more schools than the ANC government
- The ANC government closed down more schools than us (see table below)
- The marks of learners in quintiles 1,2 and 3 have improved every year since we took over
- And we have reduced the number of underperforming schools in the province.
These statistics show clearly that the DA-led Western Cape has seen the most progress when it comes to improving education outcomes in disadvantaged communities.
Schools closed in the Western Cape since 2002
|
Administration |
Date |
No. of schools closed |
|
NNP/ANC |
2002/2003 |
5 |
|
NNP/ANC |
2003/2004 |
17 |
|
ANC |
2004/2005 |
2 |
|
ANC |
2005/2006 |
8 |
|
ANC |
2006/2007 |
10 |
|
ANC |
2007/2008 |
5 |
|
ANC |
2008/2009 |
0 |
|
TOTAL |
|
47 |
|
DA |
2009/2010 |
0 |
|
DA |
2010/2011 |
5 |
|
DA |
2011/2012 |
10 |
|
TOTAL |
|
15 |
|
DA |
2012/2013 |
Proposed 20 |
Statement issued by Dr. Ivan Meyer: Provincial Leader of the DA, January 23 2014
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