Date: 14/11/2002
Source: Ministry of Education
Title: Mangena: SANLI - Unisa celebration dinner
ADDRESS BY THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF EDUCATION, MR MOSIBUDI MANGENA, AT THE SANLI - UNISA CELEBRATION DINNER, Protea Restaurant, Unisa, 14 November 2002
Director of Ceremonies,
British High Commissioner, Mr Sparks,
Head of the British Department for International Development, Mr Sam Sharp, and other Representatives from DfID,
MEC for Education, Mr Ignatius Jacobs,
Executive Mayor of Tshwane, Father Smangaliso Mkhatshwa,
Judge Dikgang Moseneke,
Vice Chancellor of Unisa, Dr Barney Pityana,
Mr Anil Bordia from India,
Distinguished Guests,
Representatives of Government Departments present,
Ladies and Gentlemen
The Sunday Times of 3 November 2002 carried an article about a pensioner in Pietermaritzburg who died in a queue waiting for his pension payout. The deceased was a TB sufferer who had travelled 16 km overnight in order to secure a place in the queue that would enable him to get his pension the next day. His wife, for fear of losing her place in the queue, watched over him for more than two hours before his body was removed. According to the Department for Social Development many pensioners, especially in deep rural areas, refuse to get their pensions through the banks or post offices or to nominate their relatives to receive the payouts on their behalf. We all know that many more pensioners are regularly ripped off their meagre earnings by unscrupulous officials, relatives and business people.
You are perhaps already wondering about the relevance of these events to this gathering. Many of the senior citizens affected in this manner are those that lack the very basic functional literacy skills. They do not understand how a simple savings account works, they are unable to read or write, let alone operate an ATM card. According to the 1996 census, 4 million of our citizens who are 15 years and above have never been to school. Another 3.5 million have some primary education but for lack of application, they have lost some of their learnt skills.
The improvement of education levels generally empowers a nation to raise its living standards by enabling the majority of its citizens to participate in profitable economic activities. It also provides a sustainable way of addressing social problems such as crime and violence. As long as we do not prioritise the improvement of our knowledge base and skills, we will continue to be exploited by other nations that have woken up to the importance of developing their human capital.
The South African Literacy Initiative is a five-year programme of the Department of Education to provide non-formal basic literacy education for adults who have never been to school. Its aim is to deliver programmes that are relevant to the learners' needs while concentrating on mother tongue literacy, numeracy and the language of local economy, which is often English and Afrikaans. Unlike ABET, SANLI is not qualification driven, but is "Volunteer" based and mobilises organisations in civil society, government, business and non-governmental sectors and society at large to support the programme. SANLI is not directly involved in the delivery of basic literacy but utilises a series of interrelated networks.
Because of the scale of the proposed outreach programme, it became imperative for SANLI to establish strategic partnerships with training providers to assist with the training, monitoring and support of volunteer educators. In addition, SANLI needed to broaden its partnerships to include institutions with expertise and resources to inform and support its strategy. As a consequence, SANLI created joint ventures with various organisations and higher education institutions that had a focus on adult education to enable the literacy initiative to access resources, knowledge and skills that are important to the success of the project.
Our relationship with the Unisa ABET Institute, which has been made possible largely by the funding received from the British Department for International Development, has added an enormous impetus to the work of SANLI. Through this partnership we expect to develop a model of delivery that is decentralised, involves a large-scale delivery of literacy classes in rural and peri-urban areas with minimal support to the learning sites by the implementing agencies. Central to this model is the question of affordability because SANLI is operating under serious budgetary constraints. This partnership is a mutually beneficial undertaking since the ABET institute is also aiming to utilise its existing large numbers of trained educators who were without employment. Unisa and the ABET Institute also perceive this project as their contribution towards the national Poverty Relief strategy and the improvement of the literacy levels for the affected citizenry. Amongst the resources that the Unisa ABET Institute brought to the partnership was its database of approximately 25 000 adult education graduates it had trained over the past six years. Volunteer educators were recruited from this database. The Institute also provided the academic know-how and the ability to manage a large-scale national project.
We understand that the British DfID grant secured the procurement of the learner support materials for 75 000 learners, which comprised the required stationery, distribution of materials, administration, advocacy, evaluation and the payment of stipends for volunteers, monitors and coordinators at a total cost of R350 per learner. We are truly grateful that the DfID is also prepared to extend this sponsorship to accommodate a further 25 000 learners.
In terms of the partnership, the Institute undertook to recruit and orientate from among its unemployed graduates 2 500 volunteer educators; recruit 75 000 learners; identify learning sites; provide appropriate learner support materials and stationery as determined by SANLI; distribute materials to learners at their learning sites; support and monitor volunteers; and mobilise communities. We learn that the project has been able to meet and exceed the targets set between the Institute and SANLI and that this is the biggest ever ABET/Literacy initiative to be delivered for this country. We would like to express our sincere appreciation to the sponsors. We are hopeful that the learners that have graduated from this project will be able to join the existing ABET classes that are taking place nationally to further their literacy skills.
The successful implementation of any educational programme rests squarely upon the quality of the teachers delivering the learning programmes. We are informed that many of the volunteer educators on the SANLI - Unisa literacy programme possess more than one higher education qualification. While government, donors and other role players can provide resources to kick-start the programmes and improve the conditions in the learning environment, it is the teachers who must achieve the objectives of the course and ensure that the needs of the learners are met. The volunteer educators on the Unisa - SANLI programme are sufficiently trained and qualified to deliver the quality of lessons that would enhance the knowledge base and lives of the learners. We understand that some of the teachers on this programme were able to motivate their learners to utilise their acquired literacy skills to initiate income generating or self-help projects.
Funding remains the biggest challenge for SANLI. Provinces need funding for programme delivery, that is, educator training, support and stipends, learner support materials and educator materials. The approach adopted by provinces is to utilise their internal funding and elicit additional contribution in-kind in the form of learning spaces from non-governmental and community based organisations. Other sources of funding are provided by the National Department of Education from special allocations such as Conditional Grants and external donor funding. But we are still falling far too short of the resources required to tackle the backlog in a meaningful way.
We believe that the development of the literacy of our citizenry should form a component of all social development programmes and we urge all role players to provide literacy classes within their organisations. We are likely to achieve greater results if communities, NGOs, civic and religious organisations, business, labour and other state departments and agencies take the lead to actively support this initiative as the programme is mainly targeting women and youth in rural and peri-urban areas who are in conditions of abject poverty. It is therefore necessary for literacy for livelihood and empowerment, to be a dominant theme of the literacy programme. Targeted provision of literacy classes for specialised groups is also very difficult as relevant centres to cater for such groups are not readily available in the areas earmarked for the literacy programme. Hence, NGOs and CBOs located in rural and peri-urban areas are key partners in delivering and supporting the literacy units. The support provided by NGOs that are very far from the area they are supporting makes the programme to be very costly.
In closing, we also wish to encourage organisations to use all official languages to communicate essential information on salary slips, job application forms, bank statements, pension benefits and other services that are required by their employees and clients. This would not only obviate the need for the use of third parties to assist those with rudimentary literacy skills, but would greatly reduce the defrauding of such people and enhance their confidence. As a country we need to move speedily towards empowering those with low literacy skills so as to reinforce the application of the learnt skills.
Once again we wish to commend and congratulate the Unisa ABET Institute for the wonderful work they are doing in assisting the department in its endeavour to fight against illiteracy in this country. We truly appreciate all the financial assistance we have received from our donors for this venture. Without generous sponsorships from overseas donors such as the British DfID, our dream of realising our objectives in this regard would remain a remote possibility.
I thank you.
Issued by Ministry of Education
14 November 2002
Source: Ministry of Education
Title: Mangena: SANLI - Unisa celebration dinner
ADDRESS BY THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF EDUCATION, MR MOSIBUDI MANGENA, AT THE SANLI - UNISA CELEBRATION DINNER, Protea Restaurant, Unisa, 14 November 2002
Director of Ceremonies,
British High Commissioner, Mr Sparks,
Head of the British Department for International Development, Mr Sam Sharp, and other Representatives from DfID,
MEC for Education, Mr Ignatius Jacobs,
Executive Mayor of Tshwane, Father Smangaliso Mkhatshwa,
Judge Dikgang Moseneke,
Vice Chancellor of Unisa, Dr Barney Pityana,
Mr Anil Bordia from India,
Distinguished Guests,
Representatives of Government Departments present,
Ladies and Gentlemen
The Sunday Times of 3 November 2002 carried an article about a pensioner in Pietermaritzburg who died in a queue waiting for his pension payout. The deceased was a TB sufferer who had travelled 16 km overnight in order to secure a place in the queue that would enable him to get his pension the next day. His wife, for fear of losing her place in the queue, watched over him for more than two hours before his body was removed. According to the Department for Social Development many pensioners, especially in deep rural areas, refuse to get their pensions through the banks or post offices or to nominate their relatives to receive the payouts on their behalf. We all know that many more pensioners are regularly ripped off their meagre earnings by unscrupulous officials, relatives and business people.
You are perhaps already wondering about the relevance of these events to this gathering. Many of the senior citizens affected in this manner are those that lack the very basic functional literacy skills. They do not understand how a simple savings account works, they are unable to read or write, let alone operate an ATM card. According to the 1996 census, 4 million of our citizens who are 15 years and above have never been to school. Another 3.5 million have some primary education but for lack of application, they have lost some of their learnt skills.
The improvement of education levels generally empowers a nation to raise its living standards by enabling the majority of its citizens to participate in profitable economic activities. It also provides a sustainable way of addressing social problems such as crime and violence. As long as we do not prioritise the improvement of our knowledge base and skills, we will continue to be exploited by other nations that have woken up to the importance of developing their human capital.
The South African Literacy Initiative is a five-year programme of the Department of Education to provide non-formal basic literacy education for adults who have never been to school. Its aim is to deliver programmes that are relevant to the learners' needs while concentrating on mother tongue literacy, numeracy and the language of local economy, which is often English and Afrikaans. Unlike ABET, SANLI is not qualification driven, but is "Volunteer" based and mobilises organisations in civil society, government, business and non-governmental sectors and society at large to support the programme. SANLI is not directly involved in the delivery of basic literacy but utilises a series of interrelated networks.
Because of the scale of the proposed outreach programme, it became imperative for SANLI to establish strategic partnerships with training providers to assist with the training, monitoring and support of volunteer educators. In addition, SANLI needed to broaden its partnerships to include institutions with expertise and resources to inform and support its strategy. As a consequence, SANLI created joint ventures with various organisations and higher education institutions that had a focus on adult education to enable the literacy initiative to access resources, knowledge and skills that are important to the success of the project.
Our relationship with the Unisa ABET Institute, which has been made possible largely by the funding received from the British Department for International Development, has added an enormous impetus to the work of SANLI. Through this partnership we expect to develop a model of delivery that is decentralised, involves a large-scale delivery of literacy classes in rural and peri-urban areas with minimal support to the learning sites by the implementing agencies. Central to this model is the question of affordability because SANLI is operating under serious budgetary constraints. This partnership is a mutually beneficial undertaking since the ABET institute is also aiming to utilise its existing large numbers of trained educators who were without employment. Unisa and the ABET Institute also perceive this project as their contribution towards the national Poverty Relief strategy and the improvement of the literacy levels for the affected citizenry. Amongst the resources that the Unisa ABET Institute brought to the partnership was its database of approximately 25 000 adult education graduates it had trained over the past six years. Volunteer educators were recruited from this database. The Institute also provided the academic know-how and the ability to manage a large-scale national project.
We understand that the British DfID grant secured the procurement of the learner support materials for 75 000 learners, which comprised the required stationery, distribution of materials, administration, advocacy, evaluation and the payment of stipends for volunteers, monitors and coordinators at a total cost of R350 per learner. We are truly grateful that the DfID is also prepared to extend this sponsorship to accommodate a further 25 000 learners.
In terms of the partnership, the Institute undertook to recruit and orientate from among its unemployed graduates 2 500 volunteer educators; recruit 75 000 learners; identify learning sites; provide appropriate learner support materials and stationery as determined by SANLI; distribute materials to learners at their learning sites; support and monitor volunteers; and mobilise communities. We learn that the project has been able to meet and exceed the targets set between the Institute and SANLI and that this is the biggest ever ABET/Literacy initiative to be delivered for this country. We would like to express our sincere appreciation to the sponsors. We are hopeful that the learners that have graduated from this project will be able to join the existing ABET classes that are taking place nationally to further their literacy skills.
The successful implementation of any educational programme rests squarely upon the quality of the teachers delivering the learning programmes. We are informed that many of the volunteer educators on the SANLI - Unisa literacy programme possess more than one higher education qualification. While government, donors and other role players can provide resources to kick-start the programmes and improve the conditions in the learning environment, it is the teachers who must achieve the objectives of the course and ensure that the needs of the learners are met. The volunteer educators on the Unisa - SANLI programme are sufficiently trained and qualified to deliver the quality of lessons that would enhance the knowledge base and lives of the learners. We understand that some of the teachers on this programme were able to motivate their learners to utilise their acquired literacy skills to initiate income generating or self-help projects.
Funding remains the biggest challenge for SANLI. Provinces need funding for programme delivery, that is, educator training, support and stipends, learner support materials and educator materials. The approach adopted by provinces is to utilise their internal funding and elicit additional contribution in-kind in the form of learning spaces from non-governmental and community based organisations. Other sources of funding are provided by the National Department of Education from special allocations such as Conditional Grants and external donor funding. But we are still falling far too short of the resources required to tackle the backlog in a meaningful way.
We believe that the development of the literacy of our citizenry should form a component of all social development programmes and we urge all role players to provide literacy classes within their organisations. We are likely to achieve greater results if communities, NGOs, civic and religious organisations, business, labour and other state departments and agencies take the lead to actively support this initiative as the programme is mainly targeting women and youth in rural and peri-urban areas who are in conditions of abject poverty. It is therefore necessary for literacy for livelihood and empowerment, to be a dominant theme of the literacy programme. Targeted provision of literacy classes for specialised groups is also very difficult as relevant centres to cater for such groups are not readily available in the areas earmarked for the literacy programme. Hence, NGOs and CBOs located in rural and peri-urban areas are key partners in delivering and supporting the literacy units. The support provided by NGOs that are very far from the area they are supporting makes the programme to be very costly.
In closing, we also wish to encourage organisations to use all official languages to communicate essential information on salary slips, job application forms, bank statements, pension benefits and other services that are required by their employees and clients. This would not only obviate the need for the use of third parties to assist those with rudimentary literacy skills, but would greatly reduce the defrauding of such people and enhance their confidence. As a country we need to move speedily towards empowering those with low literacy skills so as to reinforce the application of the learnt skills.
Once again we wish to commend and congratulate the Unisa ABET Institute for the wonderful work they are doing in assisting the department in its endeavour to fight against illiteracy in this country. We truly appreciate all the financial assistance we have received from our donors for this venture. Without generous sponsorships from overseas donors such as the British DfID, our dream of realising our objectives in this regard would remain a remote possibility.
I thank you.
Issued by Ministry of Education
14 November 2002
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