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Date
: 09/10/2006
Source: Department of Education
Title: Pandor: Mondi Education Centre Opening Ceremony
Address by the Minister of Education, Naledi Pandor, MP, at the
official opening of the Mondi Education Centre, Piet Retief
"A new vocational curriculum"
Programme director
Distinguished guests
Ladies and gentlemen
It is an honour and privilege to be invited to the official launch
of the Mondi Education Centre in Piet Retief. I am also pleased to
share this platform with Cyril Ramaphosa, who was instrumental in
drafting our country's constitution that enshrines the fundamental
human rights that all our people now enjoy.
It is our collective responsibility as a country to protect these
enshrined rights and ensure that they are enjoyed by all citizens
of our country. In this regard every citizen of our country must
make a contribution, however small, to education so that we may
build a numerate and literate society.
We must continue to seek ways and continue to devise means so that
the people of our country have access to education that will expand
their opportunities in life, enhance their dignity, and improve
their ability to participate in the economy and democratic life of
the country.
It is against this background that I would like to applaud the
Mondi Group and their associated partners in supporting this
initiative to establish the Mondi Education Centre.
I also want to thank Mondi for their contributions to educational
supplements such as "Read Right" and "Matric Matters" that enhance
the learning opportunities and performance of our learners.
The launch of the Mondi Education Centre takes place at a time when
748 000 Grade 12 learners begin sitting their matric examinations.
Of the 748 000 learners enrolled for Grade 12 examinations, only 48
102 have enrolled for Mathematics High Grade (HG). Six times as
many, 279 000, enrolled for mathematics at Standard Grade (SG)
level.
The numbers are slowly increasing but much more has to be
done.
Numbers passing maths and science on HG and SG 2003 to 2005
Enrolments in mathematics SG demonstrate the potential that exists
amongst our people that needs to be harnessed. Hence, we need to
devise strategies that will encourage the many learners who enrol
at SG to consider HG studies, and provide them with the necessary
support to achieve success. The 400 Dinaledi schools are central to
this strategy and I do hope that Mondi and other donors will assist
the 30 Dinaledi schools in Mpumalanga. The Science and Careers
Centre will certainly be a beacon of support for these
schools.
In January 2007, we will also be introducing a new vocational
curriculum in the Further Education and Training (FET) colleges.
This curriculum provides an alternative pathway that will give
impetus to the skills development revolution we have
launched.
As a fully equipped and sophisticated maths and science facility,
the Mondi Science Career Centre will therefore be ideally
positioned to engage with FET colleges in ensuring that the skills
needed to support provincial and regional economies can be readily
supplied. The Ermelo Campus and the recently opened Sibanethu
Campus of the Gert Sibande FET College, a partner in this project,
can and should be your close allies in the supply of these relevant
skills.
The new vocational programmes that will be offered at the FET
colleges from January 2007 include three engineering programmes and
information technology and computer science. Mathematics is a
compulsory subject in the new national certificate qualification,
while physical science is an optional subject that will be
available to students. Despite the fact that it is optional, it is
our intention to promote the study of physical science at FET
colleges because it is clear that top-end and skilled jobs require
science. However, colleges are not in a position to offer the
subject immediately on a large scale, because colleges historically
did not offer applied or physical sciences and therefore did not
build or equip science laboratories. A collaborative relationship
between the college and this facility can provide a wonderful
opportunity for students at FET colleges to take physical science
almost immediately. This can happen as early as next year!
Centres such as these must work towards dismantling the perception
that science is only for the rich, the clever or the select few.
With the necessary infrastructure and facilities the study of
science becomes a vibrant and exciting sphere of learning and can
open up many career opportunities.
The consequence of this will have magnificent spin-offs for the
local manufacturing sector that includes forestry, wood
manufacture, agriculture and coal mining.
The Centre, in providing career guidance to students, will need to
introduce and support students in the relevant further education
and training opportunities available at sister institutions, so
that they may acquire the skills and knowledge to enable their
participation in the formal economy.
The challenges of globalisation, and the shortage of relevant
skills to compete and sustain our economy in the 21st century,
require that our learners follow careers that will offer them
opportunities. Today, all careers call for basic knowledge in
mathematics and science. On a daily basis we are all forced to make
decisions using our knowledge of mathematics and science. In South
Africa, there is still a shortage of black engineers, scientists
and accountants. The Mondi Education Centre should therefore serve
as an encouragement to young people to observe the benefits of
mathematics and science.
Ladies and gentlemen, the knowledge and skills you are acquiring
now might become outdated relatively quickly. You will also find,
like many others across the world, that regular and secure jobs are
not a feature of the world of work anymore.
For you to succeed and survive in the workplace you continually
need to upgrade your skills and take responsibility for your own
development. Jobs are increasingly evolving to favour those
educated to think critically and those who know how to learn. With
each generation, such workers are more likely to adapt to our
knowledge-driven society than those trained to execute specific
skills.
The old maxim that knowledge is power is now being accompanied by a
realisation that knowledge is money and is therefore a primary
resource. I believe that this Centre will provide opportunities to
acquire the computer skills and other competencies necessary to
participate more meaningfully in society and take greater advantage
of opportunities offered in the world of work.
Internet facilities at this Centre can offer access to a wide range
of information sources and the communication possibilities of
e-mail and instant messaging. Computer literacy can lead not only
to economic and social advantage, but it can also be a potent force
to reinforce inequalities, especially where there is unequal access
to the networks of knowledge and information.
Today, I want to pay tribute to the efforts and contributions that
this community centre will make, not only in ensuring that our
youth are provided with skills that are sorely needed within our
country, but also to the contribution it will make in helping this
community to bridge the "digital divide."
It is efforts such as these that will ensure that our youth,
particularly those who have been marginalised by inadequate
education and training in the past, acquire those skills that will
assist them to function effectively within the ever growing
knowledge society.
It is my deepest wish that this Centre will also offer a valuable
service to those community members in need of safe and supportive
environments for after school and work related studies.
In closing, let me say that I am delighted to have been here not to
implore you to become an active partner with government in
education but to applaud you for taking up this challenge and doing
something about it. May many more companies follow your excellent
example!
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