Date: 30/10/2006
Source: Department of Education
Title: Pandor: Outstanding teachers' brunch


Speaking notes, Minister of Education, Ms Naledi Pandor, MP, at a brunch for serving and retired teachers, Mount Nelson Hotel, Cape Town

1. Committed and inspiring teachers make the difference between success and failure.

2. Schools that offer real education opportunity give children and parents hope for a new future.

3. The critical learning areas of Science, Mathematics and Technology continue to present significant system challenges. We need to make better use of successful teachers in these fields and to use their experience to expand access and success.

4. The advent of democracy appears to have created new 'morality' gaps in our system. Issues of discipline, violence and abuse in our schools are a feature of education that requires our collective will and resolve.

5. The research finding on poor literacy levels at primary school indicate a need to support teachers in teaching these skills. We spoke two years ago about the role former teachers could play in mentorship and teacher development. The example of MMsimang who still teaches reading to children in Soweto at the age of 74 is a wonderful example to all of us.

6. How do we maximally use the intellectual strength and education leadership gathered here today to infuse success and positive values in our education system?

7. The partnerships between schools that are exemplified by Mr Riba's efforts in Watville may be a model we should consider.

8. You are retired and senior educators today, what are your observations on education today?

9. We hope our interaction will encourage you to take a deeper interest in education matters. Perhaps you along with structures such as unions and civic organisations could constitute local education committees that could begin by assessing education progress and performance in each community and then present its recommendations and findings to the district, provincial and national education offices.

10. The education sector has identified a number of priorities that require dedicated attention. Six stand out as key areas for action:
i) infrastructure for schooling
ii) improving performance in Maths and Science
iii) building a viable institutional platform for skills development in South Africa. Re-capitalising Further Education and Training (FET) Colleges
iv) promoting quality in all the various parts of the system especially quality literacy and numeracy at primary school level
v) expanding opportunities for Early Childhood Development (ECD) and Adult Basic Education and Training (ABET)
vi) transforming and restructuring higher education so that it supports South Africa in its attempt to become a modern, developed and thriving country and society.

These are the key challenges among many that I have not referred to. How do we get there? What does your experience suggest we do?

Issued by: Department of Education
30 October 2006