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Date
: 29/07/2004
Source: Department of Education
Title: N Pandor: Standard Bank Nationwide Financial Literacy
Programme
SPEAKING NOTES, NALEDI PANDOR, MP, MINISTER OF EDUCATION, ON HER
VISIT TO THE STANDARD BANK, 29 July 2004
M Derek Cooper, Chairman of the Standard Bank Group
Mr Jacko Maree, Chief Executive Officer
Directors of Provincial Education Departments
Mr Ricky Buwalda, team leader of the financial literacy
project
Distinguished guests
Even the harshest social critics accept that community partnerships
are the best means of overcoming national development challenges.
One of the greatest challenges we face in South Africa is to ensure
that we determine educational programmes that positively contribute
to the emergence of highly skilled effective social actors. These
could be employers, entrepreneurs, employees or any form of
economically active person. Our challenge is create real learning
opportunities.
The united struggle against apartheid serves as the best example of
how challenges must be confronted. There has to be a joint national
and where necessary, international set of partnerships.
Government is very aware of the importance of entering into
partnerships with the private sector and with civil society
organizations and has advocated collaboration as the route to
enhancing implementation. I have noted the immense value of the
range of educational partnerships that support learning and
teaching.
This launch is a further mark of progress. The ministry is pleased
to learn that the Standard Bank is committing more funds to this
very important and strategic project. This serves as testimony that
for this funder education initiatives are not a mere feel good
exercise, they are a genuine participation in supporting the human
resource skills development activities of South Africa. Consistent
partnership and the further elaboration of collaborative programmes
exemplify the best spirit of corporate social investment.
Some banks and other major corporations in our country are turning
towards the triple bottom line system of management that
encompasses financial, environmental and social equity. In a world
under increasing environmental pressure and in a society like ours
that features stark inequalities it is simply not enough to measure
business success on financial performance only.
The ministry expresses its thanks to the Bank for its commitment to
the further development of the financial literacy project and to
the learnership programmes. I hope these partnerships will play a
strong role in improving our ability to give practical meaning to
the objective of providing a quality education for all. There are
immense challenges in education, successful responses to them will
give South Africa the growth potential that it desires for real
transformation. We can only provide real change by ensuring all our
people have education and training.
I would like to call on those who will have the responsibility of
implementing the project to make sure that it is a success.
Thank you for inviting me to attend this launch and I wish you,
ourselves in education and our partner the Standard Bank, success
in our endeavour to create new and real opportunities for learning
in South Africa.
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