Ms Angie Motshekga, Minister of Basic Education, Republic of South Africa

Presenting the Foreword for a reputable insitution, of the calibre of Kagiso Trust, is a vital gesture.  Through admirable work, in the field of Education, organisations such as Kagiso Trust, remind us of the urgent need to deliver on the top apex priority of the South African government, that is, the provision of quality education to all our citizens, regardless of race, gender, class, age and other marginilizing notions of difference.

The Freedom Charter document, adopted in Kliptown, 55 years ago, and seen, by many, as the basis of The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996, has indeed provided us with an essential road map towards a transformed education system geared to deliver, to all our people, access to quality education.

It has declared, catergorically, under the clause, The Doors of Learning and Culture shall be opened!, that: “The aim of education shall be to teach the youth to love their people and culture, to honour human brotherhood, liberty and peace; Education shall be free, compulsory, universal and equal for all children.”

With the advent of democracy, heralded by the release of former President Nelson Mandela from prison, 20 years ago, on 11 February 1990, the African National Congress-led government and its partners have made great strides in the provision of universal access to basic education for all, and thus, have taken us closer to the vision articulated by the Freedom Charter.

Kagiso Trust is one of those principal entities sharing the pride of place in our list of key partners and stakeholders, committed, without question, to the education of the African child, and by extension, to the building of a peaceful, prosperous and democratic South Africa.

Having inherited an education system, engineered over decades, on the principles of racial inequality and social exclusion, our achievements to date did not come, and could not have come, without formidale challenges.

Among others, we are administering one of the fastest growing national education systems in the world, with school enrolements rising from around 30 percent, in 1970, to nearly universal access at primary level. An addition to this objective challenge, is the need to reinforce teacher development and school management, and, urgently, reverse the tide of illiteracy and low levels of numeracy.

Inability to transcend these challenges may impact negatively on our resolve to provide quality teaching and learning.  It is for these reasons, that we have articulated, in the Strategic Plan: 2010-2013 of the Department of Basic Education, the over-arching goal of improving our learning outcomes.  Among other targets, we have comitted to having 175 000 learners – up from the current 105 000 – passing their national examinations, and qualifying to enter a Bachelor’s programme at a university, by 2014.

Clearly, this scenario is painted with the express aim of showing the role that must be played by all participants, including basic education stakeholders, in the creation of a climate conducive to quality teaching and learning.  Our efforts have been reinforced by other initiatives, including those of Kagiso Trust.  We therefore appreciate, most warmly, the infrastructure programme that has been one of Kagiso Trust’s focus areas.

Kagiso Trust’s is one of our key partners in several provinces.  It has worked with local Departments of Basic Education in improving the culture of learning and teaching.  In this regard, the performance of schools that have been impacted by the Beyers Naude Schools Development Programme, against provincial and national averages, and even against their own performance history, has certaily been noted.

To its credit, Kagiso Trust has developed a remarkable schools improvement programme aimed at assisting schools in tackling relationships that impact adversely on performance.  The programme also supports curriculum delivery in the critical areas of mathematics and science, through the deployment of skilled trainers into schools.

What is probably the highlight of Kagiso Trust’s programme is the rewards system it uses to motivate consistently well performing schools.  Kagiso Trust, through this innovative programme, rewards participating schools, by building, or renovating, science laboratories, computer centres and libraries.

I am grateful to the provinces that have capitalized on the partnership with Kagiso Trust.  We trust that other provinces may also benefit from similar endeavours.

Our message is clear and simple: Working together we can do more to open “the doors of learning and culture.” Accordingly, all stakeholders in education, including educators, learners, parents, business, government and Non-Governmental Organisations, must join forces effectively to deliver quality education to all our people.