The national budget speech for 2009 by the Minister of Finance, Mr Trevor Manuel, indicated that education is a priority for government.

Yet, the 2008 matric results spurred concern amongst several stakeholders. Some tertiary institutions even opted to have internal enrolment tests, as they did not have confidence in the matric results.

While the government increased the proportion of no-fee schools from 40% of all public schools in 2008 to 60% this year, the question remains whether children at these schools are equipped with quality education that will enable them to find decent work, and not remain dependent on the state.

According to a 2007 publication by the Department of Education titled National Education Infrastructure Management System (NEIMS), there were 4 046 schools in the country with no source of electricity on or near school premises. The same publication showed that 2 891 schools had no source of water, while 1 318 schools had no toilets on site.

There were 3 387 schools with no laboratory, and 17 081 without computers. Some 19 940 schools did not have libraries; and of the 5 205 schools with libraries, only 1 817 had stock in those libraries.

After completing matric, the options for employment are very limited without further education. According to the South Africa Survey published by the South African Institute of Race Relations, in 2007, 59% of people employed with Grade 8-12 as their highest qualifications earned below R2 500 per month. This is compared with 57% of those employed with a degree or higher qualification earning more than R8 000 per month.

 

Education is a principal factor in the eradication of poverty, and the Municipal Outreach Project aims to combat the challenge of poverty on broader terms to include education.

The project aims to provide extensive research on broad poverty challenges for each of the eight municipalities in the project. Research is published on the project website, www.eumunicipaloutreach.org.za A newsletter is published every Friday, and is e-mailed to municipal councillors and officials, as well as development organisations. A monthly Fast Facts for Local Government (F3LG) is posted to municipalities, and extracts posted on the project website. The annual yearbook of the South African Institute of Race Relations, the South Africa Survey, will be mailed to all project beneficiaries, and extracts will be posted on the project website.

Over the duration of the project, workshops will be held at each of the eight municipalities. The Major Urban Poverty Challenges Identification (MUPCI) workshops will be held during 2009, and will identify specific poverty challenges in each municipality. The Urban Poverty Intervention (UPI) workshops will take place during 2010, and will explore policy interventions appropriate to the challenges identified in the MUPCI workshops. The Anti Poverty Intervention Implementation Proposals (APIIP) workshops will take place in 2011, and will be aimed at identifying the most effective means to implement the policy recommendations.

Municipal councillors and officials, as well as development organisations working within these municipalities, are encouraged to participate in this pioneering initiative to combat poverty in South Africa’s major municipal districts.

-Nthamaga Kgafela