Premier Noxolo Kiviet
The Minister of Basic Education, Mme Angie Motshekga,
Deputy Minister of Science and Technology, Mr Mike Masutha,
MEC of Basic Education Mr Makupula and all MECs present,
Mayors and all representatives of local government,
Your Majesty King Ndamase and all traditional leaders,
CEO of Nedbank
Members of the school governing body,
School principal, teachers and all learners,
Mphakathi wase- Libode and surroundings,

Molweni,

We are happy to be with you here today to open this beautiful new school.

It is an excellent start to the school year for our children to be able to move from a mud school to this beautiful modern school that promotes their dignity and self-esteem.

We are aware that quality learning and teaching must happen in a conducive environment. 

This is why government is eradicating mud schools and building new modern schools.

Ngidini Primary is one of those schools that were earmarked for for upgrading as part of the Accelerated School Infrastructure Delivery Initiative.

Government has spent R1,2 billion thus far on the Accelerated School Infrastructure Delivery Initiative (ASIDI) programme alone and we have created over 6700 jobs in the rural areas directly as a result of this programme. 

To date, we have completed 44 schools in the Eastern Cape and have already started work on a further 160 schools in the province as we continue to replace mud schools. 

It is not just mud schools that we are replacing. In the Western Cape, for example, the national government is building 25 schools to replace unsafe plankie and asbestos prefabricated schools. 

The numbers are even higher for water, sanitation and electrification of schools in this programme. Nationwide, we have delivered water to 203 schools, sanitation to 226 schools and electricity to 150 schools. 

It pains us to see children being taught in dilapidated schools with no toilets, water or electricity, which is why this will be an ongoing programme to replace all inappropriate schools, no matter how long it takes us to do so. 

Our children deserve only the best. They are our future.

We truly appreciate the contribution of the private sector in advancing education and skills development. Let me acknowledge the partnership with Nedbank on the back to school campaign and for the material support to Ngidini Primary. 

Such partnerships can only take us forward in promoting education and advancing towards prosperity for all in our country.

When we declared education to be an apex priority in 2009, we did so with good reason. Education is the foundation of all success.  

As our global icon President Nelson Mandela told us, education is the most powerful weapon one can use to change the world. Madiba also stated in his timeless statement from the dock during the Rivonia Trial on education and skills development that;
 
“There are two ways to break out of poverty. The first is by formal education, and the second is by the worker acquiring a greater skill at his work and thus higher wages".

We have thus invested in improving the quality of education and education facilities to ensure that this powerful weapon can be sharpened to help us build a prosperous society.

Progress is being made with the support of parents, communities and the private sector amongst key partners. This partnership is yielding tangible results.

We are very pleased that pre-school education has expanded. The number of Grade R learners has increased from 300,000 in 2003 to 780,000 in 2013.  

As you would have heard, as government we are now looking at adding two more pre-school years to build on this success and give our children a good foundation.

The number of learners who passed matric increased from 50% before 1994 to around 78% today. This gradual increase from 2009 arises from intensive investment of time and effort in improving education.

We are gradually introducing free education for all. Thus, in the last 5 years, over seven million learners are in no fee schools, up from five million in 2009. 

Over nine million children from poor homes in 20,000 schools receive daily meals to ensure that they are able to listen and learn productively.

Teacher education has also been expanded, with the number of new teacher graduates doubling from 6,000 in 2009 to 13,000 in 2012. We need more qualified teachers to ensure better education outcomes.

We thank all teachers and parents for the hard work that has ensured these successes.

Ladies and gentlemen

As you know last year we launched the health in schools programme as healthy children will learn better.

Children are immunized against diseases and also taught basic hygiene and the prevention of serious infections including HIV. 

This is a very important investment in child development.

I am happy to announce that from this year, we will introduce immunisation against the Human Papiloma Virus (HPV), which is the virus that causes the cancer of the cervix.
 
Cancer of the cervix is the commonest cancer diagnosed in women in South Africa. Estimates indicate that there are 16 million women over the age of 15 years who are at risk of cervical cancer.

There are more than 5000 cases per year in South Africa and around 3000 deaths from this cancer and black women carry the heaviest burden of the disease.
 
The introduction of HPV vaccine is a significant public health milestone for South Africa. It is expected to significantly contribute to the control of the cancer and reduce associated deaths within the next 2 to 3 decades.

We will target girls between 9 and 12 years of age, through the Integrated School Health Programme. 

The Departments of Basic Education and Health will work closely together in this national programme to protect our girls from this disease.

Vaccination teams from the Department of health will visit schools twice a year to ensure that each girl-child receives two doses of the HPV vaccine. We urge parents to cooperate with us and help us succeed in fighting cervical cancer.

In conclusion, let me remind all our schools of the non-negotiables in education.

All should be in school, in class, on time, teaching and learning for at least seven hours a day. The Department of Basic Education will ensure that each school has the tools to ensure learning and teaching.

If we stick to those rules, we will continue to succeed in ensuring quality education. 

Let us work together to make our schools happy, safe and productive environments for our children.

Ladies and gentlemen

Congratulations to the teachers and learners of Ngidini Primary School.
 
We wish you many many years of success!

I thank you.