Mzansi Today: January 2011

Fellow Democrats,

Greetings and compliments of the new year. I hope you had a well deserved rest and you have recharged your batteries as 2011 promises to be a busy year for the DA and DA Youth. In the run up to the local government elections in or around May, our first task is to encourage young people to register on the weekend of 5 and 6 February. Let’s go out there and ensure that we register as many young people to vote as possible.

Basic Education and Matric Results
Congratulations are in order to all the 2010 matriculants that passed. Gaining the National Senior Certificate is the beginning of a journey rather than the end and I wish them all the best in their future studies. To those that failed, they need to work hard to rectify their mistakes and ensure that they pass when they write their supplementary / part-time exams. There is still much to be done in terms of education, as despite the number of learners who passed grade 12 increasing, the increase in the number of learners qualifying to enroll for a bachelor degree has not significantly grown.

We must encourage learners to focus on and take responsibility for their education. We also all need to work very hard to ensure that the number of learners who pass mathematics, physical sciences and accounting is considerably increased. The last thing we want is to still have schools that fail to pass a single matriculant in democratic South Africa. To this end, the focus needs to be not only on Grade 12, but on the over one million learners who are starting Grade 1 this year, as this is where the foundation for future success is laid. I believe that the formula to education success rests on a learner that is prepared to learn and takes responsibility, supportive parents, a prepared teacher that is in class on time ready to teach, a conducive learning environment and a community that sees education as a priority.

Higher Education
The announcement by the President and the Minister of Higher Education that NSFAS loans for final year students will be converted into bursaries is warmly welcomed by the DA Youth. We believe the initiative will act as an incentive to students to study very hard and perform well knowing that their final year of study will be virtually free. To this end, the DA Youth will be launching a discussion document in the next month detailing how the NSFAS and tertiary education fund should be tackled in a sustainable way.

The recent surge in the number of learners who want to enroll at various universities signals both a positive and a negative. It should be welcomed by all that young people want to obtain university education and are taking responsibility for their futures. It is however worrying that learners don’t see FET college education as a viable option. This is mostly because the FET colleges have been failing to produce graduates that are employable. With an increase in the number of learners who want to acquire tertiary education, we must all work hard to ensure that FET colleges are equipped with capable human resources and equipment.

With a significant number of learners not being able to enroll at universities because of limited space, we must all guard against the proliferation of bogus institutions who see this as an opportunity to gain a quick buck at the expense of our young people. We must all be on the lookout for these criminals and we should report suspect colleges to law enforcement.

As young people we should all lead with the slogan EDUCATION: MY RIGHT, MY RESPONSIBILITY.

If you are not already registered or are no longer living in the area where you cast your vote in the last municipal election in 2006, don’t forget to register to vote in your new area on 5 & 6 February. Please encourage as many other young people to join you as possible.

Regards,

Makashule Gana

Federal DA Youth Leader