The Mpumalanga MEC for education, Cathy Dlamini, has called on businesses to collaborate with the Department of Education (DoE) to uplift the current education sector and establish state-of-the-art educational facilities, such as the much-anticipated school for learners with disabilities.
She made this call during the Mpumalanga Education Sector Business Breakfast Meeting at Emnotweni Arena in Mbombela on Monday, October 7, with representatives of many businesses in Mpumalanga attending.
Dlamini said the DoE seeks support from the private sector to elevate the standard of learning, e-learning, teaching and infrastructural projects.
“We have a number of programmes that are and have been piloted in the education system, such as robotics and the Ubuhlebuzile e-learning Programme. We need to afford our learners opportunities to compete with their peers in other provinces and even internationally. Since 2022, we are still striving that all Grade 12 learners are provided with tablets to make their learning processes easier. Everyone, including the DoE and the private sector, is affected by the education system, as these learners are the future workforce for business and community builders. Therefore, we need to collaborate to generate funds to respond to the changes of the education sector so that the learners can be skilled.”
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Moreover, she said they want to develop creative and sports hubs. “We need to enhance art talents by having creative hubs and sports academies. We need to incubate and produce our own talents so that the learners don’t have to go to other provinces for opportunities. The DoE has many focus areas that the seventh administration is prioritising. However, we cannot do this alone. We need all the support and partnerships we can get to achieve this,” Dlamini said.
She highlighted some of the plans in the pipeline, such as the development of mining schools that will feed into the mining industry, which is one of Mpumalanga’s biggest industries. Dlamini said her hope is to implement a driving licence programme so matriculants each leave school with one, on top of their National Senior Certificates.
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During the panel and open discussions facilitated by the MC, Mpumi Mbethe, the well-known media personality, the role that businesses can play was discussed. One of the panel members, Dr Nora Fakude, said businesses can go as far as facilitating teacher development programmes and uplifting schools and surrounding infrastructures overall, improving access to education.
Other members of the panel were the head of the DoE, Lucy Moyane, and the academic and politician, Prof Mary Metcalfe.
