THERE is a misplaced misconception that the objective of the K53 Learner Driver Programme is to provide driver’s licenses to learners.
The Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) wants to put the record straight with respect to the programme. It, in fact, aims to empower learners in Grade 11 to obtain K53 learner driver license at no cost to the learner or their parents.
Ultimately, the responsibility to register for and obtain driver licenses rests with the learner. The project assisted learners by providing a learners license free of charge.
The project is a joint initiative between the Gauteng Department of Education and the Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport. The main objective is to develop learners and provide them with critical life skills as part of youth empowerment. It also aimed at promoting road safety and awareness among Grade 11 learners.
The notable achievements of the programme to date include:
• 222 certified instructors have been employed and dispatched to different schools to conduct necessary training and assist learners to write learner licenses tests at different testing stations.
• 20 000 Grade 11 learners have been trained on the K53 Driver Instructor Programme and about 2 000 were tested for learner licenses.
Against this background, it important to emphasise that the outcome of the programme was to ensure that Grade 11 learners obtain learner driver license and not driver’s licenses. It is incumbent upon the learner to apply for a drivers’ license as soon as they obtain a learner’s license.
MEC Panyaza Lesufi said: “We did not promise to offer driver’s licenses to learners. We committed to assisassistinge 11 learners to attain learner licenses in all non-fee paying schools in Gauteng”.
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