Dept alarmed by kids not going to school

ocracy, we have ensured that every child has access to basic education, as it is their constitutional right,” Van der Merwe pointed out.

Decent

“More than 80 percent of our schools are no-fee schools, more than 260 000 pupils receive a decent meal daily, pupils are educated in a language of their choice and more than 24 000 pupils who stay in excess of five kilometres from the nearest school are transported to and from school on a daily basis. So, there is no reason why children should not be attending school. These are some of the interven- tions we have introduced to ensure that children attend school and get educated.”

Van der Merwe added that education, however, was a societal matter which required “all hands on deck from all stakeholders”.

“Parents have the fundamental responsibility to ensure that their children attend school daily, arrive on time and do their homework. Discipline begins at home and these are the values and norms that must be instilled in our children from a very early age. We urge the public at large to come forward if you know of any child of a school going age staying at home or where parents fail in their responsibility to get their child educated.

“The saying ‘it takes a village to raise a child’ has a clear message that the whole community has an essential role to play in the growth and development of young people.

Responsibility

“In addition to the vital role that parents and family members play in a child’s education, the broader community too has a responsibility to ensure access to high-quality education for all.”

Van der Merwe said that the education system was available and accessible to all who live in South Africa.

“All communities should value education for their children. Families have either the power to take command and work towards the well-being of their children or remain powerless and leave their children worse off. Education as a public good, therefore, must not be only valued by the community but must be advanced and protected or preserved to ensure a better future for all.”

He concluded that the department would analyse the statistics released by Stats SA for further action and to determine hot-spot areas for immediate intervention.