Zuma jeered at Youth Day rally

EDUCATION is the most powerful weapon towards economic freedom, President Jacob Zuma told schoolchildren bussed in from North West.

Earlier, Zuma was heckled as he started his speech by a group of people chanting “Zuma must fall” . The group was later removed from the sports ground in Tshing in Ventersdorp.

“Government has taken reasonable and practical measures in ensuring that young people are enrolled in schools and study in decent schools and not mud schools and other inappropriate structures, Zuma said at the main Youth Day commemoration.

“Through the Education Infrastructure Grant and the Accelerated Schools Infrastructure Delivery Initiative, more new schools have been built, refurbishments made and new school furniture delivered.”

He said in the current financial year, R12 billion had been allocated to improve schools infrastructure needs.

“Many learners come from poor homes where they go to school without having had something to eat. It is for this reason that we started the national school nutrition programme, which benefits nine million learners from 21 000 schools per day to improve their performance in class. For the current financial year, government will spend some R6.8bn on the nutrition scheme.”

Zuma said the government wanted youth to access higher education regardless of the economic status of their families. “Since its inception, the National Student Financial Aid Scheme has disbursed more than R72bn rand in loans and bursaries to students from poor households.” – ANA