Mpumalanga is one of the leading provinces with illiteracy rate in South Africa, yet the Provincial Department of Education (MDE) decided to slash the Learner Teacher Supply Materials (LTSM) budget with 47%.
The highest illiteracy rate is observed in the Eastern Cape at 15.2% followed by Mpumalanga at 14.7%, and Limpopo 14.1%.
This is the reality of the youth of Mpumalanga who endured years of overcrowded classrooms or no classroom, little to no textbooks, inadequate sanitation, no indoor or outdoor play equipment.
The question is: what is this Provincial Government doing to resolve this crisis?
Education MEC, Bonakele Majuba, and his department know very well that more needs to be done to address the illiteracy crises, yet they took a decision to slash the LTSM budget with 47%.
Therefore, majority of schools will not receive textbooks, instead the department is now selling the E-Learning concept where schools are expected to print reading and learning materials without the necessary capability to do so.
Mpumalanga might become the leading province with illiteracy if you take into consideration that 77% of their budget goes to the cost of employees, and they still have a 43.8% administration vacancy rate and 11.2% teacher vacancy rate. This could result in inadequate funds to educate learners once they have filled all their vacancies.
Solutions the MDE can apply to address the illiteracy crisis is:
- Focus on improving learner retention and ensure that they are supported from the time they start school to when they complete Grade 12.
- Find a way of tracking the learners who drop out from school.
- Deploy qualified teachers and supply proper and adequate Learner Teacher Supply Materials (LTSM).
- Improve school facilities to prevent overcrowding in the classroom.
- Consider introducing mother-tongue as a language of instruction in schools catering for the previously disadvantaged communities.
The DA is committed to ensure adequate literacy for the future leaders in this province.