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Limpopo to focus on education, adult literacy

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 10:03

By Edwin Tshivhidzo

The Limpopo Provincial Government is to increase the number of Adult Basic Education and Training centres by 45 over the next five years.

Premier Cassel Mathale said that education, and especially adult literacy would be a high priority for his government.

“In the next five years, we shall seek to reduce the burden of illiteracy through the enrolment of more learners on the ABET programme in line with the President’s target of 50 percent by 2014,” he said.

Delivering his State of the Province address in Polokwane, Mr Mathale said the provincial government would also rebuild 188 dilapidated schools, upgrade 51 schools and reconstruct 102 damaged schools as part of school infrastructure planning and delivery.

According to the Premier, 109 schools will also be equipped with electricity.

“We will provide 3 200 public schools with computers and further train learners in computer literacy. We will also increase the number of learners to be transported to schools from 12 506 to 15 000,” he said.

He said that he would ensure that the issue of not having enough permanent staff at public schools was attended to.

Two months ago, former President Kgalema Mothlanthe opened four new state-of-the-art schools in the province. The schools were built in partnership with the Department of Education and the Independent Development Trust at a cost of more than R100 million.

The President officially opened the R40 million Savengwena High School in Nwamitwa, just outside Tzaneen as well as two primary schools costing R35 million each in Polokwane.

The schools, among other things, consist of computer centres, science laboratories, home economics centres, libraries and biology laboratories.

- BuaNews