Baxolile ‘Bax’ Nodada

Dear MyPE According to the Department of Basic Education and Basic Education Minister, Angie Motshekga, the Matric pass rate for 2020 is 76.2%. While the Democratic Alliance (DA) congratulates every Matric from the class of 2020 who have passed after the incredible difficult year they had and commiserates with those who were not successful this time around, the Minister surely cannot hope to get away with this subterfuge. The fact of the matter is that the real Matric pass rate is … [Read more...] about #Matric2021: The real pass rate is 44.1%

Dear MyPE The Democratic Alliance (DA) calls on the Department of Basic Education (DBE) to engage with the Department of Health to release a clear and succinct plan on what the vaccination process for teachers will look like as a matter of urgency. We are seeking a comprehensive timeline for these vaccinations as it is becoming clear that teachers are increasingly under threat due to the Covid-19 virus as number of teachers have already passed away since the beginning of the pandemic last … [Read more...] about DBE to release clear and succinct plan on teacher vaccination

Dear MyPE The Democratic Alliance (DA) does not support the announcement by the Minister of Basic Education, Angie Motshekga, that the reopening of schools has been pushed back by two weeks to mid-February 2021, and which has left more questions than answers, including when regulations regarding the reopening would be published. We strongly believe that the health and safety of learners and teachers should be prioritized, however, we do not believe delaying the start of the academic year … [Read more...] about February school reopening not in the best interest of learners, health experts must brief Basic Education Committee

Dear MyPE The Democratic Alliance (DA) has taken note of Basic Education Minister, Angie Motshekga’s briefing taking place tomorrow in light of swirling rumors and reports suggesting that the government may consider pushing back the reopening of schools. While we are pleased by the Minister’s imminent address, the DA calls for an urgent meeting of the Portfolio Committee on Basic Education to be briefed by relevant health experts and the Departments of Basic Education and Health on the … [Read more...] about Pushing back the reopening of schools would not be wise

Dear MyPE The Democratic Alliance (DA) calls on the Minister of Basic Education, Angie Motshekga to provide clarity on reports doing the rounds that the government is considering pushing the reopening of schools to mid-February rather than the originally scheduled date of 27 January 2021. We do not support such a delay as this will likely do more harm than good and will only lead to schools being subjected to the same chaos that they were subjected to during the 2020 academic year. The … [Read more...] about Possible delay in school reopening

Dear MyPE The judgment of the Gauteng High Court paints a damning picture of the incompetence of the Department of Basic Education (DBE). The court has decided that the decision that Matrics should rewrite the Mathematics Paper 2 and Physical Science Paper 2 on 15th and 17th December should be set aside. The Democratic Alliance (DA) calls on the DBE to respect and abide by the Court’s decision. This will avoid any further delays and disruptions to the 2020 academic year. The Court has … [Read more...] about DBE’s incompetence places the exam results of 2020 Matrics at risk

Dear MyPE Several thousand households in the rural areas of the Alfred Nzo District Municipality (ANDM) are at risk due to not having clean drinking water and making use of dirty streams, also used by animals and for the washing of clothes, as their only water option. This after the water tanks promised to them by the Minister of Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation, Lindiwe Sisulu, proved to be yet another failure during a time that proper drinking water and sanitation are … [Read more...] about Minister Sisulu must account for Alfred Nzo Watertank Scandal as Coronavirus spreads

Dear MyPE Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Higher Education, Science & Technology is expected to adopt a draft Budget Review and Recommendation report by all entities in the Ministry including the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS), despite failing to table its annual report for the 2018/19 financial year. NSFAS is one of the entities that has failed to produce audited annual reports to the Auditor-General (A-G) or Parliament by the required legal deadline. This means … [Read more...] about NSFAS fails to account for the R30 billion meant for poor students