More than R600 000 raised for Teacher Development in the Northern Cape
The MEC for Education in the Northern Cape, Mr. Mac Jack hosted an Education Business Breakfast today at the Flamingo Casino which was attended by various social partners in the education sector. The Northern Cape Department of Education has always worked and continues to work with the private sector and education institutions to improve the quality of education.
Government initiated several interventions to support the transformation and growth in the education system. In more recent years, there is much greater reliance on the private sector to contribute to research, interventions, monitoring and evaluation initiatives in the education sector, mainly through corporate social investment (CSI) initiatives.
MEC Mac Jack said: “The reason why you are all called here to come and listen to us, it’s because Teachers Awards is an important programme in the calendar of the Department of Education, in an endeavour to converge on the celebration of the exploits of our teachers, and we have a seriously limited coffers to make the Teacher Awards a success in the Province.
The 20th Provincial Teachers’ Awards that will take on the 5th of October 2019 will recognise the significance and magnanimity of our teachers. The National Teachers’ Awards are part and parcel of the Department of Education programme on Teacher Appreciation and Support (TASP) which is aimed at ensuring that the celebration of teachers is not a once off event.
You re brought here as reliable social compact partners of the Department of Education that have social responsibility of ploughing back to communities without having any expectation in return. We therefore want to encourage all of you to plough back to the community through education, mainly today by dedicating your efforts in working with us to ensure that we recognize efforts of hard working teachers”.
South Africa is an exceptional case study with regards to the private sector’s engagement in the education sector. This has deep historical roots and is linked to the role education plays in South Africa’s economic, social and political transformation, and in providing the critical skills needed for the country’s economic growth. Numerous public–private partnerships have been established over the years to address the weak schooling system.
With the support of our social partners, we were able to raise more than R600 000 which will among others be utilised for the Provincial Teaching Awards and for Teacher Development initiatives to ensure that teachers are at the cutting edge of the education sector as we prepare learners for the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
Education is as a societal matter, and through these public –private partnerships we can indeed take the education system in the Northern Cape to greater heights.
End.