Pretoria - The country's top brass will undertake district based izimbizo to engage citizens on issues in the education sector.
On Saturday, the Deputy Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta), Andries Nel, will visit the Emthonjeni Youth Centre at Bavianspoort Correctional Centre in Pretoria as part of government's Imbizo Programme.
The Deputy Minister will interact with offenders, who are currently studying at the centre.
The Emthonjeni Youth Centre achieved a 100% matric pass rate in the 2016 academic year, making it possible for Correctional Services to achieve an overall matric pass rate of 70.1%.
“It is important for offenders to remain focused amid their circumstances so that they can reach their full potential and achieve the best results possible,” said Cogta in a statement.
The Deputy Minister is expected to encourage offenders to take the opportunity to study seriously. Formal schooling assists offenders to invest their time and energy on educational opportunities, which will give them better chances of escaping unemployment and poverty, which leads to a life of criminality.
Minister in the Presidency for Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation and chairperson of the National Planning Commission, Jeff Radebe, will also lead a National Development Plan (NDP) post-SONA Back-to-School Imbizo in Ntuzuma in KwaZulu-Natal on Saturday.
The NDP envisions a South Africa where everyone has access to education of the highest quality, leading to significantly improved outcomes and a prosperous life.
The attainment of NDP Vision 2030 requires a special focus on quality early childhood development, basic education and higher education and training.
The imbizo seeks to send a clear message that South Africa is serious about education and that it is at the apex of government priorities. - SAnews.gov.za
