Sebokeng - Gauteng Premier David Makhura says the provincial government is reigniting its focus on education, with special emphasis on schools in townships and special needs education.
“We have built eight special schools that are currently functional and will open a further 18 schools this year,” said Premier David Makhura when delivering his State of the Province Address, in Sebokeng, on Monday.
The province will also establish schools of specialisation to strengthen its skills base in critical areas such as commerce and entrepreneurship; maths, science and technology and other scarce skills.
The province introduced the “classroom of the future” in 2014. More than 850 grade 12 classrooms, 2 098 grade 11 and 42 schools have since been connected to the e-learning system introduced as part of the “classroom of the future” initiative.
The paperless classroom programme has proven to be successful, with the province being among the top three performing provinces in the country for two years running since it was launched.
Premier Makhura said the project, which government will expand, has made learning interesting. Gauteng outperformed the rest of the provinces and produced more than 38 000 bachelor passes in 2015.
“What is particularly unique is the dramatic improvement in the performance of learners from township schools,” the Premier said.
The province currently supports 1.1 million learners in the no-fee schools and 1.3 million learners receive a meal daily.
Gauteng will also intensify the War on Poverty campaign with interventions aimed at over 500 000 of the poorest households in the province. – SAnews.gov.za
