Pretoria - Government has unveiled plans to get more than 200 000 children between the ages of seven and 15 to school by 2014.
President Jacob Zuma, speaking after a mid-year Cabinet Lekgotla on Thursday, said the plan will be achieved by increasing the number of no-fee schools while widening feeding schemes to assist children from poor families.
"There will also be a drive to ensure that teachers are in class, teaching for the allocated school time. The delivery agreements have been negotiated with all the key stakeholders including provincial education departments and the trade unions," Zuma said.
He said the Lekgotla, which was attended by Cabinet members, Premiers and MECs, agreed that to improve the quality of basic education, there was a need for a focus on the quality of teaching to improve results.
"In order to achieve this we will be providing all schools with appropriate learner and teacher support material such as lesson plans, work books, and textbooks to ensure proper coverage of the curriculum," said Zuma.
Meanwhile, health authorities have reached about 90 percent of children under the age of five for polio immunisation across the country while 95 percent between the ages six months and 14 years have been immunised for measles.
