Pretoria – The Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) on Vuwani has welcomed the plans put in place to assist matriculants with preparations for their final year examinations, says the Ministry of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA).
The Ministry on Sunday said plans are in place to have matriculants taken to various locations and centres for their final year examination preparations.
Since the violent protests that left about 27 schools vandalized and torched, including 11 high schools and 16 primary schools, learning and teaching came to a halt in Vuwani and the surrounding areas in the district of Vhembe.
The Ministry said the protests and the subsequent lockdown that included the shutting down of schools deprived about 52 827 leaners from going to school and getting the much needed education.
“Out of this number of learners, 2 600 are matriculants who have since been unable to sit for their half-yearly examinations,” said the Ministry.
According to the Ministry, the IMC welcomes the hard work put in place by the Department of Basic Education (DBE) at national and provincial level, and other stakeholders who made it possible for grade 12 learners to go prepare themselves for final examinations.
“As it was agreed on 31 May 2016 at the meeting between the IMC and His Majesty, King Ramabulana, at his palace in Dzanani, engagements continued to try and find a lasting solution to the challenges in Vuwani.
“Government has also been hard at work engaging internally and externally to find lasting solution in Vuwani. As the IMC we are satisfied with the progress that has been achieved thus far.
“As we have been saying in many occasions, we are still convinced that only through dialogue a conducive environment can be created for normality to return in Vuwani,” said the Ministry.
It said the IMC reiterates that children have a right to education and their future is in parents’ hands. To this effect, said the Ministry, it is important to note that the inclusion in the Bill of Rights has a special section on the rights of the child.
“We therefore once again salute the indomitable spirit of those who continued to strive for calm in Vuwani and those parents who remain concerned and take action to ensure that their children resume schooling,” said the Ministry.
COGTA Minister Des Van Rooyen said: “As the IMC, we still stand ready and willing to continue working tirelessly with all willing partners in an effort to ensure that we bring the situation to normality in Vuwani and all the learners and educators are able to go back to class”.
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