Johannesburg - The government has made significant progress in education and health in its current term, Home Affairs Minister Naledi Pandor said on Friday.
“The basic education sector has performed well during this term of governance. Participation rates in compulsory education have greatly improved,” she said in a speech prepared for delivery.
“In our evaluation of progress, it is encouraging that the education sector has been able to complete its mandate, except the first priority which is teachers in class, on time, teaching using textbooks and programmed lesson plans.”
In her role as chair of the ANC national executive committee sub-committee on education and health at the SA Medical Association (SAMA) congress in Pretoria, Pandor said that certain problems remained.
“Systems have been put in place to deal with these challenges during the current financial year.”
She said the African National Congress-led government had established the department of higher education, which had performed “exceptionally well” during its first term of existence.
Pandor said that in this term of governance the health sector “achieved a lot of successes”.
“The most notable being that it has succeeded to unite all stakeholders behind plans of the ANC to work together towards a better health for all. The animosity that characterised this sector is history,” she said.
“The health sector has done extremely well in its fight against HIV and Aids. This is attributable to South Africa's bold leadership in turning the tide against the HIV and Aids epidemic.”
The fight against tuberculosis still posed a problem.
“The challenge that I put to you, as professionals in the health sector, is that you should contribute positively to eradicate TB from our shores,” Pandor said.
“We must all work together to decrease both the incidence and prevalence of TB in the coming five years of governance.”
She said the health sector was “progressing well” in the implementation of the National Health Insurance (NHI) scheme.
“Good progress has been made in the development of policy, drafting of relevant legislation and implementation of NHI pilots,” Pandor said.
“You (SAMA members) are therefore called upon to be active participants in the realisation of this goal of implementing the NHI for the sake of all our people.”
Sapa