Johannesburg -
Great strides have been made in education, but the problems caused by the apartheid system still remain, Unisa council chairman and ANC treasurer Mathews Phosa said on Monday.
“We cannot ignore the devastating effects that the apartheid education system had on our people. We will not achieve any of our goals by looking back. We must look forward, and take full responsibility for the tasks assigned to us by the electorate.”
He was speaking at the Thabo Mbeki African Leadership Institute graduation in Pretoria.
He said these were issues inherent in the educational sphere and the discourse went beyond party politics.
Poverty remained a significant barrier to education.
“According to the SA Human Rights Commission, children in the poorest households are nearly three times less likely to complete secondary schooling, and for those who are able to attend school, the quality of education is not uniform.
“This has the possibility to affect children across the generations,” said Phosa. - Sapa