Die Wes-Kaapse Regering is daartoe verbind om ons kinders van die beste moontlike onderrig te voorsien ten einde hulle toe te rus om met die beste in die wêreld mee te ding. Geen seun of dogter van die Wes-Kaap behoort ooit nodig te hê om die waarde van hulle onderrig te bevraagteken nie - die enigste grense aan die ambisies van ons kinders behoort die grense van hulle drome te wees.

We believe that the success of our children depends on a dynamic, enthusiastic, and informed teaching corps. Our province is greatly blessed with a group of about 29 500 dedicated teachers, who are as committed to the success of our children as we are ourselves. On a daily basis these men and women serve our future as they serve our schools - often making personal sacrifices to ensure that their students receive the best education that they can provide.

We also know however, that in previous years, especially before 1994, the teacher training programmes in many of our communities were inadequate, and as a consequence there are teachers who lack the tools to offer the best training to our children, who are often themselves from disadvantaged backgrounds. I am very proud therefore to tonight announce the official launch of the new Cape Teaching Institute for in-service teacher training - the culmination of months of planning and hard work by Minister André Gaum and his Department.

Background on the Institute

Hoewel indiensopleiding vir onderwysers nie nuut is in die Wes-Kaap nie, is kursusse al in die verlede oor naweke of in die namiddae aangebied. Dit het egter nie die gewenste resultate gehad het nie. Om hierdie rede sal die Instituut intensiewe residensiële kursusse van tussen 8 en 12 weke aanbied vir groepe van 100 onderwysers op 'n slag. Die eerste 50 onderwysers is reeds gekeur vanuit 28 skole en het reeds met hulle kursusse begin - met so min as moontlik ontwrigting vir hulle gereelde klasse, deur van substituut-onderwysers gebruik te maak vir die duur van die kursus.

The Institute is the result of our ambition to further professionalise our Education Department and to empower the teachers of the Western Cape with the skills and competencies necessary to make our children globally competitive through education of the highest quality. For this to be realised, we know that the fields of mathematics, science, reading, and writing are key - and these fields will be the core focus areas of the Institute. These teachers will also be the first to be trained in the new curriculum.

The Institute

The facility in Kuils River is purpose-built - with lecture rooms and small breakaway classrooms. There are computer facilities, a well-equipped library and hostel facilities for the residential courses which will be offered.

Ons navorsing het getoon dat daar drie gebiede bestaan wat dringende aandag van die Instituut vereis - inhoudskennis, organisatoriese- en bestuursvaardighede, en onderwys- en evalueringstrategieë. Die Wes-Kaapse Onderwysdepartement het 'n konsortium aangewys van die Universiteite van Kaapstad en Stellenbosch om die opleiding te verskaf - in noue samewerking met die Departement se kurrikulum-adviseurs. Kundiges in hulle velde sal verseker dat die Instituut werklik wêreldklas opleiding bied aan al ons onderwysers.

Die resultate van die Instituut in terme van sy impak op onderwysers en leerders sal voortdurend geëvalueer word. Voortdurende steun sal gebied word deur die Kurrikulum-Adviseurs van die Onderwys-Bestuurs- en Ontwikkelingsentra (OBOS), en leerders sal in 2004 getoets word om te meet hoe effektief die Instituut was.

Other Education Initiatives

As impressive as the Institute promises to be, it is but one of a range of education initiatives which the Western Cape is currently working on to further improve the quality of schooling in our province:

At the end of July we launched the Partnerships for Progress initiative to link different schools with different strengths and weaknesses in a relationship which will benefit the schools and improve learning, whilst also fostering nation-building. This model has already begun to bear fruits in the first schools which have adopted it - and it has great potential to be a bridge - by giving educators, learners, and parent communities an opportunity to be exposed to different perspectives, and fresh learning and teaching styles.

We also plan to create a new Maths, Science, and Technology Academy which is presently targeted to be launched in January next year. The plan is to convert the Constantia Boys School into the Academy which will identify talented young mathematicians and scientists in poor communities and offer them a chance to fulfil their potential in these subjects in a world-class facility specially designed to meet their needs. The plan is to initially open the Academy to Grade 10 learners, and subject to receiving the necessary financial support, to open the Academy within three years for Grades 10, 11 and 12. The academy will also provide facilities which can be used after school hours, on weekends, and during holidays for other educational programmes like adult education and training.

Other planned initiatives include a Mentorship and Curatorship Programme to foster leadership skills in schools, curriculum interventions like our new Reading Schools Campaign, and 'eLearning Programmes' like the Khanya Technology in Education Project, the Telecommunications Project to link almost every school in the province to the internet by the end of the year, and the 'Dassie' Project to use information technology to improve vocational and technical training in our Further Education and Training Institutions (formerly known as technical colleges).

The Learning Cape

Onderrig, opleiding en 'n lewenslange leerproses is belangrike prioriteite vir ons Regering. Die "Leergierige Kaap"-fees wat sedert die begin van Augustus aan die gang is, is beide 'n viering van die uitstekende werk wat gedoen is om onderrig in die Wes-Kaap te verbeter, en 'n geleentheid om die aandag te vestig op die werk wat ons nog moet doen om effektiewe onderrig vir al ons mense te verseker. Die nuwe Instituut en al ons ander programme en inisiatiewe vorm deel van hierdie proses - om ons provinsie 'n "Leergierige Kaap" te maak met Wêreldklas-onderrig en 'n Wêreldklas-toekoms.

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