YCLSA+Joe+Slovo+Right+to+Learn+Campaign

PRESS STATEMENT, 09 January 2006
=JOE SLOVO RIGHT TO LEARN CAMPAIGN=

The YCLSA is hereby launching our Joe Slovo’s Right to Learn Campaign, which will be rolled out from tomorrow and will be running throughout the month of January 2007. From 10 January 2007 we will be concentrating on the inland schools, and from 17 January 2007 we will focus on the coastland school reopening.

We are drawing on the success of our last year’s School reopening programme were we visited more than 300 schools together with SADTU, COSAS, ANCYL and SASCO and managed to attend to a variety of problems and drew in participation of provincial and national government in resolving such problems. We will still be working together with these organisations to ensure that we cover as much ground as possible in the New Year.

We are not doing this to replace some of the capable hands in the Provincial and National Department of Education, but will ensure that we complement their work and draw them to trouble-spots were they cannot reach. We will further work with community organisations to ensure that our programme becomes a success.

We are also launching this campaign in light of the increased Matric results last year, of which we take the opportunity to congratulate those who passed and wish them well in the New Year.

Arising from last years’ statistics, only 17% of those who passed managed to further their studies, 3% was absorbed into the labour market and the rest cannot be accounted for. As long as we do not address the problems of unemployment and access to universities, a matric certificate will become meaningless to the thousands of learners who pass every year.

In this regard, we will also be setting up structures in universities and universities of technology to ensure that new students are not financially or academically excluded from learning.

The programme for the YCLSA will be standing on three pillars, which are:


 * Closure of Shebeens located within the vicinity of schools;
 * Ensure the implementation of the NO-FEE SCHOOLS POLICY; and
 * Early Delivery of Learner Support Material to schools.

We will also use the opportunity to have National Committee members and YCLSA cadres to speak to learners and motivate them.


 * On the Closure of Shebeens within the School vicinity.**

Flowing from our Second National Congress resolutions, we will be targeting shebeens located within the vicinity of schools in order to ensure that municipalities and provincial government close them down. We believe that these places have been a source of some of the acts of school violence and access to drugs and alcohol to minors.

The closer the shebeens to the school, the greater the temptation. We have been reliably informed that provincial governments are mainly responsible for the regulation of location of alcohol sales points, and are disappointed that they are dragging their feet in this regard.

YCLSA braches will be working closely with community organisations, Learner Representative Councils, Church Groups, Ward Committees School Governing Bodies and civic organisations to ensure that we keep alcohol at a distance from learning institutions.

We are also concerned at the rate at which youth and teenagers are consuming alcohol and using drugs, and believe that this has become a source of violence and crime in communities, neglect of academic responsibilities and render youth to easily succumb to pressure to engage in sexual activities and contraction of HIV/AIDS. We will do everything to ensure that YCLSA branches participate in the combating of such behavior.


 * On the Implementation of the No fee Schools Policy**

We are calling for the implementation of the 40% no-fee schools in all provinces were these schools have been identified. We are aware of the tendency for some of the school managers and governing bodies to turn back or exclude indigent families. The goal of schools should be to ensure that learners learn, and there is not government policy that prohibits learners from attending schools because they have no funds.

We further call on the provincial government to urgently process schools business plans and ensure that they provide the necessary finance for schools in order to supplement the no-fee school policy. The capacity of most of the education provincial departments should be beefed up in order to ensure that this come to fruition. This should include filling in existing vacancies.


 * On the Early Delivery of Learner Support Material to schools.**

One of the causal effects of the low level matric pass rate last year has been the late delivery of stationery and in some schools, in various provinces; it was not delivered at all. Service providers tendered within the department for this purposes must be whip to deliver such materials in a stricter defined period in the interest of the learners.

We call on all actors in education to ensure that we have a smooth school re-opening programme. We further call on all administrators in schools to ensure there is effective and speedy registration, proper information for parents who cannot afford and access to learning for all. We will continue to strive for free education for all. A detailed programme of visits will be issued later today.

Issued by **Buti Manamela** National Secretary Young Communist League


 * For more information contact Castro Ngobese @ 082 567 3557**

886 words