Schools,+health+care,+poverty,+Polokwane+Resolutions+1,+ANC+Today




 * ANC Today, Volume 8, No.1, 11—17 January 2008**

=Schools, health care and the fight against poverty=


 * Polokwane Resolutions I**

Education and health will top the country's social transformation agenda for the next five years, according to a resolution taken at the ANC 52nd National Conference held in Polokwane last month.

This was one of a number of important decisions taken by the 4,000 delegates who met to set the policy direction of the organisation to its centenary in 2012. The resolutions will guide the ANC in its programme in government, in the organisation, and in its engagement with broader society.

The resolutions from the commissions on social transformation focused on the practical steps that need to be taken to accelerate the programme to improve the quality of life of all South Africans. They highlighted the central role that an ANC-led government need to play in confronting the challenges of poverty and underdevelopment.

This should be a developmental state that empowers people and provides security for the most vulnerable and marginalised. To this end, conference agreed to a comprehensive social security net that provides a targeted approach to poverty alleviation. It said social grants should be linked to economic activity, and that a mandatory system of retirement funds, including one that covers low-income groups, should be established.

Other important decisions are that the upper age limit for eligibility for child care grants be gradually extended to 18 years, and that the pensionable age be set at 60 years for both men and women.

Child-headed households are being identified as a priority for protection and care. This will take place alongside work to improve tools for monitoring and measuring child poverty. A comprehensive strategy on early childhood development will need to be developed and implemented.

The conference recognised that one of the most effective ways of eradicating poverty is through education. It therefore resolved to progressively introduce free education for the poor until undergraduate level. This would be aided by the decision that the proportion of schools defined as 'no fee' schools be expanded to 60% by 2009.

The effort to improve access to education for the poor should be accompanied by a rigorous focus on the quality of education. The teaching of maths, science and information technology must be promoted and supported, including through Saturdays tutorial programmes and bursaries to teachers in these areas. Where necessary, South Africa should recruit from foreign countries in scarce skills areas such as maths and science.

Conference identified health as a critical element of the effort to tackle poverty and improve the lives of the poor, who are most vulnerable to disease and who have the least access to quality health care.

It focused on the need to lower the costs of accessing healthcare. For that reason, conference resolved to reaffirm the implementation of the National Health Insurance System by further strengthening the public health care system and ensuring adequate provision of funding to public health. Government should intervene to curb the high cost of health provision. It said the ANC should explore the possibility of a state-owned pharmaceutical company that will respond to and intervene in the curbing of medicine prices.

In pursuit of a better quality of care, conference agreed to develop a reliable single health information system. There should also be a strategy for recruitment and human resource development for health professionals. Government should seek agreements with other countries to try to stem the exodus of health professionals.

Delegates agreed that government should accelerate the roll out of the comprehensive health care programme, including the provision of antiretrovirals (ARVs) at all health facilities. At the same time, it should strengthen its capacity to monitor the side-effects of ARVs.

The ANC needs to work with other groupings and sectors to intensify our efforts to create an environment that promotes positive individual behaviour in our communities, especially among young people. More resources should be allocated to programmes on sexual awareness, and ANC branches should be actively involved in implementing these programmes.

Conference reflected on the proposal to adopt a special HIV and AIDS grant. It agreed that such a grant was not necessary, as this would be catered for by the comprehensive social security system.

The commissions on social transformation also looked at improving government's response to 'asset' poverty, through the provision of housing and land. They reviewed the progress made over the last 13 years in developing integrated human settlements through the provision of houses and services to the poor.

Conference called for interventions in the housing industry and residential property market to curb the spiralling cost of construction input prices, including the cost of material development and supply. There should be a central planning approach for directing resource allocation, distribution and an overall coordinated response to human settlements.

The funding mechanism for housing should be restructured and all housing-related grants and funding streams need to be consolidated. The acquisition of land for housing should be accelerated through a dedicated Housing Development Agency.

Conference also said a once-off injection of resources and an extraordinary effort should be considered for fast-tracking delivery of housing to make a visible impact on poverty. Government should consider assisting people with the provision of building material to encourage self involvement in the provision of housing needs. This will need to respond to specific conditions that prevail in rural areas, for example.

Conference agreed on the need to develop appropriate legislation to prevent the mushrooming of informal settlements. Provision of housing needs should include alternative housing such as rental stock, it said.

Conference said that the redistribution of land should be speeded up. Government must exercise its legal right to expropriate property in the public interest for public purposes. Compensation for expropriated land should be awarded in accordance with the Constitution, with special emphasis on equity, redress and social justice. All legislation pertaining to expropriation must be aligned with the Constitution.

It was resolved that the market-driven land reform should be discarded and the principle of willing-buyer, willing-seller be reviewed to accelerate equitable distribution of land. The ANC would need to review the adequacy of post-settlement support in all land reform programmes so that the recipients of land are able to make productive use of the land.

The management and control of state land should be under one government department. The allocation of customary land should be democratised and should not only be the preserve of the traditional leaders. Redundant land belonging to state-owned enterprises and municipalities should be made available for low cost housing.

Conference also agreed that government should, with immediate effect, regulate, but not prohibit, ownership of land by non-South Africans. This regulation should take into account the country's commitment to land reform, restitution, redistribution and access to land.

During the course of the next few weeks, these and other resolutions of the 52nd National Conference will be circulated to ANC branches, forming the basis for a programme of action that advances the struggle for a caring society.

This is the first in a series of articles on the outcomes of the ANC's Polokwane Conference. The complete set of resolutions will be available on the ANC website within the next fortnight.


 * From: http://www.anc.org.za/ancdocs/anctoday/2008/at01.htm#art1**

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