President Cyril Ramaphosa has challenged teachers to decrease the number of annual school dropouts to less than 25%.
Ramaphosa was in Kempton Park on Wednesday for the 21st National Teaching Awards where educators were being recognised for going beyond their responsibilities to teach children – an already difficult job that was made even more so this year amid COVID-19 lockdown restrictions.
President Ramaphosa said that he was extremely saddened and concerned to hear how many young people had dropped out of school and were sitting at home.
“You should walk the streets of our townships, the pathways of our villages… Go hunt them down and ask them why are they not in the classroom,” he said.
He said during his door-to-door visits as part of the ANC’s election campaigns ahead of next month’s local government elections, he’s met many families whose children are no longer in school.
“If they leave school, you must find out why. Is it because you are boring and not exciting?”
Ramaphosa said that teachers played a pivotal role in the country’s economy and must make sure that children finished their matric to give them a better chance at finding a decent job later on.
The president also praised the country’s teachers, hailing them as economic activists and one of the pillars of the country. He said that teachers had gone the extra mile to help children in difficult circumstances not to be left behind while battling with lockdown restrictions. Ramaphosa praised teachers for their resilience and professionalism during the pandemic.
-EWN
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