BuaNews (Tshwane)
Siboniso Ntuli
18 January 2008
Pietermaritzburg — The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education is to give bursaries to allow mathematics and science teachers to further their studies.
Priority has been given to maths and Science as these have been identified as gateway subjects by government.
The department says the need to build the capacity of teachers will be addressed by giving them bursaries and enabling them to enroll for the National Professional Diploma in Education (NPDE) qualification.
Education MEC, Ina Cronje said the department had enrolled 1 638 under-qualified educators through bursaries and learnerships. Over 100 of them had been enrolled for the NPDE.
Last year 55 teachers completed the Post-Graduate Certificate in Education, while Ms Cronje said these numbers would be pushed up to 404 this year.
"Unemployed youth graduates are also given a helping hand to enroll for the PGCE with a view to increase the number of qualified educators in the gateway subjects," said Ms Cronje.
The department has also offered 120 students from disadvantaged backgrounds to study Bachelor of Education Degrees in the Mathematics and Science subjects this year.
MEC Cronje pointed out that this was in addition to the Fundza Lusha Bursaries, initiatied by the national department, aimed at recruiting matriculants into the teacher profession particularly in gateway subjects.
"The department will continue offering bursaries to serving teachers so they can study towards qualifications in critical areas of teaching. We have been doing so for the past three years," said the MEC.
Meanwhile the Ms Cronje reiterated that the education must be accessible to all the people of the province.
"No child should be denied the right to education because he or she does not have financial means to access education.
"The law is clear about it and as in the past we will take action against principals who deny learners education or victimize them as a result of non-payment," said MEC Cronje.
MEC Cronje said parents who cannot afford the school fees may apply for full or partial exemptions from school fees.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2008 BuaNews. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
