South Africa: National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula Touched By Makhanda Learners

press release

Speaker Mapisa-Nqakula touched by Makhanda learners

Makhanda learners need heightened support to overcome many societal challenges and achieve better educational outcomes than last year's improvements in matric results.

These were views and aspirations expressed by over 180 learners during National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula's outreach programme held at the Settlers' Monument in Makhanda on Monday 11 April 2022.

Learners took turns to articulate challenges of high poverty levels, mental illnesses, unemployment, drug abuse, poor sanitation and poor school infrastructure that limit their capacity to achieve their full human potential in the generally underdeveloped Makhanda district.

The first day of the Speaker's two-day outreach programme in Makhanda was lively with learner representatives boldly stating their appreciation of the engagements, and challenges they faced in schools and in the communities they live in. They also made various proposals on solutions the Parliament should consider and implement to build a more enabling environment for even better educational and training outcomes in years to come.

Learner representatives informed the Speaker and other Members of Parliament that most of the schools in the area had never been renovated since they were built, some were built about 40 years ago and in a state of bad condition. They listed drug abuse, toxic masculinity, and teenage pregnancies as some of the causes of high school dropouts and crime levels. Schools vandalism also came out as a major problem that learners say deprives them of opportunities to have decent school facilities.

One of the learner representatives, Sikelelwa Maneli said many child-headed households also contributed to school drop-out rates as many learners opted to seek jobs to earn some money to support their families:

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Absence or lack of access to counselling services in many schools and communities, compounded by the stigmatisation of mental illnesses, was listed as other youth development inhibitors that government should prioritise, as learner Bebe Banyard said:

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The learners condemned toxic masculinity which contributed in worsening Gender-Based Violence(GBV), and made a plea for positive masculinity to be taught and encouraged among young boys in schools to prevent the scourge, while also strengthening the combating of violence against women and children.

Speaker Mapisa-Nqakula said the Parliament's presence in Makhanda was part of rethinking methods of better connection with children and youth, working closely with other legislative arms in the provinces and local municipalities, to implement the mandate of promoting citizen participation in law-making and executive oversight. . She said the needs and aspirations of young people, must be at the core of not only state institutions, but all stakeholders in society in order to improve their quality of life and a better future.

"Policymakers, government departments, implementing agencies, private sector and community-based organisations, should be involved in supporting our children's qualitative development from the earlier stages of life," said the Speaker.

The two-day outreach programme of Speaker Mapisa-Nqakula includes the re-launch of the remodelled Makhanda Parliamentary Constituency Office (PCO) as an extension of Parliament at the grassroots level. Speaker Mapisa-Nqakula said the PCOs must progressively ensure beneficial parliamentary presence, especially in the deeply rural and under-resourced local communities.

Speaking at the launch of the Makhanda Parliamentary Constituency Office, Speaker Mapisa-Nqakula said the PCOs need to play an important role in ensuring meaningful and sustainable engagement between Parliament and young people. She described the road ahead as a mammoth task and pledged to ensure that the Makhanda PCO will follow and help resolve challenges raised by the learners.

To listen to the audio clip, click here

The outreach programme will continue today, 12 April 2022, culminating in commitments and undertakings by Parliament and stakeholders to address the challenges facing learners. The Speaker will have an exclusive meeting with stakeholders to reflect on how they can work more closely with Parliament to help build an environment learners want to realise their full human potential.

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