Committee Programme Report

SELECT COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION AND RECREATION
27 August 2003
COMMITTEE PROGRAMME REPORT

Chairman: Mr D Kgware ANC (Northern Cape)

Documents handed out
None

Summary
The Committee met to discuss the trip to KwaZulu Natal. The North West province trip was canceled.

Minutes
The Chairperson, Mr D Kgware ANC (Northern Cape) informed the Committee that the trip to the North West Province would no longer take place on 4 and 5 September as scheduled. He recommended that the trip to KwaZulu-Natal that was scheduled for 2 and 3 September be extended by two days. This would give the ample time to cover the vast amount of work they had to do. They would also have the opportunity to visit Empangeni as previously suggested by Ms Vilakazi's (IFP). The Chairperson highlighted that they had three Bills that he would like the Committee to consider: the Higher Education Amendment Bill, The Education Law Amendment Bill and the Indigenous Knowledge Bill from Arts and Culture.
The Eastern Cape and the Western Cape were identified as the next two provinces the Committee would plan to visit in the forth quarter.

Discussions
Mr R Nogumla (ANC) was concerned about the role that School Governing Boards (SGB) were playing. He said that the SGBs had decided not to heed the interpretation of the South African Schools Act that exempted poor parents from paying school fees. Scholars in this category were made to suffer and were denied their reports pending payment. He described the problem as prevalent in the Mzimkhulu Area.

Ms E Gouws (DP) said that the western side of the Eastern Cape was also fraught with problems that they needed to attend to during their visit to the Eastern Cape.

Mr Nogumla (ANC) felt that the programme should not only focus on schools but include the district office. He believed that district managers were conspiring with the SGBs to not heed the South African Schools Act.

The Chairperson suggested that the delegation that would go to the Eastern Cape be split into two in order to cover the province's vast area.

The meeting was adjourned.