Basic Education Minister, Mrs Angie Motshekga, presented the opening address during the 2022 Basic Education Sector Lekgotla held at Emperors Palace in Kempton Park, Gauteng Province from 26 to 28 January 2022. The seventh annual Lekgotla was hosted in the form of a hybrid event, with over 200 delegates participating physically and 500 virtual participants attending the daily sessions. The theme for 2022 was: “Equipping Learners with Knowledge and Skills for a Changing World in the Context of COVID-19”.
“The Basic Education Sector Lekgotla is a unique planning tool that brings together MECs, Heads of Departments, education administrators, practitioners, academics and researchers under one roof as a means of engaging the sector on key policies and programmes to improve the quality of basic education. The overall focus of the Lekgotla is the recovery plan for basic education after two years of COVID-19 disruptions,” said the Minister.
Minister Motshekga added that, “2022 marks the third academic year since the COVID-19 outbreak that threatens to derail the gains of our basic education reforms since 1994. According to research, the sector lost at least 50 percent of curriculum time due to rotational timetabling and intermittent closures. We need to build a coherent response on the measures to reboot and rebuild the basic education system. As a department, we must do more to support vulnerable learners, increase retention and stem the tide of dropouts. There's a need for a new social compact in basic education. There must be a paradigm shift in schooling communities for teachers to be held accountable for poor learner outcomes. We must see teachers displaying compassion as many of our learners come from diverse communities, child-headed households, high crime levels, unemployment, and various social ills. As a Government, we must reimpose the state's authority against those who loot, burn and vandalise public schools”.
Basic Education Deputy Minister, Dr Reginah Mhaule, extended a special welcome to local and international experts in their respective fields who attended the Lekgotla to share their knowledge. “The education sector has suffered devastating, long term effects caused by the pandemic. We lost leaders in the education sector, teachers and support staff, as well as learners. However, we have also learnt new ways of conducting business. These ways include online teaching and home schooling. In addition, the pandemic has resulted in a positive development for over 500,000 youth by creating job opportunities through the Presidential Youth Employment Initiative (PYEI). Although these accomplishments are a drop in the ocean as compared to the negative impact of COVID-19, they are indeed stepping stones towards a better future,” she said.
In conclusion, Deputy Minister Mhaule added that, “as the DBE, we hope that at the end of the Lekgotla, we will come up with Recommendations and an Action Plan which will include a comprehensive recovery plan on how the system is going to continue to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 and recover learning losses. Furthermore, we are hoping that the Lekgotla will emerge with consensus on what will be done to reboot and rebuild the basic education system for future pandemics and crises”.
Image Gallery: 2022 Basic Education Sector Lekgotla