The Executive Council will embark on an Outreach Visit to the Steve Tshwete Local Municipality as from 16 – 19 September 2014.

The Executive Council was provided with a comprehensive high level socio-economic profile of the Municipality. The profile raises issues such as the high population growth in the Municipality that requires government and the private sector to respond accordingly with economic growth initiatives over and above the mining and manufacturing sectors that constitute 60% of the local economy.

On the first day of the Outreach Programme, Members of the Executive Council will embark on a stakeholder engagement with amongst others the emerging farmers, community development workers, police stations, religious leaders, organised business, school governing bodies, etc.

On the second day, the Executive Council will hold a meeting with local councillors additional to its normal sitting that will take the major part of the day.

On the third day, the Executive Council, local councilors and senior government officials will embark on a door-to-door visit. The exercise will seek to respond to the Household Profile needs identified in an extensive project concluded by the Department of Social Development where household needs in the Province were profiled for government to respond accordingly. The day will be concluded with a community meeting at Somaphepha in Doornkop.

All government departments will be exhibiting their services and sharing information with the community at KwaZamokuhle Stadium in Hendrina.

Mpumalanga Provincial Mathematics Strategy

The Executive Council approved the Mpumalanga Provincial Mathematics Strategy, which seeks to increase the participation rates in Mathematics in Grades 10-12. The Strategy further seeks to increase performance in Mathematics at exit points and to improve the quality of passes in terms of improved average scores.

It also targets the increased participation and performance of girl learners in Mathematics whilst at the same time it enhances the teaching of Mathematics.

The Department of Education will profile individual schools and teachers to be offered specific and differentiated support such as the customisation of work schedules for under-performing schools.

The Department will furthermore provide training and support on e-learning and the use of e-resources for teaching and learning while it strengthens the use of available resources such as workbooks, laboratory equipment, IT equipment, Maths kits, etc.

The Strategy will include recruiting well-performing Grade-12 learners and award them bursaries to study to become Mathematics teachers.

The Executive Council called upon all community members and teachers in particular to refrain from discouraging learners from taking Mathematics and Science. These are prerequisite subjects for the critical skills required to drive the provincial economy. Choosing an easy way out of school compromises the quality of the final Grade 12 pass and limits career opportunities for the youth.

Composite Examinations Readiness Plan for the 2014 Academic Year

The Executive Council is satisfied with the state of readiness for the management of the October-November 2014 National Senior Certificate examinations and anticipates incident-free examinations.

There are 546 public examinations centres throughout the Province, which will cater for more than 65 000 learners who will write their exams. Schools with history of incidents of irregularities will receive intensive monitoring through full-time monitors. The on-site final candidate verification was done with school principals before the winter school recess.

All sectors of society are called upon to afford candidates a conducive environment to sit for their examinations. This is an epoch culmination of 12 years of hard work and huge sacrifice by the youth of our Province. Opportunistic activities to disrupt external and internal examinations will not be tolerated. The Executive Council was assured that law enforcement agencies would be on high alert to swiftly and decisively deals with any effort to undermine this important life defining right to our youth.

Appointments

Dr Aggrey Mabuti Morake – appointed Head of Department: [Department of Health]

Mr Cain Mfana Chunda – appointed Head of Department [Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs]

Issued by Mpumalanga Provincial Government
Spokesperson: Mpumalanga Premier
Mpumalanga Provincial Government
Office of the Premier
Tel: (013) 766 2453
Mobile: 079 491 0163
E-mail: zmncwango@mpg.gov.za OR zibonelemncwango@gmail.com