Dear Editor
Young people in the Western Cape can be assured that the Western Cape Education Department ensures that all students are supported and thrive through Schools of Skills and the STEAMAC (science, technology, engineering, arts, mathematics, agriculture and coding) strategy.
In a written response to a parliamentary question, provincial Minister of Education, David Maynier, stated that there are 25 Schools of Skills with an additional two public ordinary schools offering School of Skills stream. Currently, there are 21 different subjects being offered at these institutions.
Since not every child is able to develop in an ordinary academic environment, Schools of Skills provide many learners with an environment to learn various skills that are demanded in the province and will allow them to unlock their future potential. This remains important to youth employment, which is why I will be enquiring about the WCED’s plan to attract more people to teach the arts and agricultural subjects where shortages are being experienced.
To amplify this, the WCED also began a pilot project last year in which 23 public ordinary schools offered 11 new learning opportunities in various technical subjects. A greater exposure to different subjects in comparison to what is traditionally offered mean that children will be able to make more informed decisions upon choosing their senior-year subjects.
MPP Deidre Baartman says: “In a world that is forever evolving, it is important that our children’s education is well structured so that they can be better positioned to participate in the economy. This is why the STEAMAC strategy was developed and why we also place a large emphasis on Schools of Skills.
We have identified the need to include more agricultural and art streams in the Western Cape, which is why there are 20 additional schools offering agricultural subjects since 2017 and why 10 more have introduced art subjects since 2018. Overall, there are now 322 schools in total offering these subjects with 14 527 Grade 10-12 learners taking them.
These transferable skills will play a great role in our children’s development, and we look forward to even more progress being made in this regard.”
Regards
Deidré Baartman, MPP
DA Western Cape Spokesperson on Education
