The new Minister of Basic Education Siviwe Gwarube says her priority is to serve millions of school children across the country.
She has vowed not to use her position for political ends and has assured her detractors that her political affiliations will not factor in her carrying out her duties.
Gwarube is one of the Democratic Alliance (DA)-affiliated ministers appointed following the formation of a Government of National Unity after May’s elections failed to produce an outright majority winner.
She says eradicating pit toilets, amongst others, is a priority.
“I’m here as a Minister of Basic Education and I’m here to serve the 14 million learners in this country who all deserve access to quality education, which has not always been available to them. There are issues in South Africa, about 80% of Grade 4 learners cannot read for meaning. Children are still dying in pit toilets, 30 years into our democracy, and teachers are working in unsafe conditions. These are all the things that require my urgent attention.”
