Good morning ladies and gentlemen

It is an honour to address you on behalf of the Western Cape Education Department.  This morning is exciting and special; it is a celebration of achievement and so before I continue I want us to applaud the learners and teachers who will receive their certificates this morning.  

Working in education is challenging to say the least; particularly in today’s constantly evolving world. But I can tell you that working in education is rewarding and exciting and it is at times and events like today’s that really makes it worthwhile.

In South Africa, the advent of democracy realised a rapid expansion of access to education, but the quality of education has remained poor and largely characterised by inequality.

Education should provide a way out of the poverty trap, but the ability of the South African education system to act as a reliable conduit for children out of poverty has been limited.

Almost 20 years after the end of apartheid with South Africa having and one of the highest budget spending on education in the world (20% of GDP), the South African Education system has not eradicated the vast differences between good performing and poorer performing schools which unfortunately are also linked to social economic conditions, with the children of the rich and upper middle class being able to afford quality education and the children of the poor still being subjected to lower quality education. The quality of education is pivotal for the production of human capital and economic growth and this cannot be compromised by failing to refocus on the quality of education offered in schools.

The WCED is committed to work towards improving the life chances of every learner in this province. We are working tirelessly toward our vision of “Quality Education for every learner in every classroom in every school in the province”. We are acutely aware of the difficulties facing Grade 12 learners who pass Grade 12 but for whom that certificate has very little meaning. The National Department has launched an E cubed Strategy. The 3 Es being Entrepreneurship, Employment and Education. Currently learners go through the FET grades and their sole aim is to achieve a Grade 12 certificate, and most still believe that they should continue their studies post matric but of course we know that that is not the reality and a very small percentage of learners who pass matric actually go on and get accepted into higher studies.

Instead the FET schooling should provide learners with the knowledge, skills, competencies that will prepare them for either Entrepreneurial activities, Employment or Education.

How do we do that?  One of the Apex priorities of the education system currently is to promote technical and vocational education. The drive is for learners with the aptitude to follow a technical or vocational pathway which will prepare learners for the world of work; where they can enter the workforce straight after school; where while they are at school they are able to have relationships with industry; that learners will be so skilled that they would be sought after by industry. Linked to this is the 3-stream model; with learners able to pursue subjects like digital literacy, plumbing, hairdressing as from Grades 8 and 9 already; move into related subjects in FET and enter the work force immediately after Grade 12.

Another avenue that we are pursuing is that of multiple certification; hence our excitement and delight in today’s event.  We are saying that learners should be able to acquire certificates alongside the National Senior Certificate so that when they leave school they not only have a Grade 12 NSC but they also have Quickbooks, Microsoft Certification, ICDL, etc.  If this is the case, how much more valuable and relevant would they be.

Genesis CITI (Centre Operator of the I-CAN Centre), a social enterprise, have launched a 4IR Skills for Education in support with Western Cape Education Department through which Grade 11 Accounting learners and teachers obtained recognized industry certification in QuickBooks and Microsoft Certification for Grade 12 CAT students. The QuickBooks project started in May this year and ended in September, a 5-month programme. This morning we see 19 learners and 2 teachers successfully graduating after having written the Quickbooks examination. 

Also, Grade 12 CAT students became Microsoft Practitioners through global certification in September, during school holidays. This also assisted the learners in preparing for their CAT examination. I believe CAT is one of those subjects which should really be a fundamental as it equips learners with skills much needed in the workplace and in our personal lives.  

These learners are from schools in the Elsies River, Delft, Khayelitsha, Kraaifontein areas. The project takes place at the I-CAN Centre, Elsies River.

As the business world becomes more complex and specialized within the 4^thIndustrial Revolution, the demand for individuals with recognized industry credentials will continue to intensify. Corporate governance reforms, an increasingly global business environment and rapidly changing technologies have fueled the need for professionals with advanced skills and up-to-date knowledge. Global vendor exams are of course expensive and so partnerships with business and organisations like I-Can is so valuable and necessary. In the years ahead organizations are likely to place even more value on certifications as a means of differentiating top job applicants. Accounting and finance managers look to professionals who can demonstrate their knowledge in specialized areas through a combination of work experience and the formal training and education gained — and confirmed — during the certification process.

• In June 2017, the G-CITI launched its first 4IR Skills for Education program called I-CAN Digital Winter School where 49 students were certified with Microsoft Certifications. Grade 11 and 12 students from various schools benefitted from the project. Student Feedback were amazing as learners expressed how the technology exam and certificate built their confidence to write final exams. 
• In September 2018, 27 Grade 12 students were certified in Microsoft Office Specialist Word and Excel. A 100% pass rate were achieved!
•  In 2019, 70 Grade 12 CAT learners were Microsoft certified, as an exam preparation approach funded by Western Cape Education Department from 24^thSept to 12^thOctober 2019.

G-CITI has identified the CAT / Business Studies / IT / Engineering Graphics and Design / Accounting as a potential game changer subjects to enable 4IR Skills at high school level. Students taking these subjects can enroll with GCITI Campus to write globally recognized industry certification, which acts as an equalizer to students that attend TVET Colleges and University.

Let me share one learner’s story with you:

• In 2017, Junaid Serra (19) enrolled for the Digital Winter School, He was in Grade 11 at Roosendal High School in Delft. 
• In Grade 12, he again attended the Digital Spring School where he obtained two Microsoft Certifications.
• After matric, Junaid could not further his tertiary studies in IT, due to no a lack of funds as his parents were unemployed. 
• The I-CAN Centre (G-CITI Campus) with its funding partner SANZAF, ensured that Junaid received a 100% bursary to complete his IT Studies. After the 6 month training and global certification, Junaid obtained employment at Merchants, A Dimension Data company.
• This I believe is living testimony to what this type of certification and exposure can do for our learners. Learners who path and future could have been very different. A different path that we do not even want to imagine.

In the words of Llewellyn Scholtz, Executive Director of GCITI & I-CAN Centre “The future starts in the classroom”. Providing high school students with industry recognized credentials or certification mapped to the subjects they do will improve results and create a readiness for the workplace.

I want to thank Mr Scholtz and his company, GCITI AND I-Can and related partners for their vision and commitment to working with us as we support our learners to become work-ready while they are at school.

To the learners and teachers receiving their certificates today, we congratulate and salute you. We want you to spread the word at your schools and in your communities so that more and more learners will want to pursue working towards receiving certificates. We know it was a sacrifice; but we honour you for the sacrifices you have made and I want to encourage you to pursue more certificates so that when you leave school you will have the credentials and competencies that will catapult you to great heights.

Education is our passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today.”
—Malcolm X