FOREWORD

Education in South Africa is expected to contribute significantly to addressing the tragedy of our past and to provide hope for a better future for our children. However, the Department of Basic Education acknowledges that such a feat is not the sole responsibility of government alone and we look to partnerships and champions in our society to take collective responsibility for education transformation. Hence, we support the goal of the Historic Schools Restoration Project, which aims to restore the educational excellence of historic schools that had, prior to the imposition of the Bantu Education Act of 1953, contributed richly to black education. The project is unique in its attempt to also reclaim the memory, history and physical infrastructure of the identified historic schools. Recognising the immense educational and historic value of this project, the Department of Basic Education is proud to be associated with the HSRP and is committed to assisting them in ensuring that they meet their key objectives of rekindling a culture of excellence in teaching and learning.

The pilot schools receiving technical and financial assistance from the HSRP are educational hubs of great historical significance. These schools are indeed a living testimony of the strength of the human spirit. Despite the impact of apartheid education, these schools remained beacons of excellence and continued to produce alumni, some of whom today form the nucleus of our national leadership and role models, across all strands of life including politics, the performing arts, business and academia.

The Department of Basic Education supports the HSRP initiative given its specific focus on education, in particular its mission to reignite a culture of teaching and learning excellence. Improving the quality of basic education is a major priority of this government and we recognise that apart from focusing on programmatic interventions such as Curriculum Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS), Annual National Assessments (ANA), Workbooks and Infrastructure, we ought to also search experientially and empirically for the best models to assist us in meeting Outcome 1, i.e. improving the quality of basic education. As a Department, we look to HSRP as a case study that we can replicate across the entire public school system. In other words, in no way is our partnership with HSRP an act of goodwill only. Rather, it is a strategic and mutually beneficial relationship.

Funding continues to be a major challenge and, given the global financial crunch to which our country is not immune, we recognise the difficulties that the HSRP encounters as it strives to attract adequate funding from private sources. As a Department, we remain deeply committed to continue providing assistance to the HSRP and it is our sincerest wish that other potential private partners may find it in themselves to also support this cause. After all, education is indeed a societal issue and therefore needs all forces in society to join hands for the common good.

Mr PB Soobrayan
Director General: Department Of Basic Education