Motshekga Welcomes EU Support for Basic Education

Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga signed a key agreement with the EU's ambassador to South Africa on Tuesday, opening the gates for a R1.2 billion windfall from the EU in support of primary education in South Africa. EU ambassador Roeland van de Geer said the money would help South Africa deal with “very serious challenges” in primary education.

Motshekga added that as enrolment of learners in primary education in South Africa was already high, the money would be spent on boosting the quality of education that millions of young children receive. There would be a focus on the quality of teachers and teaching as well, and the government would try to attract more young people into teaching, particularly using indigenous languages, which she said had been an area of historical neglect.