STELLALANDER-VRYBURG: More than 300 learners from disadvantaged families across the districts received school uniform from North West Social Development MEC Lazarus Mokgosi through the back to school drive.
The handover of school uniform was given to identified learners in quintile three schools in Ngaka Modiri Molema, Dr Kenneth Kaunda and Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati districts.
The back to school programme was the initiative of the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) which provides for Social Relief of Distress (SRD) to children from needy households. About 320 learners who benefitted from the social relief of distress programme are those who were attending school at the time of identification of beneficiaries for school uniform including those from poor economic background where children’s grants are the only source of income. Male learners, who were accompanied by their parents, received clothing and shoes to the value of R2 500 while female learners received similar commodities to the value of R2 700. Addressing learners and parents at Tshwaraganelo primary school in Ipelegeng-township near Schweizer-Reneke, Mokgosi said the apartheid system contributed largely to the current socio-economic challenges communities face. Mokgosi said the current government cannot reverse the effect of the 350 years of apartheid in 30 years. It is for this reason that government introduced the social security system to provide services to the vulnerable children, women and people with disabilities. “The provision of school uniform, sanitary and dignity packs to needy learners will go a long way in securing the future of our country. We are investing in these children including youth. If we do not invest in them we are doomed as a country,” Mokgosi said. Mokgosi adding that parents should wash the uniform and ensure that their children have dignity when they go to school. According to the South African Social Security Agency’s regional executive manager Zodwa Mvulane, the school uniform is being procured from local cooperatives and small medium and macro enterprises and parents are not required to pay back the money that the agency has spent on procuring the school uniform.
