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South Africa needs to get the foundation of education right if it is to realise the goals set out in the National Development Plan (NDP).

It is for this reason that the Early Childhood Development (ECD) programme is one of the priorities of government, says Social Development Minister Bathabile Dlamini.

She said government especially acknowledges and understands the importance of a child's first
1 000 days.

Social Development Minister Bathabile Dlamini says government will work hard to deliver millions of houses to South Africans over the coming years.

Free State learners took top honours as they produced the highest number of learners who passed their Grade 12 examinations.

With the province breaking the national threshold of a 90 percent pass rate, MEC for Education Tate Makgoe is aiming for higher results in 2017. The target for the pass rate for the province is 95 percent for the class on 2017.

The Free State had aimed for a 90 percent matric pass rate for 2016, but exceeded this to 93,2 percent.

The class of 2016 performed well. Here are some of the country’s top-performing achievers.

1. Top overall and best Mathematics learner

CONRAD STRYDOM, HERMANUS HIGH SCHOOL, WESTERN CAPE

Strydom expressed his appreciation to his principal and his teachers for being dedicated and supportive in guiding him to winning Olympiads and emerging as a top achiever for his school.

Learners from disadvantaged  schools proved that one’s circumstances don't need to stand in the way of your dreams.

Announcing the 2016 National Senior Certificate examination results in Midrand recently, Minister of Basic Education Angie Motshekga said she was impressed by the fact that poorer schools produced the best results when compared to better resourced schools.

The poverty ranking of schools in quintiles one to five revealed interesting trends.

The Department of Public Works’ Schools Programme will ensure that learners have job security once they have completed their studies.

The beneficiaries are obligated by the contract to work for the Department of Public Works. This means they will not struggle to find employment after graduating.

The R130 000 bursary for each learner covers tuition, accommodation, meals, textbooks, academic resources and a monthly allowance.

Public Works Minister Thulas Nxesi said the Schools Programme is part of the Seven-Year Plan to rebuild the department.

Adopting the habit of working hard from an early age is what secured a bright future for an aspirant mechanical engineer, Olwethu Bitterhout, from the Eastern Cape.

He is one of the 40 beneficiaries from the Class of 2016, who received bursary awards worth R130 000 from the Department of Public Works’ Schools Programme.

Bitterhout matriculated from Solomon Mahlangu Secondary School in the Eastern Cape and obtained seven distinctions.

Callers were invited to raise concerns with President Jacob Zuma during a recent GCIS-facilitated radio interview that gave citizens the opportunity to talk with the First Citizen.

In the interview, the President said that during a state visit to South Africa by President Edgar Lungu from the Republic of Zambia in December, both presidents noted the drought’s negative impact and pledged to work closely with the region and development partners to explore possible mitigation strategies.

President Jacob Zuma has assured citizens that the National Development Plan (NDP) 2030 is being implemented and that the monitoring of service delivery is taken very seriously by government.

He discussed this and other issues in a Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) radio interview recently, which was broadcast by community radio stations across the country and allowed people in more rural areas access to the President.

Small businesses in the tourism sector situated in the Pilanesberg in North West are set to benefit from a newly-established incubation programme