CHAPTER 5
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Take the leadership in organising focused study and analysis of policies for
fostering development of the formal sector and the concomitant shrinking of the
informal sector.
Take steps to remedy rural-urban migration.
Objective 3: Strengthen policies, delivery mechanisms and outcomes in key social
areas
i. Self-assessment
49. Social sector policies and programmes in the GPRS seek to promote activities that
would enhance access to education, health care, potable drinking water and sanitation
services. There are policies and measures for reducing poverty, increasing access to basic
services and public facilities, and for effecting greater equity in gender, regions and ruralurban disparities for which capacity enhancements are required.
50. In education, the net primary enrolment rate increased nationally from 58% in 1999
to 69.9% in 2003, but may not have been sufficient to meet the policy target of 88.5% by
2005. In the same period, secondary school enrolment declined slightly from 40 to
38.1%, whereas female enrolment increased marginally. Tertiary education in general
and university education in particular, have increased over the decade, with enrolment at
universities increasing from about 18 000 in 1994 to approximately 56 000 in 2003. Over
the same period, female enrolment at universities increased by 353% from 4400 in 1994.
The CSAR states that this rapid increase in enrolment has been driven by the affirmative
action policies of the universities.
51. A major policy initiative in the sector has been the ten-year (1995-2005) strategic
plan for education, in the form of the Free Compulsory Universal Basic Education
(FCUBE) programme. The objective was to enrol and provide all school-age children
with quality primary and junior secondary education by 2005, with community
participation in its implementation. The overriding goal is to lay a firm foundation for
reorienting the entire educational system towards the promotion of creativity, science
and the acquisition of more flexible skills by students at all levels. It is also geared to
improve the quality of teaching and learning and, in particular, to enhance educational
access and opportunity for females and other disadvantaged groups.
52. In the area of health, the emphasis of government policy is on the prevention of
disease, health promotion and basic primary health care. Under the GPRS, the emphasis
is on bridging inequalities in the delivery of health care. The government has embarked
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