REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA COMBINED SECOND PERIODIC REPORT UNDER THE AFRICAN CHARTER ON HUMAN AND PEOPLE`S RIGHTS and INITIAL REPORT UNDER THE PROTOCOL TO THE AFRICAN CHARTER ON THE RIGHTS OF WOMEN IN AFRICA 329. The Annual National Assessments (ANA) were introduced in 2010 with the aim of improving the quality of education. Unless the DBE was able to assess and diagnose learner problems using a national diagnostic instrument it would be unable to reach the desired outcomes for learners. ANA provided learners, teachers and parents, and also districts and schools, with useful diagnostic information on areas of difficulty, which led to restructuring by the DBE of targeted remedial programmes. ANA also encouraged schools to celebrate areas of outstanding performance. The Annual National Assessments are standardised national assessments for languages and mathematics in the intermediate phase (grades 4 – 6) and in literacy and numeracy for the foundation phase (grades 1 – 3). The question papers and marking memoranda (exemplars) are supplied by the national Department of Basic Education and the schools manage the conduct of the tests as well as the marking and internal moderation. 330. In March 2013, the Deputy Minister of Basic Education officially launched an e-learning project at the Sunward Park High School in Boksburg which became the first public school to transform learning into a fully digital platform. More than 1 200 learners from grades eight to 12 use this digital educational platform to log into the school portal and download the textbooks specific to that grade and subject. At the start of the school year in 2013, the entire school, began using the e-learning tools. 331. In June 2013, the North West Provincial Government announced that it would write off over R42 million in youth bursary debt, for the benefit of young people from poor and disadvantaged backgrounds who had studied through the Office of the Premier Bursary Scheme. As from April 2013, provincial departments have been budgeting and administering their bursary programmes. 332. In November 2013, the Minister of Higher Education and Training hosted the Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) meeting in Paris, France, on the margins of the 37th session of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) General Conference. The aim was to strengthen collaboration between BRICS universities, partnerships and knowledge exchanges and investigate how information and communications technology could be used effectively to improve the quality of learning. 333. In short, we are encouraged that we have more children going to school. The number of children attending Grade R has more than doubled, moving from about 300 000 to more than 700 000 between 2003 and 2011.193 Student enrolment at universities has increased by 12% from 837,779 in 2009 to 938,201 in 2012/13, while Further Education and Training College enrolments increased from 345,566 in 2010 to 657,690 in 2012/13. The matric pass rate has gone up from around 61% in 2009 to 78,2% in 2013 and the bachelor passes improve each year. What is more impressive with the achievement of the education 193 In 2003 there were 315,387 students enrolled in Grade R, according to the basic education department. By 2011, enrolment had increased to 734,654. In 2013, it had increased to 779,370. These figures include both public and independent schools. 96