Mrs. Lewis and I are very pleased to be here today to meet some of the educators, learners, education officials, school governing body members, and USAID partners involved with the Zikhulise Project. Thank you for agreeing to host us at the Khanyanjalo Junior Primary School here in Inanda, to give us a glimpse of actions underway to improve the quality of teaching and learning.

Mrs. Lewis and I have a background in education. We are appalled by the toll that apartheid has taken on South Africa's education system. That is one reason the U.S. government has invested millions of dollars over many years to help South Africa redress such an obscene injustice. That is why the United States Agency for International Development supports the efforts of South African educators to transform the education system to provide learners of all ages greater access to quality education. So we are eager to hear about the exciting and important work you are carrying out in developing relevant new materials for use in thousands of schools in KwaZulu-Natal.

I understand that the word "Zikhulise" means "to develop yourself". I like that proactive phrase. It encapsulates part the purpose of my visit today--to develop myself by learning about the issues you are grappling with in primary education:

1) I want to learn first-hand from you about the challenges you are faced with in teaching a new curriculum with limited teaching and learning resources.

2) How will the Zikhulise Project empower educators to develop and use their own teaching and learning materials? How will educators who receive training in the development of new materials share the skills and information with other educators?

3) I am interested to learn how parents and/or members of the School Governing Bodies intend to support the Zikhulise project.

4) What, in your minds, has been the impact of the Zikhulise training in improving the quality of teaching and learning in your classrooms?

5) I understand the Zikhulise project has made great strides towards collaboration and involvement with the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education and Culture. What challenges did the project and the Department encounter and how did the personnel involved respond to the challenges?

6) I am also very keen to understand what plans the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education and Culture have to sustain the project? Sustainability of good practices has remained a major challenge for all of us and is part of the USAID mandate.

7) We want, most importantly, to learn about you, the people of KwaZulu-Natal. We look forward to talking to some of you while we are here today.

Thank you, again, for taking the time to meet with us.