So are electricity, toilets and even water. Education Minister Kader Asmal expressed frustration this week when he turned up unannounced at a Pretoria school to find teachers and pupils arriving late on the first day of term. He'd have an apoplexy if he went further afield. Though education budgets are rising, they aren't enough. Understandably, most money is spent in urban areas.
Rural schools get the leftovers.
With few, if any, teaching materials, many children are doomed to a hopeless future. This is where the FM's readers come in. Even if they make it to secondary school, they have no chance of coping with textbooks written for a reading age of 16. Many drop out. Six rallies are planned this year.