About 3 000 members of the South African Police Service who could previously not read and write have completed literacy training.
Ben Smit, managing director of Secudac, a private company which provided the training said on Monday that the officers also acquired life skills during the six months Adult-Based Education and Training programme.
”Some 230 facilitators were used to provide this training course which, besides basic literacy and numeracy, also focused on life skill aspects such as HIV/Aids awareness, community and personal relations, social care and health issues, family planning, gender sensitivity, communication skills and financial management,” Smit
said.
”They can now read the newspaper, plan their budgets and on a personal level, read the Bible and letters from their children and grandchildren.”
Police officers, support staff and administrative personnel all received training.
Most of them were exposed to formal education for the first time.
”They have been exceptionally positive towards this training course, with learners travelling as far as 100km per day to attend classes. Most of them are now motivated to undergo more training programmes,” Smit said.
The certification ceremonies will be held from February 13 to March 7, 2006 in Middelburg, Potchefstroom, Pretoria, Durban, Polokwane, Bloemfontein, Kimberley, Cape Town, Oudtshoorn, Paarl and Port Elizabeth. – Sapa