Thank you. I say this in order to indicate publicly that I am one of those people who are not in favour of having a heavy penalty placed upon a relative of a non-attender in communities. Quite the contrary, Madam Chairperson. In my culture, we have never penalized or punished anyone for their wrong behaviour. I think we have to try and get feedback from the communities on what is working and what is not. One area that I was told about, one of the penalties - I understand I can speak to that - I support is a parent of a non-attender should not be a part of the local education council, and should be removed from that body in the community. The monetary penalties and other penalties, I am not in favour of.
I think we can prescribe something in the community and have, to a degree, some penalties that the people in the small communities can handle. This is sufficient as long as it has nothing to do with having to place a heavy penalty on a parent or having a jail term. I think that is a bit heavy. Having listened to some people and talked about what is working and what is not, I think compulsory education as we know it has never worked in the past in the small communities where local teaching staff is related to everyone in the community and where the local education council is related to everyone in the community, where a person who is charged with the responsibility of talking to parents of non-attenders is related to everyone in the community. There is little hope of having whatever penalty being enforced in the community. I think we have to step back a bit, reassess the situation and come up with something that can, in fact, work in the community. I hope the Minister will now communicate with communities and see what is working and what is not. Thank you.