The result of this year’s general election has placed the governing ANC in its weakest position in three decades. With their votes, South Africans have made it clear that they expect politicians to work towards a better South Africa in partnership with one another – and thus also to improve education. The government of national unity (GNU) is the opportune time to do this. Hopefully it will – and also get nation building on track again.
Thirty years of democracy did not bring effective education to all as was promised in 1994. Instead, the education system in South Africa is characterised by learners’ poor reading ability, deaths in pit toilets, learners who attack one another and even teachers, overcrowded classrooms and a growing dropout rate.
Add to that an outdated curriculum that promotes unemployment because youths are conditioned to expect that someone will give them work, instead of being taught the skills to create their own work.
As a result, our education system should be redesigned in totality. Reimagined is perhaps a better concept. It is about setting principles and values for a fundamentally revised education system in step with the demands of the 21st century.
Fragile unity
The GNU is the ideal opportunity for all who are interested in education to reflect on the way forward. While political parties negotiate over the GNU, two other important discussions have taken place.
In Midrand, panel members at a Solidarity leadership conference agreed that a GNU could have a positive effect on Afrikaans education. The sentiment is that it would be an opportunity for Afrikaans schools (read former Model C schools) to determine their own future because the ANC is now in a position where it is forced to negotiate with other parties.
I would, however, recommend caution. This is a very fragile unity.
Such discussions would not have been missed by the ANC and its alliance partners, Cosatu and the SACP, who were meeting at the other end of the city about their participation (or lack thereof) in the GNU.
The participation of the DA does not sit well with the SACP and Cosatu because of the DA’s “unfair demands” and use of the proposed Basic Education Laws Amendment (Bela) legislation as a bargaining mechanism. Solly Mapaila, secretary-general of the SACP, refers to the “proxies of white monopoly capital”. Strategically it will require some fancy footwork. Already we see an uneasiness within ANC circles.
Bigger picture
In its current form, the Bela legislation gives the Department of Basic Education the final say over a school’s admission and language policy. For some governing bodies this comes down to stripping them of their power.
I beg to differ.
We are talking about 23,000 schools, of which most do not have individuals with the skills to draw up financial statements, budgets and policy statements. The requirement that policies are submitted to the department is not a new thing or a removal of powers. It is rather a matter of good governance that takes into account the conditions at most schools. Checks and balances are required to ensure that no child is disadvantaged. In the past some of these examples ended up in court.
Therefore, if we want to debate the Bela legislation, the focus must be on the bigger picture. We must ask ourselves how it will ensure a seat in the school for every child. A child who is not at school is a risk to all.
It does not help to raise our children apart with the excuse of admission policy while most children are outsiders in their own country. The more children who are on our streets, the greater the chance that they will get involved in illegal activities that affect everyone negatively.
Currently the focus is only on admission and language policy. The Bela legislation is more than that. Some of the 18 sections that have been altered could have served as principles and values of the new educational dispensation that we so badly need. This includes that Grade R becomes compulsory (something educators have long pleaded for), the prosecution of parents who fail to send their children to school, and the amalgamation of former white and black schools in rural areas that have reduced numbers due to urbanisation.
The legislation has already been accepted by Parliament and the National Council of Provinces, but the president has yet to sign it. The GNU provides the opportunity for parties to reflect on the Bela legislation together – to the satisfaction of all.
White monopoly capital
How will the matter of white monopoly capital be addressed in a new education dispensation?
It is widely known that South Africa is the most unequal country in the world. Nowhere is this more obvious than in the education system. I would like to see some of the white monopoly capital find its way to poor schools.
It is fair to negotiate a better dispensation for Afrikaans schools, but let us do it in conjunction with the poor (read coloured) Afrikaans schools. This will remove the sting from the SACP/Cosatu argument that only white people benefit from white monopoly capital and a stable economy. At the same time, it creates greater cohesion within the Afrikaans community, for the election has taught us one thing: we still live separate lives.
This assistance need not only be financial. Skills are sometimes more important than money. Governing bodies at poor schools can benefit from financial training, computer training, training in communication and reading.
A recent report shows that the number of illiterate parents is still underestimated. Big companies have an important role to play in the training of parents in their service, especially if those parents serve on governing bodies. Similarly, affluent schools can invite less affluent neighbouring schools to training sessions. As a former school principal, I know that the department provides training, but it is not nearly sufficient.
Visionary leaders
To give effect to these objectives, South African education requires visionary leaders who put national interests first without harming the individual. Pushing for an order where only your child is safe does not help South Africa. We need schools where all children enjoy equal opportunities for success.
In this way everyone contributes to the country and becomes economically self-sustaining. This, and not handing out alms, is the only way to fight poverty and is only possible if everyone has access to schooling.
If you want to sweep clean, you need a new broom. The appointment of Siviwe Gwarube as the new Minister of Basic Education in the GNU is therefore welcomed. Hopefully she will be able to get rid of the many smelly pit latrines that learners had to endure for so long. In the 15 years that Angie Motshekga had this key portfolio, she failed our learners in this regard.
After the election, President Cyril Ramaphosa said that voters had made it clear that they were tired of political infighting while children sit in crowded classes in mud-brick schools. This while the rest of the world prepares for the 21st century. Ramaphosa and his new Cabinet now have the opportunity to address the inequalities in education within the framework of the GNU once and for all.
Our children deserve no less. DM
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