Transformation should start with young citizens
Government should invest in much needed early childhood development
PROFESSOR Muxe Nkondo in his article “Facing the grim facts of poverty” (Cape Argus , May 7) reminded us that 23 years into democracy, that very little has changed or improved for the vast majority of black and coloured families in South Africa and why radical social and economic transformation must be fast-tracked.
Although the liberation struggle was rooted in a socialist paradigm, the democratic era instead embraced a neo-liberal capitalist agenda which allowed for a massive widening between the rich and poor. The extent of poverty in South Africa is best reflected when we understand that 17 million people of our population of 53 million receive government grants, and more than 11 million children are beneficiaries of child support grants. Recent policy trends also indicate that there were 5.3 million children under the age of 5 years living in households with a per capita income of R604 per month and about 1 million benefiting from existing ECD services. Furthermore, the African Food Security Unit Network at UCT (2015) found over a 5-year study that more than 12 million South Africans go to bed hungry every night. Malnutrition has been identified as the underlying cause of death in 64% of under 5 year olds in South Africa (Cape Times, May 13, 2015). According to the Unicef report (2015) one in five children are stunted, and every year about 75 000 children die before the age of five.Drastic policy measures are therefore required to address the needs of our poorest citizens.
The work of Amartya Sen as pointed out by Prof Nkondo provides a theoretical framework for thinking about poverty, inequality and human development (Clark, 2005). The capability approach as advanced by Sen (1980) argues that they way people function and their capabilities provide them with the freedom to choose the type of lives they want to lead. The question posed by Nkondo is: are most blacks and coloureds poor and deprived because of their choices? Of course not. Sen (1980) argued that the capabilities adults acquire and develop are conditional and dependent on their experiences and functioning as children (Gray, 2014). The experience of the vast majority of South African children is that they go to bed hungry, experience malnutrition and stunting and do not have access to quality ECD services.
The capability approach to well-being and development help us to unpack and evaluate policies and services according to how they impact on people’s capabilities. It asks whether people are being healthy, and whether the resources necessary for this capability, such as clean water, access to medical doctors, protection from infections and diseases, and knowledge on health issues, are present. It asks whether people are well-nourished, and whether the conditions for this capability, such as sufficient food supplies and food entitlements, are met. It asks whether people have access to a high quality education, and to community activities which support them to cope with struggles in daily life (Robeyns, 2003).
The new mantra of radical social and economic transformation could be a smokescreen to appease the masses when wholesale service delivery protests are gripping the country and the government is being rocked from one scandal to another – the SABC and the antics of Hlaudi, SAA and its struggles, Eskom and Brian Molefe in and out as chief executive officer, Sassa and Paymaster Services planning to continue to milk grant beneficiaries.
Radical social and economic transformation must recognise that investment in young children’s development is an investment in human capital. Like Sen, fellow economist and Nobel laureate, Professor James Heckman’s (2003) studies on the benefits of early childhood development, argued that investment in early childhood has a future return of more than 7%, and that young children who are exposed to quality ECD programmes are more likely to complete school, and become gainfully employed in their adult years. He argued that part of the investment will be in the form of future government savings on remedial, rehabilitation, welfare and social security.
Investment in ECD is also recognised as a poverty- reduction strategy and has a positive effect on a child’s ability to succeed in school and later succeed in further qualifications to obtain higher wages in the labour market, and reduce socio-economic inequalities (Sayre et al., 2015).
Let us hope that the government’s new mantra on radical social and economic transformation starts with our youngest citizens who deserve a brighter future. We also hope to see government action on the issues of land repossession, free education, and work opportunities for the masses as indicated by Nkondo.