Good Luck Mr President

SOUTH Africa has finally emerged from the nightmare years of Zuma presidency.

To the end, Mr Zuma demeaned the people of South Africa and the oath he took to uphold the constitution by claiming that he did not know what he had done wrong. Well the vast majority of South Africans, not least the most vulnerable people living in dire poverty, know what he has done wrong. Our hope, Mr Zuma, is that Lady Justice is coming for you, and all those who assisted you in your self-enrichment project.

As President Cyril Ramaphosa delivered the Sona address in parliament on Friday, I was beyond grateful that it was not being delivered by either Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma or Jacob Zuma.

I think our new President genuinely has the best interests of all South Africans at heart. He will work hard and deploy the best people to mend our broken institutions and put our country on a path to recovery. We surely all wish him well in the mammoth task. Only in the sphere of his comments in the Sona on education do I disagree.

Zuma’s announcement of free tertiary education has thrown a real spanner into the works.

I know the young beneficiaries of this announcement will be howling with outrage that I hold such an opinion. But let me explain.

Every cent we can spend on education is money well spent. But, in SA there are other dire necessities too – social development, improved health services and housing to name a few.

And we have to cut our cloth according to our means. We do not have an unlimited budget for education because our country is in serious debt. So whatever we have must be wisely and carefully spent. Basic education is in crisis. The matric pass rate is nothing to be proud of. Sadly, many of the youth emerging with a Grade 12 certificate are just not prepared for tertiary education (or the job market). They cannot read with comprehension, write without mistakes or do basic calculations.

For the most part, basic education facilities are totally inadequate. A child drowned in a pit toilet.

I taught maths and statistics to first-year university students for most of my working life. The firstyear failure rate is so high precisely because students come so ill-prepared to deal with both the content and pace of tertiary level. Failure rates of 40% represent such a waste of resources. So I say available budget should prioritise basic education.

No doubt, our challenges are many here in SA. But with President Ramaphosa in charge, there is optimism and above all, hope. Good luck Mr President! — Joyce Miles, East London