Stop blaming education crisis on apartheid
THERE is no doubt that Bantu education was inferior to that of whites’ during apartheid, and that funding was skewed towards white schools.
Yet, after 23 years of ANC rule, Angie Motshekga, the Minister of Basic Education, has admitted that South African schools are in what is “akin to a national crisis”.
Funding is no longer a problem as over 6% of GDP is spent on education – more than any other African country. In his 2016 Budget speech, Pravin Gordhan budgeted R297.5 billion for education, of which R205.8bn was allocated to basic education.
Yet our education is in crisis – the excuse being the “legacy of apartheid”. Where does all this money go to? Let’s look at the facts.
In 2014/2015 South Africa’s maths and science ranked last out of 140 countries. In 2015, 213 000 pupils out of nearly 800 000 failed their end-of-year exams (26.6%).
This is apart from the massive dropout rate. More than half of pupils starting in Grade 1 drop out over the 12-year period.
A study last year by Stellenbosch University highlighted these problems: 1. Poor teacher content knowledge, and the inability to impart knowledge effectively. 2. Multiple and continual changes in curriculum and policy, which undermine and demoralise teachers. 3. The fact that Sadtu officials “had captured the education system, and were in fact running education in six provinces”. Sadtu has repeatedly refused the testing and evaluation of teachers’ and principals’ competencies. 4. In many schools, “less than half the official curriculum is covered by the end of the year”. 5. Teacher absenteeism.
The ANC government has had 23 years to rectify these problems and eradicate the “legacy of apartheid”, but has failed miserably. Fix these problems, and we will regain top educational status. Blaming apartheid won’t do it. JR WHITLOCK
Germiston