Use LO to life skills and trades

WHILE our universities go up in flames and moves are afoot to increase the permissible drinking age from 18 to 21, I wish to address more pressing issues in the formative years of high school education.

I have always been a fierce advocate that life orientation should include road safety, swimming and health and sex education. In South Africa there are an estimated 2 000 drownings a year, 600 of them children; 87% are African South Africans.

Every student should also be given the opportunity to write a learner driver’s test.

Sex education should reduce the problem of unwanted pregnancies, HIV/ Aids and STIs.

Physical education has been non-existent in our schools since 1994 and the prognosis for obesity is real – 50% of SA school children are not physically active enough.

While on the issue of secondary education, I would like to moot the idea for more speciality schools from Grade 10 to 12.

Besides the limited technical model, we should have hospitality and computer schools.

A student would finish school with a certificate of competence in a chosen field which would be recognised as the equivalent of possibly studying for a year at university.

Internships could then be negotiated with business corporates.

Trade schools would go a long way towards easing the queue for university admissions and equip pupils for the rigours of a job or profession.

KEVIN GOVENDER

Shallcross