CALL FOR DEPARTMENTS TO COOPERATE
SENIOR lecturer and researcher at Unisa Dr Moeketsi Letseka has called for a coalition between the departments of health, social development and basic education to eradicate and address problems in the education system, in particular the early childhood development sector.
He said these departments were naturally linked because they dealt with the overall wellbeing of a child. “At the moment, they are behaving like boys and girls, just flirting with each other and not really talking to each other,” Letseka said.
He called for a strict vetting process when hiring and appointing people in strategic government positions.
“We are good at churning out white papers and policies. That’s all good but it becomes worthless if all these [policies] aren’t being implemented. It means that we are working at zero. This means we need to evaluate the people we put in positions of power as they are the ones that need to impose the policies that they make,” Letseka explained.
Max Boqwana, CEO of the Thabo Mbeki Foundation, drew a contrast between SA’s quality of education and that of its international counterparts, suggesting that South Africa should learn from Zimbabwe. “We can draw inspiration from Zimbabwe ’ s education system. Zimbabweans can compete internationally but I’m not sure if we are able to do that,” Boqwana said.
Professor Hasina Ebrahim from Unisa, who specialises in early childhood development, criticised the current system for being academics-heavy in the lower grades. She said preGrade R education required a holistic approach to teaching children.
“We need to focus more on the development areas of children from their birth up to the age of nine. Let’s look at things like their health, emotional growth, self-control ... and teach them how to learn. At the moment, our teachers are being told to teach children how to write and read. That is not enough. We must act before we run out of time.”
Sadtu deputy general secretary Nkosana Dolopi applauded the government for providing some funding to township schools and giving all races access to former Model C schools, which was unheard of under the apartheid government.