Unlock doors of learning

THE Weekend Argus, May 13, report that the minister of basic education cannot do anything about high fees at private and public schools is fascinating, in that it reveals the hypocrisy of the government.

How is it that the government can impose limitations on business enterprises, including employment quotas and tax on profits, yet cannot regulate the cost of schooling?

The people don’t decide in a referendum what level of tax they should pay. The government does that very nicely, thank you!

The minister admits even public school fees are too high. She suggests provincial governments cap public school fees.

She also says if a pupil qualifies, he or she cannot be excluded because of unaffordability. But what is required to qualify?

Pupils now have to go for an interview before being accepted at certain high schools.

If they do well in water polo, swimming, rugby or soccer they might even qualify automatically, and often candidates who demonstrate such sporting excellence are given preference.

Even pupils whose parents have invested in a school from the early childhood development stage are not sure of admission to their high school of choice.

A matter that should receive urgent government attention, because we elect the government to protect the most vulnerable, is the obvious selection of pupils by a school to ensure that it has a good matric pass rate.

Only the best performers at primary school are admitted so that the school can boast a 100% matric pass. What about the struggling child who has a right to be exposed to the best facilities and teachers? Or is the system catering for teachers who are not able to teach struggling pupils? It’s probably easier to get results when the pupils are already academically advanced.

The government should not only prescribe the curriculum but also the school fees, if fees should be paid at all. It is the state’s duty to ensure its citizens are adequately educated, and that all pupils receive the same high standard of education.

The economic status of parents should not determine whether a future nuclear physicist, president, or philosopher goes to a particular school.

What is meant by the credo that the doors of learning shall be open? The government should be encouraged to unlock the doors of learning, rather than hide behind capitalist imperatives.

The minister should know it is quite possible for the government to change any law that hinders access to education. The government should be more creative.