Active citizenry the key to preventing destructive protests
We must reclaim community ownership of public property, writes
LOSERS: Pupils stand to lose even more if society does not help to rebuild the schools destroyed in Limpopo
THE nature of the unrest in Vuwani, in Limpopo’s Vhembe district, has tested the extent to which school governing bodies are rooted in their communities and their ability to courageously navigate complex social issues. While we should acknowledge that in the midst of social unrest, personal security issues deterred people from reacting, there were some parents and school governing bodies that quickly mobilised community resources to guard their schools.
This is the silver lining to the Vuwani cloud: it presents South Africans with a fresh challenge to examine ourselves and explore ways in which to rebuild a sense of community ownership of public properties such as schools.
The concerns of governing bodies ought to be redirected away from unduly influencing teacher appointments to building effective community participation in education. In fact, strong community participation would not only prevent vandalism and the destruction of schools, but also root out improper governance practices such the “jobs for cash” scandal that has recently surfaced.
This challenge is not only facing schools and communities affected by the violence.
A moral question has emerged: should the government, business and ordinary South Africans help to rebuild the destroyed infrastructure?
Following the announcement of an initiative to set up crowdsourcing aimed at enabling the Vuwani schools to get back on track, the National Education Collaboration Trust and its partners were asked why they were offering support to communities that destroy their own schools.
This is a valid question. It demands national introspection about accountability and a long-term plan regarding social cohesion. And it must be remembered that pupils are the losers in these acts of destruction and stand to lose even more if society does not lend a hand.
The reassuring truth is that there are parents and community members who work selflessly and constructively with organisations such as the National Education Collaboration Trust to improve education for their children, even during times of unrest. These individuals were devastated by the destruction wrought by the protests.
The most logical step is to reinforce the trust established with these “constructive” people. The glimmer of hope offered should be maintained to avoid despondency and encourage those who
Strong community participation would prevent vandalism, the destruction of schools and poor governance
support efforts to improve education.
One way of doing this is to vigorously promote social-compact-building processes around schools and promote the concept of “active citizenry” called for in the National Development Plan.
New modes of community participation need to be explored, embraced and promoted by the government, civil society structures and citizens.
Khosa is CEO of the National Education Collaboration Trust, which has been working with the Vhembe education district for more than two years, investing R61-million of the more than R300-million contributed by business, civil society and the government for school improvement