The Vision for the school
Speaking on the eve of Matthew Goniwe's memorial lecture, Advocate Thulani Makhubela paid tribute to the former anti-apartheid activist, Eastern Cape-born school teacher and one of the Cradock Four.
Makhubela, CEO of the Matthew Goniwe School of Leadership and Governance (MGSLG), said the struggle stalwart was a strategic thinker, unifier and dedicated educator who was passionate about social transformation.
He said these were the ethos and values that informed the vision and strategic direction of the MGSLG as it carried out its mission to develop learning and teaching in Gauteng and across South Africa, particularly in mathematics and natural sciences.
“Our vision is to ensure that the legacy of this gallant son of the soil, a leader of society after whom our institution is named, remains relevant, that his teaching and passion for education is shared with all South Africans and people of the world,” said Makhubela.
“The core values of MGSLG are the driving force behind our ability to develop and deliver cutting-edge, capacity-building programmes to improve the quality of education of South Africans.”
He said MGSLG has been honoured by the name “Matthew Goniwe” and it is fitting to continue honouring, commemorating and carrying forward the legacy of the activist and educator.
Makhubela said while the improvement of the maths and science curriculums in schools and teacher development was critical, the organisation needs to ensure every learner and teacher comes out on top through training and continuous development, including the use of ICT resources and infrastructure.
“As the teacher-learner and School Governing Body training and development institute for the Gauteng Department of Education, we play an integral role in ensuring that our schools produce a well-rounded learner through the various programmes that we offer.”
The MGSLG is a Johannesburg-based Section 21 company initiated by the Gauteng Department
of Education and it supports leadership and governance development in Gauteng through research and advice on policy.
Outlining the organisation's priorities, Makhubela said Gauteng MEC for Education Panyaza Lesufi has tasked MGSLG to set in motion the process of getting registered as an Institute of Higher Education by 2023.
“This is one of the critical projects that we are seized with. Together with this, we have also set ourselves a goal to diversify our revenue and extend our footprint beyond the borders of Gauteng,” said Makhubela.
“Amongst others, these are some of the programmes we are embarking on between now and 2024.”
ICT is critical to overall development, learning and teaching in schools, despite Covid-19 disruptions in schooling. “Through our ICT programme at schools, we have assisted in ensuring that teaching and learning are not adversely affected by the pandemic that the world is facing,” he said.
One of the core values of the organisation has been to entrench the use of ICT to educate, empower and innovate.
In appreciation of Matthew Goniwe's legacy,
MGLSG is also set to establish a scholarship fund in his name.
The scholarship aims to provide an opportunity for educators to continue empowering themselves in postgraduate education with a specialisation in leadership and management.
A United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization report found that subSaharan Africa required an additional 6,3 million teachers if it was to attain universal primary education by 2030.
The organisation also said that research by the Centre for Development and Enterprise forecast that South Africa would need to have 456,000 teachers by 2025 to offer quality education. With around 410,000 teachers in over 25,000 schools teaching over 12,9 million pupils, South Africa does not produce enough teachers to meet the supply and demand.
The MGSLG said it was against this background that the Matthew Goniwe Scholarship Fund was established.
“The MGSLG is well-positioned to become a pioneering vehicle for improving the quality of teacher training, school management and overall educational outcomes in South African education,” said Makhubela.