Education has to be a top priority in South Africa

SINCE 1990, South Africa has made large strides in democracy, freedom for all and human rights, but in certain areas we are still far behind. In education, the marginalised are still being shortchanged, which leads to a lack of opportunity and jobs and a decent life.

According to Ms Vice from Rhodes University, white people should shut-up and keep quiet. Well I don’t agree with her.

When I travel around the townships I have a deep sense of injustice – that a good education and the opportunities that it opens up are sadly lacking.

Lets begin at the beginning in 1994 when, with a great sense of relief, we transformed ourselves into freedom for all nation.

But what did the government of the day do? They paid off all the older teachers from former Model C schools with golden handshakes, with some receiving R1-million and more.

Those teachers and schools should have been used to help the poor schools upgrade themselves.

They should have looked at what was the best we had and replicated it right down the line, so that all could participate in a great education – one that was recognised throughout the great education facilities of the world.

Instead the government of the day tried to bring everyone down to the lowest common denominator.

They closed down the teachers training centres instead of building more, did not assist existing teachers to cope with the growing demands on education.

Shame on you. Twenty years later, the standard has dropped appallingly and I cry for the children who have no school feeding schemes, no transport and no hope.

How can you expect children to walk 20km to school on an empty stomach. Thank God for soup kitchens and the people who support them.

The most appalling aspect is the teachers themselves. A large number of them go on strike at a drop of a hat, or leave school at 11.30am with no care for their pupils. Shame on you.

They also hold teachers’ meetings during school hours. These should be held after school hours. In the former Model C schools this would never have happened, the parents would be have been up in arms.

Those teachers are at school all day, do sport and extra mural activities in the afternoon and that is why their students get such high marks.

When my children were at university I used to look at the children struggling to learn in candlelight, with no extra help, very few books and a lack of any kind of physical comfort.

I used to think how well my little darlings would have done under those circumstances! This is not about black, white or any other colour, this is about fairness and honesty.

As Robert Sobukwe said, “There is no such thing as race, we are all part of the human race”. And so it should be. Look at people for what they are, not for what they look like.

Cry the beloved country, we cannot progress unless we address the education problem urgently.

ANNE KNIGHT, ST FRANCIS BAY