Maimane claims GET certificate is fostering ‘Bantu education’
BUILD One South Africa (Bosa) president Mmusi Maimane has demanded the scrapping of the General Education and Training Certificate (GETC), slamming it as “Bantu Education Certificate” during his visit at a community hall in Pimville, Soweto, on Tuesday.
GETC was formed by the Basic Education Department, allowing Grade 9 learners to exit school and enter the working world. The certificate provides alternative options to enter the job market, with skills and recognised certification, and to pursue skill-related jobs, instead of the matric and university route. GETC will be recognised as level one under the National Qualifications Framework (NQF).
Maimane blamed the ANC for an archaic education system, saying that “Bantu Education Certificate” encouraged the ideologies of former prime minister Hendrik Verwoerd, according to which black people should remain in low-skilled careers.
“Today, the ANC government is in effect determined to mirror this policy through its ‘Bantu Education Certificate’. It limits young, mainly black South Africans to either low-skilled jobs, or unemployment,” he said.
He added that the “Bantu Education Certificate was a sinister attempt by the ANC government to erase the school drop-out problem by issuing a new certificate at Grade 9. It must be stopped immediately,” Maimane said.
Under the governance of Bosa, Maimane pledged to provide an improved, competitive and quality education system that would equip young people with skills to compete globally, and contribute to the economy and social needs of South Africa.
Maimane said Bosa policies would abandon the 30% pass rate. “Learners must excel in their education, especially for maths and science subjects, and extend programmes for under-performing learners to enforce learners to be competitive in the job market and entrepreneurship.”
Bosa would create an independent education ombudsman, strengthen security in schools, and prioritise budget for digital learning and infrastructure. Among other policies, it would form a school grant worth R15 000 annually, based on the current cost to educate a child, to assist parents to fund their children’s education in nearby schools, or reinvest the money for private schooling, Maimane said.