Date: 25/11/2002
Source: Ministry of Education
Title: Asmal: Education Convention
ADDRESS BY PROFESSOR KADER ASMAL, MP, MINISTER OF EDUCATION, AT THE EDUCATION CONVENTION, Port Elizabeth, 25 27 November 2002
Chairperson
International guests
Fellow teachers and colleagues
This is an historic and defining moment in the development of education in South Africa.
We have many structures and spaces that have been created for dialogue between the organised teaching profession and the government. To list just some of them:
* We have the Education Labour Relations Council - a finely tuned collective bargaining structure, that leads its field, certainly within the public service;
* We have the South African Council for Educators, in which the profession is dominant;
* There is the ETDP SETA, a skills development body, with equal representation from employers and employees;
* We have the national School Governing Body Forum, which should reflect the views of teachers as well as parents and students, and yet which continually purports to represent only the parents of our children;
* There are regular formal consultations on policy issues, which go as deep as the secondment of six teacher union representatives into my Department, for curriculum and teacher development purposes;
* The regular meetings between the Minister or Director General and the unions, either collectively or bilaterally, must be listed, and of course,
* The occasional meetings with union leaders, on specific issues, the most recent of which took place in my dining room, with me in my dressing gown.
Many of these structures are replicated at a provincial level; with regular dialogue between the political an executive leadership of the province. I would hope that these open relations are also pursued at Regional and District levels, with higher levels of specificity, and the ability to resolve matters before they are elevated to a provincial or national level. This collaborative relationship must also exist at an institutional level, between principals, who represent the education authorities in schools, and teachers, who are employed to undertake the core business of the organisation.
But despite the many opportunities for dialogue that do exist - few have been as sustained for as long as this convention, and none as sharply focused on the issues of quality and access. Also, we must acknowledge that few of these forums have been so non-sectarian. Most of these discussions have taken place within the congresses of teacher unions, or perhaps in policy conferences of political parties. These do not necessarily confine debate, but certainly set some parameters about what is said and how. There should be no such boundaries here, and I therefore welcome this opportunity, and wish to compliment the parties to the Education Labour Relations Council for agreeing to convene the convention.
The convention is not intended as an opportunity to air our grievances or complaints. I appreciated the recent Sowetan headline about this convention, which read: "State, unions hunker down". I think it captures the sense that we must all take responsibility for where we are. Indeed if we are to accept some of the credit for the remarkable changes we have wrought as a country and as education, then we must also take responsibility for any failings. Government is not a foreign body; we can only represent your aspirations, your will, and we can only achieve these aspirations with your co-operation.
And in this regard we must all share some of the blame for having condoned or covered up for the under-performance of our colleagues. Often it is done for good reasons, comradely reasons, because we want to protect someone, and we must respect these sentiments, especially where people are vulnerable. But we cannot condone such approaches: government has other welfare nets, and the public service must never be used for sheltered employment. Our people deserve the best, and we betray them by not giving of our best, and ensuring that every colleague of ours does likewise.
It is therefore a great pleasure to open a conference whose declared aim is to ensure the provision of quality education to all. This is a valiant aim, and one, which ensures consensus - there should be no South African who does not wish for this. Of course getting there is the harder part. To do so, we must at least emerge from this convention with a commitment to an equitable and transparent quality management system, which guarantees for the public that what we provide is worth their investment. An integrated mechanism to promote, manage and ensure quality at all levels must be found and used. We cannot allow for more excuses, delays or prevarication on this matter.
I therefore appreciate greatly the fact that we are facing this challenge "in committee', as it were. Government and unions, face to face, with each other, and with the common challenges we face in the challenging documents before us. I am confident that the closed debates will create an environment in which we are honest with each other, and also with ourselves. It is a precious moment for reflection and introspection, secure in the knowledge that we do so in a professional supportive environment, where no recriminations or consequences will follow, except those we all wish for.
The definition of quality is always a problem. We have a good sense of what it is not, but less idea of what exactly it is. We know it when we see it, but often find it difficult to describe, for so often it is the intangible, the undefined ethos of an institution, which makes it good. It is about the experience of a learner in a school - the degree of alienation and integration, the extent to which the school respects the identity of the child. The people, the culture, and the climate - these are what shape an institution, and they are all impossible to quantify.
For this reason we are clear that quality is not reflected in the various league tables which are published - the top 100 schools which capture the headlines. Quality is not about new buildings and expensive facilities, or in examination results alone. Nine matric exemptions may get a candidate and the school five minutes of fame, but the enduring quality of the education will only be measured in years to come, when we are able to assess what mark their pupils make in the world.
For us, quality in education is a combination of many factors - all of which will be under the spotlight in this convention. Some have tried to quantify the relative weighting of different factors, but even this is unsatisfactory. I believe we can only say that true quality resides in those less well-resourced schools, which have defied their social origins, and risen to produce girls and boys who stand tall among the leaders of the world. Schools like Ohlange and Harold Cressey, which have improved against all odds, and produced so many of the men and women who lead this country today, will remain in our minds. Materially poor, they were environments that were rich in debate, in democracy. These are the schools we recognise and applaud in our "Most Improved Schools" Awards, which we make every year.
We must all strive to emulate these institutions, but understanding that it was not something special about the place that gave them quality - it was the people inside them. Teachers who had a passion for teaching, before school, and long after the final bell had gone. Students who yearned to study late into the night, even when there were only candles to burn. Principals who cared for their pupils, nurtured their unfolding talents, and convinced them that they could do whatever they wanted.
There are many schools and teachers and principals like that. Perhaps that is how most are. But I fear that we have done ourselves a grave disservice, by speaking badly of the profession, discouraging children from becoming teachers, being negative in our approach. We must combine our forces to reach out to young children, and encourage them to take up teaching. We must hold our heads high - proud to be South African, and especially proud to be a teacher! I look forward to joining with you on a Road Show early next year, a celebration of the profession, which is currently being planned.
As a department we have tried to recapture this indigenous spirit of learning in our values in education initiative. The basis of this initiative is the Manifesto on Values, Democracy and Education - a world first in so many ways. This source document identifies and promotes the core elements of our Constitution - equality, justice and dignity. These values are supported by numerous other practices- democracy, respect for our national symbols, respect for others, especially those in legitimate authority, and self-respect. The aim of the initiative is to develop among pupils a deep sense of pride in this country, and a respect for every one of its people. A pride and respect, which compels learners to learn, so that they can contribute to our greater good.
The initiative has a number of legislative components, including the banning of corporal punishment and harmful initiations, but these only provide an enabling environment for values, and are not the essence of the approach, which is persuasive rather than prescriptive.
Our major efforts are therefore in the form of campaigns - for safe schools, for school beautification, and for specific initiatives around gender violence. The flagship project is the South African History Project - a dynamic organisation, which has set about recording and celebrating our extraordinary heritage as Africans and South Africans, and promoted more and better teaching of history in schools. A new mood is emerging which is recognising the intellectual and market value of the arts and social sciences, and we must never allow technology to dull our appreciation for these. I announced recently that I have secured from UNESCO permission to publish the nine volumes "History of Africa", which will be a major contribution to our store of knowledge about ourselves.
The revised National Curriculum Statement is of course our major instrument for the promotion of values. In the revision process a special Working Group was established to scrutinise every learning area statement, in order to pursue the overall agenda of human rights and democracy in education. That is why we have an emphasis on diversity and multilingualism, why we have Religion Education, and why we deal with sexuality from an early age. These are essential ingredients for growing up in South Africa, and any child denied these is being denied the right to a full life.
This then is the quality of the system, which we must strive to build. Yet we have inherited enormous backlogs in physical resources and amenities. We have inherited teachers who were not well trained, and who struggle to take advantage of the enormous opportunities presented under a democratised education system, with an outcome based curriculum. We have managers at every level of the system who lack the skills, and sometimes the will, to assist schools in their difficult task.
And we addressing these as best we can - perhaps not quick enough for all, but in a systematic and planned manner, that will ensure maximum resources, and optimum efficiency. We are building new schools in the poorest areas - innovative multi-purpose centres, able to accommodate children with special needs, with full sporting facilities, and equipped with resources for learning, including books and computers.
We are training teachers- thousands each year, and we have seen a decline in the number of under-qualified teachers, and an increase in the overall qualifications level. Teachers of Maths or Science have been given bursaries to study. Some of the Cuban tutors have been here since September, and a larger group will join them early next year, to work with our teachers. We have also trained managers and officials in various ways. Earlier this year we sent a large group of College principals to England for an extended internship programme. These programmes are all contributors to improved quality, and we will see the benefits through the system in years to come. But none of these can hide the reality of much work to be done on so many fronts. Besides schools, Colleges and universities, we must attend urgently to opportunities and incentives for adults to learn - even beyond the public ABET Centres which have now been established. We have not yet won the war, and many battles still remain.
But none of these must distract us from the fundamental job of doing whatever we can to improve the educational base of our country. The Human Resource Development Strategy of Government describes the education of our children as the foundation of a skilled nation - and without this foundation neither the intermediate skills of further education or the knowledge production in higher education, can be achieved. Sustained social and economic growth is dependent upon all three tiers of education, each building upon the former.
This educational development is not just about narrow skills- the technical know-how to build or fix something. Growth depends upon the innovators in society, the thinkers, the artists, and the conceptualisers, who think "outside the box", in the new terminology, to dream up the ideas. And sustaining this growth requires the participation of scribes, analysts, recorders - the historians and philosophers who try to make sense of the world in which we live and work. All our people have a contribution to make - each comprises a thread in the huge and complex fabric of life. And if we neglect any one thread, the fabric unravels, and "things fall apart".
Next week, I will be attending the Seventh annual meeting of MINEDAF; the Ministers of Education in Africa. UNESCO has requested two of our officials to lead a Round Table discussion of Lifelong Education and Citizenship Education - a symptom of the constructive leadership role, which we are trying to play in this organisation, and in Africa. As unions, you also have affiliations throughout the continent, and we would hope that our collective efforts might ensure that some of the positive changes, which have taken place in South Africa, are shared throughout Africa.
This leadership role is no less applicable to the world as a whole. It was reported recently that the rand has become the world's best performing currency this year, when it overtook even the Norwegian Krone, which is buoyed by huge reserves of North Sea oil. We may disagree on what has produced this economic strength, but whatever the cause we must celebrate and share this success.
Another world first will be taking place later this week, when a South African will take the stage at the UN World Aids Day event in New York. She is a bright and lively young girl, who is also HIV positive. She is a Kami - the latest character is Takalani Sesame Street - and she will be showing the world how we in South Africa are taking the lead in promoting love and acceptance of people infected or affected by HIV and AIDS. I might add that the US had to find a special loophole to allow an HIV positive person into the country; a symptom of the intolerance and prejudice, which faces such people in many countries.
I therefore welcome this opportunity to join with you to reflect on what has been, what is, and what should be. We have made huge progress in eradicating some of the worst excesses of apartheid, but we must have no illusions about the deep and lasting impact that these have had in the minds of people. Political and economic freedoms are often held up as being the two big challenges we face, but the liberation of the mind is the ultimate goal, and this is the task of education. So where changes are needed, let us agree on how we will make them happen, and what role each of us will play. And let us agree to meet again, perhaps in three years time, to account for our responsibilities, to each other, and to the public, whose education we provide.
In conclusion, let me wish you all well for the discussions that lie ahead. You have a huge task before you, and I look forward to the eventual declaration, which will emerge. The public has been alerted to this event, and will be looking forward to its outcomes, and we must not disappoint them. If you do your job well, you will be able to take a good break, knowing that we have secured a platform for further improvement, and stand ready to start the New Year with a renewed sense of purpose, and a commitment to make our contributions count.
I thank you, and have pleasure in declaring this Convention open.
Issued by Ministry of Education
25 November 2002
Source: Ministry of Education
Title: Asmal: Education Convention
ADDRESS BY PROFESSOR KADER ASMAL, MP, MINISTER OF EDUCATION, AT THE EDUCATION CONVENTION, Port Elizabeth, 25 27 November 2002
Chairperson
International guests
Fellow teachers and colleagues
This is an historic and defining moment in the development of education in South Africa.
We have many structures and spaces that have been created for dialogue between the organised teaching profession and the government. To list just some of them:
* We have the Education Labour Relations Council - a finely tuned collective bargaining structure, that leads its field, certainly within the public service;
* We have the South African Council for Educators, in which the profession is dominant;
* There is the ETDP SETA, a skills development body, with equal representation from employers and employees;
* We have the national School Governing Body Forum, which should reflect the views of teachers as well as parents and students, and yet which continually purports to represent only the parents of our children;
* There are regular formal consultations on policy issues, which go as deep as the secondment of six teacher union representatives into my Department, for curriculum and teacher development purposes;
* The regular meetings between the Minister or Director General and the unions, either collectively or bilaterally, must be listed, and of course,
* The occasional meetings with union leaders, on specific issues, the most recent of which took place in my dining room, with me in my dressing gown.
Many of these structures are replicated at a provincial level; with regular dialogue between the political an executive leadership of the province. I would hope that these open relations are also pursued at Regional and District levels, with higher levels of specificity, and the ability to resolve matters before they are elevated to a provincial or national level. This collaborative relationship must also exist at an institutional level, between principals, who represent the education authorities in schools, and teachers, who are employed to undertake the core business of the organisation.
But despite the many opportunities for dialogue that do exist - few have been as sustained for as long as this convention, and none as sharply focused on the issues of quality and access. Also, we must acknowledge that few of these forums have been so non-sectarian. Most of these discussions have taken place within the congresses of teacher unions, or perhaps in policy conferences of political parties. These do not necessarily confine debate, but certainly set some parameters about what is said and how. There should be no such boundaries here, and I therefore welcome this opportunity, and wish to compliment the parties to the Education Labour Relations Council for agreeing to convene the convention.
The convention is not intended as an opportunity to air our grievances or complaints. I appreciated the recent Sowetan headline about this convention, which read: "State, unions hunker down". I think it captures the sense that we must all take responsibility for where we are. Indeed if we are to accept some of the credit for the remarkable changes we have wrought as a country and as education, then we must also take responsibility for any failings. Government is not a foreign body; we can only represent your aspirations, your will, and we can only achieve these aspirations with your co-operation.
And in this regard we must all share some of the blame for having condoned or covered up for the under-performance of our colleagues. Often it is done for good reasons, comradely reasons, because we want to protect someone, and we must respect these sentiments, especially where people are vulnerable. But we cannot condone such approaches: government has other welfare nets, and the public service must never be used for sheltered employment. Our people deserve the best, and we betray them by not giving of our best, and ensuring that every colleague of ours does likewise.
It is therefore a great pleasure to open a conference whose declared aim is to ensure the provision of quality education to all. This is a valiant aim, and one, which ensures consensus - there should be no South African who does not wish for this. Of course getting there is the harder part. To do so, we must at least emerge from this convention with a commitment to an equitable and transparent quality management system, which guarantees for the public that what we provide is worth their investment. An integrated mechanism to promote, manage and ensure quality at all levels must be found and used. We cannot allow for more excuses, delays or prevarication on this matter.
I therefore appreciate greatly the fact that we are facing this challenge "in committee', as it were. Government and unions, face to face, with each other, and with the common challenges we face in the challenging documents before us. I am confident that the closed debates will create an environment in which we are honest with each other, and also with ourselves. It is a precious moment for reflection and introspection, secure in the knowledge that we do so in a professional supportive environment, where no recriminations or consequences will follow, except those we all wish for.
The definition of quality is always a problem. We have a good sense of what it is not, but less idea of what exactly it is. We know it when we see it, but often find it difficult to describe, for so often it is the intangible, the undefined ethos of an institution, which makes it good. It is about the experience of a learner in a school - the degree of alienation and integration, the extent to which the school respects the identity of the child. The people, the culture, and the climate - these are what shape an institution, and they are all impossible to quantify.
For this reason we are clear that quality is not reflected in the various league tables which are published - the top 100 schools which capture the headlines. Quality is not about new buildings and expensive facilities, or in examination results alone. Nine matric exemptions may get a candidate and the school five minutes of fame, but the enduring quality of the education will only be measured in years to come, when we are able to assess what mark their pupils make in the world.
For us, quality in education is a combination of many factors - all of which will be under the spotlight in this convention. Some have tried to quantify the relative weighting of different factors, but even this is unsatisfactory. I believe we can only say that true quality resides in those less well-resourced schools, which have defied their social origins, and risen to produce girls and boys who stand tall among the leaders of the world. Schools like Ohlange and Harold Cressey, which have improved against all odds, and produced so many of the men and women who lead this country today, will remain in our minds. Materially poor, they were environments that were rich in debate, in democracy. These are the schools we recognise and applaud in our "Most Improved Schools" Awards, which we make every year.
We must all strive to emulate these institutions, but understanding that it was not something special about the place that gave them quality - it was the people inside them. Teachers who had a passion for teaching, before school, and long after the final bell had gone. Students who yearned to study late into the night, even when there were only candles to burn. Principals who cared for their pupils, nurtured their unfolding talents, and convinced them that they could do whatever they wanted.
There are many schools and teachers and principals like that. Perhaps that is how most are. But I fear that we have done ourselves a grave disservice, by speaking badly of the profession, discouraging children from becoming teachers, being negative in our approach. We must combine our forces to reach out to young children, and encourage them to take up teaching. We must hold our heads high - proud to be South African, and especially proud to be a teacher! I look forward to joining with you on a Road Show early next year, a celebration of the profession, which is currently being planned.
As a department we have tried to recapture this indigenous spirit of learning in our values in education initiative. The basis of this initiative is the Manifesto on Values, Democracy and Education - a world first in so many ways. This source document identifies and promotes the core elements of our Constitution - equality, justice and dignity. These values are supported by numerous other practices- democracy, respect for our national symbols, respect for others, especially those in legitimate authority, and self-respect. The aim of the initiative is to develop among pupils a deep sense of pride in this country, and a respect for every one of its people. A pride and respect, which compels learners to learn, so that they can contribute to our greater good.
The initiative has a number of legislative components, including the banning of corporal punishment and harmful initiations, but these only provide an enabling environment for values, and are not the essence of the approach, which is persuasive rather than prescriptive.
Our major efforts are therefore in the form of campaigns - for safe schools, for school beautification, and for specific initiatives around gender violence. The flagship project is the South African History Project - a dynamic organisation, which has set about recording and celebrating our extraordinary heritage as Africans and South Africans, and promoted more and better teaching of history in schools. A new mood is emerging which is recognising the intellectual and market value of the arts and social sciences, and we must never allow technology to dull our appreciation for these. I announced recently that I have secured from UNESCO permission to publish the nine volumes "History of Africa", which will be a major contribution to our store of knowledge about ourselves.
The revised National Curriculum Statement is of course our major instrument for the promotion of values. In the revision process a special Working Group was established to scrutinise every learning area statement, in order to pursue the overall agenda of human rights and democracy in education. That is why we have an emphasis on diversity and multilingualism, why we have Religion Education, and why we deal with sexuality from an early age. These are essential ingredients for growing up in South Africa, and any child denied these is being denied the right to a full life.
This then is the quality of the system, which we must strive to build. Yet we have inherited enormous backlogs in physical resources and amenities. We have inherited teachers who were not well trained, and who struggle to take advantage of the enormous opportunities presented under a democratised education system, with an outcome based curriculum. We have managers at every level of the system who lack the skills, and sometimes the will, to assist schools in their difficult task.
And we addressing these as best we can - perhaps not quick enough for all, but in a systematic and planned manner, that will ensure maximum resources, and optimum efficiency. We are building new schools in the poorest areas - innovative multi-purpose centres, able to accommodate children with special needs, with full sporting facilities, and equipped with resources for learning, including books and computers.
We are training teachers- thousands each year, and we have seen a decline in the number of under-qualified teachers, and an increase in the overall qualifications level. Teachers of Maths or Science have been given bursaries to study. Some of the Cuban tutors have been here since September, and a larger group will join them early next year, to work with our teachers. We have also trained managers and officials in various ways. Earlier this year we sent a large group of College principals to England for an extended internship programme. These programmes are all contributors to improved quality, and we will see the benefits through the system in years to come. But none of these can hide the reality of much work to be done on so many fronts. Besides schools, Colleges and universities, we must attend urgently to opportunities and incentives for adults to learn - even beyond the public ABET Centres which have now been established. We have not yet won the war, and many battles still remain.
But none of these must distract us from the fundamental job of doing whatever we can to improve the educational base of our country. The Human Resource Development Strategy of Government describes the education of our children as the foundation of a skilled nation - and without this foundation neither the intermediate skills of further education or the knowledge production in higher education, can be achieved. Sustained social and economic growth is dependent upon all three tiers of education, each building upon the former.
This educational development is not just about narrow skills- the technical know-how to build or fix something. Growth depends upon the innovators in society, the thinkers, the artists, and the conceptualisers, who think "outside the box", in the new terminology, to dream up the ideas. And sustaining this growth requires the participation of scribes, analysts, recorders - the historians and philosophers who try to make sense of the world in which we live and work. All our people have a contribution to make - each comprises a thread in the huge and complex fabric of life. And if we neglect any one thread, the fabric unravels, and "things fall apart".
Next week, I will be attending the Seventh annual meeting of MINEDAF; the Ministers of Education in Africa. UNESCO has requested two of our officials to lead a Round Table discussion of Lifelong Education and Citizenship Education - a symptom of the constructive leadership role, which we are trying to play in this organisation, and in Africa. As unions, you also have affiliations throughout the continent, and we would hope that our collective efforts might ensure that some of the positive changes, which have taken place in South Africa, are shared throughout Africa.
This leadership role is no less applicable to the world as a whole. It was reported recently that the rand has become the world's best performing currency this year, when it overtook even the Norwegian Krone, which is buoyed by huge reserves of North Sea oil. We may disagree on what has produced this economic strength, but whatever the cause we must celebrate and share this success.
Another world first will be taking place later this week, when a South African will take the stage at the UN World Aids Day event in New York. She is a bright and lively young girl, who is also HIV positive. She is a Kami - the latest character is Takalani Sesame Street - and she will be showing the world how we in South Africa are taking the lead in promoting love and acceptance of people infected or affected by HIV and AIDS. I might add that the US had to find a special loophole to allow an HIV positive person into the country; a symptom of the intolerance and prejudice, which faces such people in many countries.
I therefore welcome this opportunity to join with you to reflect on what has been, what is, and what should be. We have made huge progress in eradicating some of the worst excesses of apartheid, but we must have no illusions about the deep and lasting impact that these have had in the minds of people. Political and economic freedoms are often held up as being the two big challenges we face, but the liberation of the mind is the ultimate goal, and this is the task of education. So where changes are needed, let us agree on how we will make them happen, and what role each of us will play. And let us agree to meet again, perhaps in three years time, to account for our responsibilities, to each other, and to the public, whose education we provide.
In conclusion, let me wish you all well for the discussions that lie ahead. You have a huge task before you, and I look forward to the eventual declaration, which will emerge. The public has been alerted to this event, and will be looking forward to its outcomes, and we must not disappoint them. If you do your job well, you will be able to take a good break, knowing that we have secured a platform for further improvement, and stand ready to start the New Year with a renewed sense of purpose, and a commitment to make our contributions count.
I thank you, and have pleasure in declaring this Convention open.
Issued by Ministry of Education
25 November 2002
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