Date: 08/05/2003
Source: Deputy Ministry of Education
Title: Mangena: "Equally Speaking" conference
ADDRESS BY THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF EDUCATION, MR MOSIBUDI MANGENA, AT THE FOURTH EDUCATIONALLY SPEAKING CONFERENCE, Bela Bela, 8 May 2003
TOPIC: WHAT IS WORTH FIGHTING FOR IN OUR SCHOOLS?
Chairperson, Director of the Gauteng Institute for Education Development, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and gentlemen
I have been asked to speak on the topic, "What's worth fighting for in schools", and my first response, at least in relation to the theme of the day which is, "Balancing emotional brilliance with emotional intelligence", is to keep alive the notion that we are all learners, of whatever age and stature, and that we all have something to teach as well. I expect to learn today; I have not come to teach. My second immediate response is to say that I am a pacifist, and the notion of fighting does not appeal to me, especially in the current world climate. But let us understand fighting as struggle, which to my mind includes a range of strategies and tactics, most of them non-violent.
With this understanding, let me share with you some of the things I think are worth fighting for in our schools. There are many things worth fighting for, and there are many things worth fighting against. Not everyone will agree on which is which, or which are the most and least important, so we must accept that this is a debate, which must be kept alive in order to respond to emerging issues. What may be critically important in one phase will not have the same importance in a different time, or even a different place. Much as we are building a national education system, we must never pretend we have an undifferentiated terrain to work in. A school in Mitchell's Plain may exhibit the same strengths and experience the same problems as a school in Soweto, but the sources of the problems may be very different, and the nature of the fight to secure the strengths and eliminate the problems must therefore also differ.
Let me start by saying that I do like the use of the term "our schools" - since one of the things we must fight for is to build the idea that people own schools. They are consciously described in legislation as public schools, and not state schools, to emphasise that the state just manages certain things on behalf of the school communities, but that the schools, and what goes on in them, belong to the public. Many have not yet made this shift, just as they would not assume ownership of other public services, following years of repression through state instruments. We must encourage participation, accountability, receptiveness and responsiveness in the way we relate to communities. I know too many mothers who are afraid to talk to the teacher, and who would never confront a principal about poor quality education.
This is the primary fight, not only in education but also across the country, to get our people involved in the definition and delivery of services by government. Being Proudly South African is easy when things are looking good, like when our teams do well in sport. But it also requires that we stand up when something is done in a way that undermines our national fibre, our spirit, and our morality. When something is done in an un-African way, without pride, without understanding and compassion, we must object. Schools are to become central to the registration campaign for the Child Grant, but I fear how some of our people will be treated in trying to access this basic right. We must fight for dignity and justice in our schools, and communities must be centrally involved in this fight.
It is not to say that these are universally absent in our system. We have more than enough evidence of the remarkably good work that is being done by principals and teachers. The National Teaching Awards, presented each year, are but the tip of a very large pyramid, with many thousands of dedicated teachers forming the base of our large system. We must fight to retain these teachers, and to reward them appropriately for their enormous commitment and effort. The sheer resilience of our teachers, having lived through a redeployment process that saw some 30 000 teachers moved across the country, is remarkable. Thankfully we have completed that, and the labour market is once again vibrant. The introduction of Curriculum 2005 was also a shock to the system, especially for teachers, who tend to be one of the more traditionalist sectors of society. I am glad also to say that the GET revisions are en route - most schools should have received them by now - and that the new statements include Assessment Standards, and are accompanied by Teacher Guides, to make them much more accessible.
From now, our efforts are directed at consolidating the progress we have made, and allowing for the system to stabilise. Various models of organisation, from Circuits to Districts to Regions, or any combination of these, have been tried and retried, but we are now largely settled in this regard. In most parts of the country we have settled into a pattern of normality - schools that function successfully, largely self-managed but driven by national imperatives, and supported by professional advisers and an efficient administration.
We must also fight to recruit more teachers - especially the brightest and the best of our students must be encouraged to consider teaching as a career. Funds for study are increasingly available, with NSFAS loans and grants, provincial bursaries, especially for maths and science oriented programmes, and KwaZulu-Natal is specifically awarding bursaries to rural students. As teachers, we are often our own worst critics, bemoaning the state of the profession, and education in general, and generally advising our own children or those we teach to avoid teaching. We know that there has been some huge demands made on teachers, mostly as a result of necessary steps towards transformation and the building of a national education system, but let us not poison the minds of our young with the idea that this profession is dead.
The Ministry of Education, through the Ministerial Committee on Teacher Education, is mounting a campaign to restore the dignity and pride of the profession, and to encourage scholars and students to register for education studies. At the same time we have also approved a new salary and grading system for teachers, including new career path options, which should certainly work towards retaining the better teachers in the system.
A special mention must go to our school leadership, who have managed to take their schools forward, despite the many obstacles. The simple fact that two years ago we had nearly 2 000 "dysfunctional schools" (achieving below 20% in matric), whereas this year the number is below 500, is at least one indication of the growth at the bottom end of the scale. Effective principals, in many cases deliberately moved to these schools, have responded to the challenge of turning around these institutions, often with seemingly small steps like involving the community, restoring order, and just getting through 7 hours of teaching each day for 196 days a year. Nothing special or dramatic, just old fashioned public service.
At the top end, we are also seeing many more "miracle schools" - isolated and poor, but still achieving outstanding results. Leadership is also key in these cases, either at the district or school level. But no leader can fight without soldiers - the teachers - who fight daily against ignorance, in the best manner they know how. Let us fight to see more of such schools; schools where the recognition and development of the huge talents and abilities which otherwise lie untapped among our children is paramount.
There are also those schools, recognised in the recent Most Improved School Awards", who have taken positive and successful steps towards real racial integration. For us, this is also an important measure of a "functioning South African school", and must be defended where it happens, and fought for where it is not.
Regrettably, this is in stark contrast to a school I visited at the beginning of this school year, which the province proudly took me to for its 100% pass rates. In the full school hall, there was not one student or teacher who was not white and Afrikaans-speaking. I, and the officials with me, constituted the only evidence that there were other kinds of people in this country. For us, this is not a functioning South African school, and one of the things we must fight against is the absurd notion that such a school is a good school. I wonder at the values of departmental officials who view this as a model, and I feel genuine sympathy for those pupils, who will not be able to live in South Africa without suffering great confusion. I am glad to say that this school was not in this province, but the recent Wits EPU Review on the integration of schools in Gauteng suggests the same occurs here, as it does elsewhere.
One constituency, which is good at fighting in its broadest sense, is the students. We have seen them deservedly earn the wrath of the public and the MEC when they trashed the streets of Johannesburg. But it is never wise to underestimate the youth, and we must always respect them for their stands, and try to recognise their motives, even where we may differ on approaches.
Earlier this year, they had a march in Pretoria. We disagreed with the loss of school time, and the fact that Metro-Rail, perhaps fearing damage, provided free transport to Pretoria. But the gist of their message, loosely interpreted as "free education", was driven by very real concerns about the exclusion of poor children from schools, despite the laws and polices designed to protect them. It is the very same concern that has prompted the Department of Education to undertake a study into the Costs and Financing of Education, which is now out for public comment. The issue of fees is central to this investigation, and important data has become available, and we now look forward to vigorous debate on the recommendations. Interestingly, the memorandum presented by the marchers was explicit about the demand that only those parents earning below R4 000 per month should be exempted from school fees: they have also understood the difference between free education, which we cannot provide, and free education for the poor, which we must provide, without exception.
We must therefore also fight for the space for students to speak; they are an important part of our democracy, and must be nurtured where possible, but also dealt with firmly where necessary.
The final frontier that we have yet to cross, and which will be an endless fight, is that of educational quality. Not because we cannot achieve it, or even that some schools have it, but because the notion itself is so elusive. We sense it when we see it, but always there is a doubt that prevents us from being sure. We know that it is not just about matric results, but we also know that a chaotic school, where the kids are happily running the show, is not quality either. Somewhere between the two lies perhaps the balance between emotional and cognitive intelligences, but even that is not enough. We must always relate quality to its purpose and context: what is a good education for South Africa today? I do not know, but I know we must fight about it, because in fighting (or debating) the achievement and measuring of quality, we actually take steps towards it. Small steps towards an ideal are perhaps the most valuable - teachers do it every day as they help a Grade 1 child to count, towards a possible future as a mathematician.
That is why it was good for the education family - officials, teachers, higher education institutions and NGOs to have met at the end of last year in the Education Convention, in a search for Quality Education for All. The conclusion was hardly surprising: that the quality of education was greatly enhanced by a combination of two factors:
* the resources and facilities available for teaching and learning, and
* the ability and commitment of the teachers to turn these resources into effective teaching and learning.
The department is committed to maximising the resources available for education, and a significant share of the budget is allocated to the sector. In return, teachers must ensure that these resources are protected and used as intended. Wastage and neglect cost us dearly: over R300 million worth of textbooks are lost each year, which then have to be replaced. Just last week a school principal was found pawning a R30 000 copier that had been issued to the school. This is not acceptable, and school communities must root out such practices, since the resources are theirs.
We have various instruments for the measurement of quality, all of which use selected indicators as a proxy for quality. It is a pity that these indicators have not been the point of discussion, rather than the politics of evaluation, since they are our best attempt to define and promote quality. Whole School Evaluation (WSE) is the primary instrument for this, and is being implemented in schools, together with Development Appraisal, as natural partners under a combined protocol. And we have recently signed an agreement to implement a performance management and development system for teachers, which should supplement the information from WSE, where individuals are not the issue. Office based educators and public service staff are all subject to such systems, and they must be used as they were intended. Where performance is exceptional, people should be generously rewarded, and where they are poor, through incapacity or laziness, appropriate steps must be taken.
We have established and recently launched the Council for Quality Assurance in General and Further Education, now known as Umalusi (the shepherd), and they have been asked to report to the Minister of they find cases where educational quality (as they define it) is being compromised. They have been directed to move away from the SAFCERT focus on the conducting of examinations and the analysis of matric marks, and do some real quality assurance in the places where education is delivered. They have enormous powers, including the power to close down private institutions, and they are obliged to report to the Minister about any educational authority, which is not delivering on its mandate.
All this is done not with a view to penalising anyone, or pointing fingers, but to ensure that we deliver to our public what they expect, and what they deserve. Education has always been a need for children, and for adults. There has always been a passion for education, a thirst for knowledge. That is the surest sign of a developing nation: a people that reaches above itself, always striving for greater good. Perhaps in the end that is really what we should be fighting for: The love of education, the love of oneself and one's fellows that comes from a good education.
I thank you.
Issued by the Deputy Ministry of Education
Source: Deputy Ministry of Education
Title: Mangena: "Equally Speaking" conference
ADDRESS BY THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF EDUCATION, MR MOSIBUDI MANGENA, AT THE FOURTH EDUCATIONALLY SPEAKING CONFERENCE, Bela Bela, 8 May 2003
TOPIC: WHAT IS WORTH FIGHTING FOR IN OUR SCHOOLS?
Chairperson, Director of the Gauteng Institute for Education Development, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and gentlemen
I have been asked to speak on the topic, "What's worth fighting for in schools", and my first response, at least in relation to the theme of the day which is, "Balancing emotional brilliance with emotional intelligence", is to keep alive the notion that we are all learners, of whatever age and stature, and that we all have something to teach as well. I expect to learn today; I have not come to teach. My second immediate response is to say that I am a pacifist, and the notion of fighting does not appeal to me, especially in the current world climate. But let us understand fighting as struggle, which to my mind includes a range of strategies and tactics, most of them non-violent.
With this understanding, let me share with you some of the things I think are worth fighting for in our schools. There are many things worth fighting for, and there are many things worth fighting against. Not everyone will agree on which is which, or which are the most and least important, so we must accept that this is a debate, which must be kept alive in order to respond to emerging issues. What may be critically important in one phase will not have the same importance in a different time, or even a different place. Much as we are building a national education system, we must never pretend we have an undifferentiated terrain to work in. A school in Mitchell's Plain may exhibit the same strengths and experience the same problems as a school in Soweto, but the sources of the problems may be very different, and the nature of the fight to secure the strengths and eliminate the problems must therefore also differ.
Let me start by saying that I do like the use of the term "our schools" - since one of the things we must fight for is to build the idea that people own schools. They are consciously described in legislation as public schools, and not state schools, to emphasise that the state just manages certain things on behalf of the school communities, but that the schools, and what goes on in them, belong to the public. Many have not yet made this shift, just as they would not assume ownership of other public services, following years of repression through state instruments. We must encourage participation, accountability, receptiveness and responsiveness in the way we relate to communities. I know too many mothers who are afraid to talk to the teacher, and who would never confront a principal about poor quality education.
This is the primary fight, not only in education but also across the country, to get our people involved in the definition and delivery of services by government. Being Proudly South African is easy when things are looking good, like when our teams do well in sport. But it also requires that we stand up when something is done in a way that undermines our national fibre, our spirit, and our morality. When something is done in an un-African way, without pride, without understanding and compassion, we must object. Schools are to become central to the registration campaign for the Child Grant, but I fear how some of our people will be treated in trying to access this basic right. We must fight for dignity and justice in our schools, and communities must be centrally involved in this fight.
It is not to say that these are universally absent in our system. We have more than enough evidence of the remarkably good work that is being done by principals and teachers. The National Teaching Awards, presented each year, are but the tip of a very large pyramid, with many thousands of dedicated teachers forming the base of our large system. We must fight to retain these teachers, and to reward them appropriately for their enormous commitment and effort. The sheer resilience of our teachers, having lived through a redeployment process that saw some 30 000 teachers moved across the country, is remarkable. Thankfully we have completed that, and the labour market is once again vibrant. The introduction of Curriculum 2005 was also a shock to the system, especially for teachers, who tend to be one of the more traditionalist sectors of society. I am glad also to say that the GET revisions are en route - most schools should have received them by now - and that the new statements include Assessment Standards, and are accompanied by Teacher Guides, to make them much more accessible.
From now, our efforts are directed at consolidating the progress we have made, and allowing for the system to stabilise. Various models of organisation, from Circuits to Districts to Regions, or any combination of these, have been tried and retried, but we are now largely settled in this regard. In most parts of the country we have settled into a pattern of normality - schools that function successfully, largely self-managed but driven by national imperatives, and supported by professional advisers and an efficient administration.
We must also fight to recruit more teachers - especially the brightest and the best of our students must be encouraged to consider teaching as a career. Funds for study are increasingly available, with NSFAS loans and grants, provincial bursaries, especially for maths and science oriented programmes, and KwaZulu-Natal is specifically awarding bursaries to rural students. As teachers, we are often our own worst critics, bemoaning the state of the profession, and education in general, and generally advising our own children or those we teach to avoid teaching. We know that there has been some huge demands made on teachers, mostly as a result of necessary steps towards transformation and the building of a national education system, but let us not poison the minds of our young with the idea that this profession is dead.
The Ministry of Education, through the Ministerial Committee on Teacher Education, is mounting a campaign to restore the dignity and pride of the profession, and to encourage scholars and students to register for education studies. At the same time we have also approved a new salary and grading system for teachers, including new career path options, which should certainly work towards retaining the better teachers in the system.
A special mention must go to our school leadership, who have managed to take their schools forward, despite the many obstacles. The simple fact that two years ago we had nearly 2 000 "dysfunctional schools" (achieving below 20% in matric), whereas this year the number is below 500, is at least one indication of the growth at the bottom end of the scale. Effective principals, in many cases deliberately moved to these schools, have responded to the challenge of turning around these institutions, often with seemingly small steps like involving the community, restoring order, and just getting through 7 hours of teaching each day for 196 days a year. Nothing special or dramatic, just old fashioned public service.
At the top end, we are also seeing many more "miracle schools" - isolated and poor, but still achieving outstanding results. Leadership is also key in these cases, either at the district or school level. But no leader can fight without soldiers - the teachers - who fight daily against ignorance, in the best manner they know how. Let us fight to see more of such schools; schools where the recognition and development of the huge talents and abilities which otherwise lie untapped among our children is paramount.
There are also those schools, recognised in the recent Most Improved School Awards", who have taken positive and successful steps towards real racial integration. For us, this is also an important measure of a "functioning South African school", and must be defended where it happens, and fought for where it is not.
Regrettably, this is in stark contrast to a school I visited at the beginning of this school year, which the province proudly took me to for its 100% pass rates. In the full school hall, there was not one student or teacher who was not white and Afrikaans-speaking. I, and the officials with me, constituted the only evidence that there were other kinds of people in this country. For us, this is not a functioning South African school, and one of the things we must fight against is the absurd notion that such a school is a good school. I wonder at the values of departmental officials who view this as a model, and I feel genuine sympathy for those pupils, who will not be able to live in South Africa without suffering great confusion. I am glad to say that this school was not in this province, but the recent Wits EPU Review on the integration of schools in Gauteng suggests the same occurs here, as it does elsewhere.
One constituency, which is good at fighting in its broadest sense, is the students. We have seen them deservedly earn the wrath of the public and the MEC when they trashed the streets of Johannesburg. But it is never wise to underestimate the youth, and we must always respect them for their stands, and try to recognise their motives, even where we may differ on approaches.
Earlier this year, they had a march in Pretoria. We disagreed with the loss of school time, and the fact that Metro-Rail, perhaps fearing damage, provided free transport to Pretoria. But the gist of their message, loosely interpreted as "free education", was driven by very real concerns about the exclusion of poor children from schools, despite the laws and polices designed to protect them. It is the very same concern that has prompted the Department of Education to undertake a study into the Costs and Financing of Education, which is now out for public comment. The issue of fees is central to this investigation, and important data has become available, and we now look forward to vigorous debate on the recommendations. Interestingly, the memorandum presented by the marchers was explicit about the demand that only those parents earning below R4 000 per month should be exempted from school fees: they have also understood the difference between free education, which we cannot provide, and free education for the poor, which we must provide, without exception.
We must therefore also fight for the space for students to speak; they are an important part of our democracy, and must be nurtured where possible, but also dealt with firmly where necessary.
The final frontier that we have yet to cross, and which will be an endless fight, is that of educational quality. Not because we cannot achieve it, or even that some schools have it, but because the notion itself is so elusive. We sense it when we see it, but always there is a doubt that prevents us from being sure. We know that it is not just about matric results, but we also know that a chaotic school, where the kids are happily running the show, is not quality either. Somewhere between the two lies perhaps the balance between emotional and cognitive intelligences, but even that is not enough. We must always relate quality to its purpose and context: what is a good education for South Africa today? I do not know, but I know we must fight about it, because in fighting (or debating) the achievement and measuring of quality, we actually take steps towards it. Small steps towards an ideal are perhaps the most valuable - teachers do it every day as they help a Grade 1 child to count, towards a possible future as a mathematician.
That is why it was good for the education family - officials, teachers, higher education institutions and NGOs to have met at the end of last year in the Education Convention, in a search for Quality Education for All. The conclusion was hardly surprising: that the quality of education was greatly enhanced by a combination of two factors:
* the resources and facilities available for teaching and learning, and
* the ability and commitment of the teachers to turn these resources into effective teaching and learning.
The department is committed to maximising the resources available for education, and a significant share of the budget is allocated to the sector. In return, teachers must ensure that these resources are protected and used as intended. Wastage and neglect cost us dearly: over R300 million worth of textbooks are lost each year, which then have to be replaced. Just last week a school principal was found pawning a R30 000 copier that had been issued to the school. This is not acceptable, and school communities must root out such practices, since the resources are theirs.
We have various instruments for the measurement of quality, all of which use selected indicators as a proxy for quality. It is a pity that these indicators have not been the point of discussion, rather than the politics of evaluation, since they are our best attempt to define and promote quality. Whole School Evaluation (WSE) is the primary instrument for this, and is being implemented in schools, together with Development Appraisal, as natural partners under a combined protocol. And we have recently signed an agreement to implement a performance management and development system for teachers, which should supplement the information from WSE, where individuals are not the issue. Office based educators and public service staff are all subject to such systems, and they must be used as they were intended. Where performance is exceptional, people should be generously rewarded, and where they are poor, through incapacity or laziness, appropriate steps must be taken.
We have established and recently launched the Council for Quality Assurance in General and Further Education, now known as Umalusi (the shepherd), and they have been asked to report to the Minister of they find cases where educational quality (as they define it) is being compromised. They have been directed to move away from the SAFCERT focus on the conducting of examinations and the analysis of matric marks, and do some real quality assurance in the places where education is delivered. They have enormous powers, including the power to close down private institutions, and they are obliged to report to the Minister about any educational authority, which is not delivering on its mandate.
All this is done not with a view to penalising anyone, or pointing fingers, but to ensure that we deliver to our public what they expect, and what they deserve. Education has always been a need for children, and for adults. There has always been a passion for education, a thirst for knowledge. That is the surest sign of a developing nation: a people that reaches above itself, always striving for greater good. Perhaps in the end that is really what we should be fighting for: The love of education, the love of oneself and one's fellows that comes from a good education.
I thank you.
Issued by the Deputy Ministry of Education
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