Date: 14/09/2004
Source: Ministry of Education
Title: N Pandor: Cape Times breakfast club
SPEECH BY MINISTER OF EDUCATION, NALEDI PANDOR MP, AT CAPE TIMES BREAKFAST CLUB, Table Bay Hotel, Cape Town, 14 September 2004
A surprising feature of education practice in South Africa today is the manner in which many try to ignore or deny the reality of stark and complex problems that confront the sector. It is useful to set out some of them and to reflect on some of the ways we intend to respond.
The first dose of reality clearly indicates that in terms of a range of quality indicators our system is not yet at its headline maximal best. This is despite the many known and very welcome achievements we have recorded in the past ten years.
Quality indicators refer to the input as well as the throughput elements. In terms of input factors we continue to have the challenge of ensuring we have teachers and providers able to deliver the goods, qualified teachers with a discipline confident knowledge of the areas they must teach.
The challenge of adequate resourcing for learning from classrooms, to books to pens and basic water and sanitation. The challenge of the digital divide, that of getting education today to a point where schools utilise ICT as complementary educational assets and not as peculiar additions to the curriculum.
South Africa has been drawn into the global arena; ICT may be the means of placing our schools in that domain. In terms of throughput, all of you know that South African schools largely provide us with learners without skills.
Reading writing and numeracy are the founding skills we often refer to, however little is said about the poor problem solving and analytical ability of our products. The history of education deprivation in all classes and sectors means that we have products with poor ability in managing diversity, in strengthening a non-racial society and in understanding that a democracy requires constant enriching if its to be sustained beyond its early beginnings.
Most worrying of the problematic features is the absence of any established understanding of the relationship between opportunities available in the economy and forms of training provided in our schools, universities and technikons.
Consider for a moment the recent report of the National Advisory Council on Innovation. It estimates that South Africa's construction industry will be short of between 2, 000 and 7, 000 mechanical, electrical, and instrumentation skilled artisans this year.
The reasons for this are that there is a complete mis-alignment between industry and training, that there is limited communication between the construction industry and project owners, and that the industry as a whole is unattractive to school leavers (by the way, our engineers are apparently flocking to employment within the financial sector!). Anecdotal evidence suggests that very little scrutiny is done by trainers on skills and entrepreneurs needed and profit is sometimes the driving force behind programmes.
When policy makers refer to the need to take a careful planning look at programmes, they are accused of interference and intrusion. Few providers spend time reflecting on the growing phenomenon of unemployed graduates and the skills needs that may assist South Africa in becoming a winning nation.
For example, given our significant expectations of local government project management may be an area for active development but again little is done at the training level.
Beyond this we also have the worrying poor performance in maths and science in South Africa. The country has to intensify efforts at dramatically improving our success rates as well as skills acquired.
An interesting feature of education is the lack of support services, no counsellors, nor careers advice, no health workers and very few social workers impacting on our children despite the massive social problems many face.
All South Africans have embraced the concept of African Unity, but few schools prepare young South Africans to engage with the continent. Even at the level of language, we are conveying the hegemony of English and not the challenge of acquiring French or Portuguese or Arabic.
Strengthening links with the rest of the continent definitely requires a working knowledge of at least one of these languages. Our higher education institutions pose fascinating mysteries.
Universities and technikons should be the places where much of the future mapping of South Africa occurs; they should be providing definitive analyses of our educational progress and offering world ranked research, excellent teaching programme in critical disciplines and new and exciting sociological scrutiny and theory on South Africa as a society in transition. They should be assisting us in developing our predictive ability with respect to rural-urban trends, emerging spatial patterns and the character of class relations in South Africa.
They could offer more considered reviews of education rather than the at times cursory opinions suggesting free higher education or large education budget increases.
Given all these challenges, what do we plan to do?
First, once we have resolved the present wage negotiations impasse, we must address in a determined fashion, the pursuit of quality in education. All players in education including the media should join in a national campaign directed at inculcating an attitude that pursues quality. There are hundreds of schools in the country that seek and achieve such aims; they should be supported to maintain positive outcomes. The many schools that perform poorly must receive proficient development support.
There are also schools that are patently dysfunctional; these require severe remedies in order to stop the pretence that they are worthy of the name school or college. South Africa must value education as a vital normal resource and, while there are definitely many areas we as policy makers should provide answers to, there is no excuse that justifies decades of poor performance and years of tacit support of such schools.
The present policy gives schools a major role in directing their affairs; part of the accountability measures should be academic planning by institutions, plans that clearly show the intention to improve success. One of the solutions will be to give principals a greater role in leading the strategic path of their school, in giving schools their quality character.
At times I get the impression from some of our schools that we are afraid to do well. We need to accept that there is nothing wrong with planning to do really well. Of course, we must also improve training and development programmes for teachers; we must work at making schools safe and we must create a culture of quality achievements.
Linked to building success is the need for us to be certain that our policy inputs make clear educational sense and are implementable, with some certainty of positive educational outcomes.
Second, the matter of work and self employment-linked training, the FET college sector, must be developed as key provider. I intend to respond effectively to the need to continue the positive progress achieved in the beginning of transforming the FET sector. Young people should come to regard colleges as viable options, adults requiring skills training that is accredited should be able to approach colleges, and we should provide financial and policy support that achieves these objectives.
A third area of response is improving success in Maths and Science. I intend to build on the initiative of the Dinaledi schools. We will carefully review their progress and ensure they work towards the proposed outcomes. We must overcome the present profile that for many young people means exclusion from the fields of commerce, medicine, science and technology. It must no longer be an exceptional feature for a black person to become a Chartered Accountant.
Fourth, significant steps have been taken transform higher education. The mergers that are underway, and greater attention to enhance support for research and development, are welcome additions as are the plans to accelerate the production of new scholars in our country and develop intellectual activity. To succeed we need a responsive, accountable sector and partners working on shared goals.
Our gains in higher education have been significant, especially in terms of equity. Statistics indicate that 73% of students are black, just over 50% are women, a participation rate in terms of the populations of 18% has been achieved, just 2% less than the target we set for 2005, and enrolments in science, engineering and technology show welcome growth. In addition, government provides major support for poor students' study costs through NSFAS and we are continuing our efforts to determine further improvements.
I hope South Africans will agree to be my partners, because success through education will be the greatest and most enduring gift of freedom granted to our people. If we do not succeed in education, everything else becomes meaningless.
Issued by: Ministry of Education
14 September 2004
Source: Ministry of Education
Title: N Pandor: Cape Times breakfast club
SPEECH BY MINISTER OF EDUCATION, NALEDI PANDOR MP, AT CAPE TIMES BREAKFAST CLUB, Table Bay Hotel, Cape Town, 14 September 2004
A surprising feature of education practice in South Africa today is the manner in which many try to ignore or deny the reality of stark and complex problems that confront the sector. It is useful to set out some of them and to reflect on some of the ways we intend to respond.
The first dose of reality clearly indicates that in terms of a range of quality indicators our system is not yet at its headline maximal best. This is despite the many known and very welcome achievements we have recorded in the past ten years.
Quality indicators refer to the input as well as the throughput elements. In terms of input factors we continue to have the challenge of ensuring we have teachers and providers able to deliver the goods, qualified teachers with a discipline confident knowledge of the areas they must teach.
The challenge of adequate resourcing for learning from classrooms, to books to pens and basic water and sanitation. The challenge of the digital divide, that of getting education today to a point where schools utilise ICT as complementary educational assets and not as peculiar additions to the curriculum.
South Africa has been drawn into the global arena; ICT may be the means of placing our schools in that domain. In terms of throughput, all of you know that South African schools largely provide us with learners without skills.
Reading writing and numeracy are the founding skills we often refer to, however little is said about the poor problem solving and analytical ability of our products. The history of education deprivation in all classes and sectors means that we have products with poor ability in managing diversity, in strengthening a non-racial society and in understanding that a democracy requires constant enriching if its to be sustained beyond its early beginnings.
Most worrying of the problematic features is the absence of any established understanding of the relationship between opportunities available in the economy and forms of training provided in our schools, universities and technikons.
Consider for a moment the recent report of the National Advisory Council on Innovation. It estimates that South Africa's construction industry will be short of between 2, 000 and 7, 000 mechanical, electrical, and instrumentation skilled artisans this year.
The reasons for this are that there is a complete mis-alignment between industry and training, that there is limited communication between the construction industry and project owners, and that the industry as a whole is unattractive to school leavers (by the way, our engineers are apparently flocking to employment within the financial sector!). Anecdotal evidence suggests that very little scrutiny is done by trainers on skills and entrepreneurs needed and profit is sometimes the driving force behind programmes.
When policy makers refer to the need to take a careful planning look at programmes, they are accused of interference and intrusion. Few providers spend time reflecting on the growing phenomenon of unemployed graduates and the skills needs that may assist South Africa in becoming a winning nation.
For example, given our significant expectations of local government project management may be an area for active development but again little is done at the training level.
Beyond this we also have the worrying poor performance in maths and science in South Africa. The country has to intensify efforts at dramatically improving our success rates as well as skills acquired.
An interesting feature of education is the lack of support services, no counsellors, nor careers advice, no health workers and very few social workers impacting on our children despite the massive social problems many face.
All South Africans have embraced the concept of African Unity, but few schools prepare young South Africans to engage with the continent. Even at the level of language, we are conveying the hegemony of English and not the challenge of acquiring French or Portuguese or Arabic.
Strengthening links with the rest of the continent definitely requires a working knowledge of at least one of these languages. Our higher education institutions pose fascinating mysteries.
Universities and technikons should be the places where much of the future mapping of South Africa occurs; they should be providing definitive analyses of our educational progress and offering world ranked research, excellent teaching programme in critical disciplines and new and exciting sociological scrutiny and theory on South Africa as a society in transition. They should be assisting us in developing our predictive ability with respect to rural-urban trends, emerging spatial patterns and the character of class relations in South Africa.
They could offer more considered reviews of education rather than the at times cursory opinions suggesting free higher education or large education budget increases.
Given all these challenges, what do we plan to do?
First, once we have resolved the present wage negotiations impasse, we must address in a determined fashion, the pursuit of quality in education. All players in education including the media should join in a national campaign directed at inculcating an attitude that pursues quality. There are hundreds of schools in the country that seek and achieve such aims; they should be supported to maintain positive outcomes. The many schools that perform poorly must receive proficient development support.
There are also schools that are patently dysfunctional; these require severe remedies in order to stop the pretence that they are worthy of the name school or college. South Africa must value education as a vital normal resource and, while there are definitely many areas we as policy makers should provide answers to, there is no excuse that justifies decades of poor performance and years of tacit support of such schools.
The present policy gives schools a major role in directing their affairs; part of the accountability measures should be academic planning by institutions, plans that clearly show the intention to improve success. One of the solutions will be to give principals a greater role in leading the strategic path of their school, in giving schools their quality character.
At times I get the impression from some of our schools that we are afraid to do well. We need to accept that there is nothing wrong with planning to do really well. Of course, we must also improve training and development programmes for teachers; we must work at making schools safe and we must create a culture of quality achievements.
Linked to building success is the need for us to be certain that our policy inputs make clear educational sense and are implementable, with some certainty of positive educational outcomes.
Second, the matter of work and self employment-linked training, the FET college sector, must be developed as key provider. I intend to respond effectively to the need to continue the positive progress achieved in the beginning of transforming the FET sector. Young people should come to regard colleges as viable options, adults requiring skills training that is accredited should be able to approach colleges, and we should provide financial and policy support that achieves these objectives.
A third area of response is improving success in Maths and Science. I intend to build on the initiative of the Dinaledi schools. We will carefully review their progress and ensure they work towards the proposed outcomes. We must overcome the present profile that for many young people means exclusion from the fields of commerce, medicine, science and technology. It must no longer be an exceptional feature for a black person to become a Chartered Accountant.
Fourth, significant steps have been taken transform higher education. The mergers that are underway, and greater attention to enhance support for research and development, are welcome additions as are the plans to accelerate the production of new scholars in our country and develop intellectual activity. To succeed we need a responsive, accountable sector and partners working on shared goals.
Our gains in higher education have been significant, especially in terms of equity. Statistics indicate that 73% of students are black, just over 50% are women, a participation rate in terms of the populations of 18% has been achieved, just 2% less than the target we set for 2005, and enrolments in science, engineering and technology show welcome growth. In addition, government provides major support for poor students' study costs through NSFAS and we are continuing our efforts to determine further improvements.
I hope South Africans will agree to be my partners, because success through education will be the greatest and most enduring gift of freedom granted to our people. If we do not succeed in education, everything else becomes meaningless.
Issued by: Ministry of Education
14 September 2004
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