3 April 2000
Distinguished guests,
Representatives of the Business Trust,
Teachers,
Colleagues,
Parents,
Boys and Girls
I see us meeting here today to celebrate teaching and learning. The centrality of educators in the development of children cannot be underestimated.
I see the majority of South African educators as committed, caring, diligent and disciplined professionals. As professionals, I believe that they welcome and critically engage with opportunities, structures, processes and procedures that contribute to their ongoing growth and development as individuals and as a collective.
Educators are key contributors to the transformation of education in South Africa. The need to develop and utilise their creative talents, innovative practices and positive impact on young lives is vital to the thrust of making the next century an African century.
I see teachers playing a crucial role in helping to shape the road ahead and enabling us to become the authors of our future.
I see how we are learning to live and work and play in our new democracy. I experience a deep sense of hope as I witness how education helps dispossessed people to take possession of their lives and their future.
I notice that, as learners of all ages gain knowledge and understanding, develop skills, values and attitudes they are empowered to begin to define who they are, where they are going and the milestones along the way.
I see teachers and school managers liberating their minds from apartheid approaches to teaching, learning and administration. I see them embracing the challenge and opportunities inherent in outcomes based education as they too take possession of their lives and their future.
I see dedicated, enthusiastic, and committed teachers displaying consistent endeavour and patriotism; professional expertise and ethics - characterised by creativity, innovation, and infectious enthusiasm - all underpinned by discipline and accountability and rooted in a genuine sense of care for humanity.
Do you see what I see?
I see Education, through a relevant curriculum, through effective and efficient schools, through the collaboration of parents, teachers and learners, through hard work and open minds - making this century an African century.
I see how the oral tradition of Africa forms the basis for the literacy culture of Africa. I see Education making us the authors of the narratives that shape the road ahead.
We have a new narrative to tell. It is a story about educational regeneration and societal co-operation. A tale of togetherness. We are invited to join an odyssey into an African renaissance.
It is a journey that is accelerated with the urgency brought about by the economic and human resource development demands of a country caught in the maelstrom of a new millennium and a globalising wave.
I see the global power of our indigenous African traditions and our universal African Ubuntu in the tasks we set ourselves to ensure that tomorrow does not look like yesterday. An yet again, coaching and leading, modelling and facilitating, planning and preparing to ensure success - I see our teachers
Do you see what I see?
I see Education playing a major role in ensuring that our people, collectively and individually, develop the knowledge, skills, values and attitudes that will enable them to access and practice the full spectrum of their constitutional rights.
I see Education promoting their full participation in the cultural, political, economical, spiritual, physical, intellectual, emotional, social and ethical spheres of society with confidence, commitment, responsibility and contentment.
I see Education leading the building of a caring, compassionate society, a society in which all citizens can feel they are given equal consideration irrespective of race, class, colour, gender and sexual orientation.
I see that we are a young but confident constitutional democracy that has the guts and honesty to listen to the people it serves, to review policy and programmes of action, and to make changes where necessary.
I see the ministry of Education working under the banner Tirisano – a Setswana word meaning, "working together". I see collaboration such as is demonstrated by this partnership amongst the Department of education, The Business trust and READ challenging the country to work for an improved quality of life for the poorest and most vulnerable of its citizens.
I see the teacher development programme that is part of this partnership giving teachers a voice and power to influence the direction that the programme may take even as they seek to build their capacity.
I see the programme acknowledging that Teachers know what challenges they are faced with. I see the programme treating our teachers with dignity and never making them feel that they are responsible for the lack of skills characterising the system today.
I see the programme instilling a sense of confidence in teachers and building their self-esteem.
I see more partnerships such as these emerging to address the numerous challenges that face us and that extend beyond the education system. Poverty alleviation, urban renewal and integrated rural development, HIV / AIDS and the inordinately high level of adult illiteracy are some of these challenges.
Do you see what I see?
I see the primary school language development part of this programme being sensitive to our constitutional obligation to promote all official languages of South Africa. I see the programme and its materials closely linked to the new stories we are telling.
I see modifications to materials and methodology evolving as the programme progresses and I see the officials of my Department and those in the provincial departments ensuring that alignment and coherence with our language and curriculum policies is maintained.
I see our partnership working with, rather than for, schools, parents, learners and teachers utilising a set of processes intended to capture the dynamics of change by placing today’s realities within the context of tomorrow’s possibilities
These are but some of the things I see. Do you see what I see?
You know, Einstein’s definition of insanity says: "Doing the same thing in the same way and expecting a different result is insanity."
The results expected by our education system are significantly different from the results expected by the old apartheid education system.
Our new education system sees results in the form of full participation of all citizens in society without discrimination. The old apartheid system saw results in the form of highly developed white persons with black people being confined to being drawers and water and hewers of wood without any rights and freedom.
According to Einstein we would be insane if we did things in the same way and expected different results.
Education has chosen to involve a range of participants from communities, business, civil society and non-governmental organisations in the design, development and delivery of educational programmes – this is part of doing new things in new ways to ensure different results.
This choice reflects the constructive partnerships policy of my government. It admits, openly and honestly, that government does not have a monopoly on the skills, infrastructure and resources needed to deliver a full range of services to the public it serves.
There is no shame in this admission. The policy also provides meaningful opportunities for a range of social actors to participate more fully and more concretely in our democracy with more satisfaction and a greater sense of achievement.
The whole world celebrates our achievement of democracy. We should never forget that sworn enemies faced one another across negotiating tables and slowly, with many hitches and stops and starts, through many events that threatened to derail the entire process, in spite of massive mistrust, ignorance, prejudice, fear and hatred we collectively crafted an agreement that enabled this beautiful country of ours to emerge as an example to the world.
Our people have displayed immense skill and commitment in dealing with differing interests, balancing conflicting objectives and melding competing strategies. It is a belief in this capacity that underpins and promotes my government’s policy of constructive partnerships.
Successful partnerships don’t just happen. They require hard work, trust, honesty, a genuine sense of sharing and an abiding respect, care, and understanding between participants. This does not mean that partnerships are without difficulties and problems. In fact, the more successful partners are at resolving difficulties, problems and conflict the stronger the partnership becomes.
No partnership can exist outside of a framework that gives members clarity about their roles, responsibilities, authority, and accountability. No serious partnership can survive an "anything goes" situation.
Our constitution provides exemplary principles for co-operation amongst different spheres of government. These principles are also applicable to the partnerships between education departments and social actors and it would be advisable to develop frameworks for partnerships using these principles as a base.
Do you see what I see?
I see us learning, as partners, to accept and manage various paradoxes. Like a soccer team where you may have individuals striving to be the "man of match" yet at the same time being a member of a team, and playing according to the game plan and the directives of the manager – even if in doing so his chances of being the man of the match are compromised.
I see members of our partnership coping with the paradox of being "collaboratively competitive"
Do you see what I see?
I see us managing the fact that partnerships have a finite lifespan. They may exist for the duration of projects and may need to be resuscitated as new projects emerge. I see the development of skills in the management and delivery of programmes in a context of "tentative finality".
Do you see what I see?
I see us having the maturity, sense of justice and willingness to really contribute to the development and progress of our country and its people because although we may represent differing views, we are prepared to talk things through in a genuine attempt to work together and we will therefore succeed and in doing so liberate the potential of all our people.
Do you see what I see?
I hope you see what I see
I thank you.