ADDRESS TO THE VAAL BRANCH OF THE BLACK MANAGEMENT FORUM ON 17 AUGUST 2001AT THE RIVIERA HOTEL, VEREENIGING BY MR. MOSIBUDI MANGENA, DEPUTY MINISTER OF EDUCATION

Topic: The Challenge for the South African Education System

Friends

I am indeed grateful for the opportunity to address this quarterly forum of the Black Management Forum’s Vaal Branch. Let me therefore begin by commending you for initiating this forum, which no doubt creates many valuable opportunities for your members to reflect on your mission and your collective contribution to the development of our people.

As I was contemplating coming here it occurred to me that the Vaal has been the setting for many events of great historical importance. It was here that the forces of colonialism and oppression consolidated white oppression following the signing of the Treaty of Vereeniging in 1902. Instead of striving toward democracy, the Union created in 1910 laid the foundations to accelerate black oppression, disenfranchisement and dispossession.

It was also in the Vaal that the legitimate protest against black oppression in Sharpeville in 1960 was ruthlessly crushed, resulting in the massacre of our people.

These two events are powerful reminders of a past that we would be well advised to bear in mind as we chart the future for the children of this country. We should jealously guard and protect our hard won democracy. As we nurture it we should ensure that our children steadily but surely break from the shackles of poverty and ignorance to become one of the winning nations of the world. Some among you may find it hard to imagine that, little over a decade ago, we would not have been able to meet in this venue on the beautiful banks of the Vaal River.

Many things still continue to remind us of the ravages of our past. The horrible wounds inflicted by the effects of apartheid education, land dispossession, influx control, job reservation, legislative and judicial oppression will be difficult to heal. Only the naïve believed that the deep consequences of colonialism would disappear with the adoption of a new constitution and the onset of democracy.

Between 1975 and 1991, the income of the poorest 60% of the population – the overwhelming majority of whom were black – dropped by 35%. Figures for 1996 show that the gap between rich and poor was growing wider. These figures also show that the poorest 20% of the population received a miniscule 1,5% of the total income, compared to 65% received by the richest 10%.

This kind of unequal human development contributes to social divisions and injustices. In addition, we know from other countries, that huge income inequalities actually serve to undermine economic development.

Inequalities of this magnitude do not disappear overnight. Indeed, without direct intervention, they are likely to get worse. The equation is frighteningly simple. People are poor because they do not have access to jobs, they do not have access to productive resources such as land and, even if they do, they often do not have access to the finance that could enable them to exploit the productive potential of the land. Further, as may also testify, poor people are often those that had not had significant opportunities for education. Poverty is not simply a condition; it is a cycle. If you are poor you cannot, on your own, provide your children with the opportunity to access education because you do not have the money to do so. You will not have the means for transportation. You will not have the means to create a stimulating environment at home. You will find it extremely difficult to provide minimum nutrition essential for your children’s development. You will not have the means to provide them with adequate health care. You will face difficult social challenges that militate against your children’s safety, development and well being.

Poverty is a cycle. It tends to trap generations of people into a grim existence. The Ministry of Education is well aware that we need active government intervention to break the cycle of poverty. There is incontrovertible evidence from across the world that education contributes to both economic development and income distribution. Education and training therefore constitutes the central lever in our strategy to eradicate poverty and reduce income inequalities in our country.

One stark reality we face is that job creation has been very slow in the economy. This is partially explained by the capital-intensive structure of industrial production. Of course, another reason relates to the fact that deficiencies in education and training levels contribute to a lowering of labour productivity, which can contribute to a slowdown in employment growth.

In response to the above, the ministry has now commenced with the implementation of a Mathematics, Science and Communication Technology Strategy as a part of the national Human Resources Development strategy. I am privileged to spearhead the Mathematics and Science strategy and as a part of my responsibilities.

In order for this country to provide employment for all either through job creation or employment on the formal labour market, there needs to be a level of scientific and technological literacy high enough to sustain the expansion of the economy. At present, the country does not have the capacity to allow the economy to expand without importing foreign scientific and technological expertise. The last four decades has seen the systematic destruction of a culture of learning within the country. This, coupled with outdated teaching practices and lack of basic content knowledge, has left us with a situation, where poor, under-qualified and unqualified teachers teach learners in classrooms that are not only overcrowded but are also under-equipped. This in turn has produced a new generation of teachers who are further perpetuating the cycle of mediocrity.

To aggravate this situation few learners who graduate in mathematics and science choose mathematics and science teaching as a career. Consequently, we are caught in a vicious cycle of under-supply of educators in these fields of study. Because of this most secondary schools do not offer mathematics and science. In schools where these subjects are offered, the majority of the educators are under-qualified. This situation is exacerbated by the lack of facilities and resources to enhance effective learning and teaching. The majority of schools that offer mathematics and science do not have facilities and equipment to promote effective learning and teaching. The teaching of science remains at a theoretical level without any experiments to enhance understanding and application of knowledge.

In the course of addressing the above issues, two very critical points of departure were identified. The first is a national strategy for mathematics and science – a large-scale initiative to address the inequities within the disciplines of mathematics and science at a national level. The second is the creation of mathematics and science centres of excellence - the 100 Schools Project - as part of the National Strategy. The 100 Mathematics and Science Centres of Excellence will be facilitated at national level and implemented by provincial education departments. Provinces were allocated schools according to need and they were also advised to select the schools in such a way that they ensured that each area is covered. Many of these centres of excellence are supposed to be located in disadvantaged and rural areas.

Many studies have shown a positive link between education and improved worker productivity and socioeconomic outcomes such as health, life expectancy and reduced fertility rates. In addition to supporting economic growth, education also contributes to other very necessary socio-economic outcomes. The education of women contributes to the quality of early childhood development. Education contributes to awareness of social, environmental and health-related issues, and to the development of civic and political consciousness. Indeed, one of the important outcomes of schooling is to develop an orientation conducive to discipline, social responsibility and diligence. Good education has been shown to impact positively on the development of particularly poor countries.

It must be clear from all what I have said that, if differential provision of education was an important cause of racial inequalities in South Africa, then the key driver to eliminate racial inequality must relate to the dramatic improvement of the quality and coverage of education for the majority.

We have already made significant progress in education. We have excellent policies and laws in education and training. Our percentage of children of school-going age who are enrolled at school is among the highest in the developing world. We are also making progress in redistributing government expenditure on education towards the poor. In this regard, we have succeeded in equalizing the distribution of educators between schools through the Rationalization and Redeployment process. There has been a dramatic improvement in equity of government spending on education between provinces and, through the National Norms and Standards for School Funding, we have ensured that the poorest schools receive, on average, seven times more government funding for non-personnel expenditure compared to the least poor schools. On the quality side, the dramatic improvement in the matriculation examination results of last year may be a pointer to better things to come.

While we celebrate our gains, it is important to acknowledge that many weaknesses and shortcomings continue to plague the system. Large parts of the system are still dysfunctional. Poor communities, particularly rural Africans, continue to withstand the worst of rampant inequalities in the system. Teacher diligence is sometimes worrying. There are obvious and inexcusable failures of governance and management. Many of our educational institutions – schools, colleges, universities and technikons – are plagued by a constant threat of physical violence and mismanagement.

The Ministry of Education is acting decisively to address these challenges. We are working closely with Provincial Education Departments to ensure that the Education and Training System improves in both quality and effectiveness so that it may live up to its historical challenge.

The Education and Training system is huge; we have about 12 million learners in the schooling sector alone. It accounts for the largest proportion of government non-interest spending. The daily operational and administrative functions are enormous and complex.

We are working hard to ensure that every aspect of this complex system functions effectively. As we do this it is necessary, given the complexity of the challenges, that we also focus on key priorities. These are:

ü HIV/AIDS,

ü School effectiveness and educator professionalism,

ü Literacy,

ü Further education and training,

ü Organisational effectiveness of the national and provincial departments, and

ü Values in education

We have also recently launched White Papers on Early Childhood Development and Education for Learners with Special Needs. Following a rigorous review process, we have just completed the process of streamlining Curriculum 2005. The new Curriculum Statement is presently available for public comment and I want to urge you to study the statement and to afford us the benefit of your comments.

There are many examples of fine effort in improving education. I have visited a number of schools since my appointment as Deputy Minister. The commitment, industry, and creativity of our people, often under very difficult conditions, constantly strike me. I have encountered many people across the social spectrum, who are contributing tirelessly to the improvement of education. Many of you sitting in this room are among these people. Some of you have made a direct contribution and all of you serve as vital role models. You are a living symbol of hope. You are living testimony to what can be achieved through education and hard work. I call on you to become an active role model by visiting schools and speaking to young people in your neighbourhoods.

I want to reiterate that government has to play a central role in improving the quality, effectiveness and coverage of education and training. However, government cannot do this alone. We need a total mobilization of human endeavour, on a scale even more intense than at any other time in our history, to take this social project further. We have already entered the 21^st century with its exciting opportunities and daunting challenges. The hour is late!

Let me conclude by saying that I feel extremely inspired and motivated to meet the challenges that lie ahead. For our country, we will try hard to improve education. And when we are done, we will try again. But we will not succeed through government effort alone. Given the nature of education, success depends on the effort of all people. The solutions lie in the hearts and minds of all.

Members of the Black Management Forum can make a significant contribution to education and development. You occupy influential positions in some of the most productive sectors of the economy. The emerging policies on Black Economic Empowerment hold promise to create the necessary conditions for effective redistribution and sustained economic development. We have to ensure that the development and distribution of education and training in society propels the thrust for Black Economic Empowerment. It is you, and future managers still at school, who must ensure that these necessary conditions are used to ameliorate the effects of colonialism and racism, break the cycle of poverty and advance development.

Given the scope of education it is very difficult to cover all aspects that interest you. I will therefore be very happy to respond to any questions you may have. I wish you well with your future endeavours and thank you again for this opportunity to address you.