The state of Education
Our education appears to be declining and not making a turn around. Poor schools are not even producing the quality of learners that they used to produce in the past. Not that it was the best quality or that we want to go back to the past. What is more is that schools are focusing on producing learners for a labour market that does not exist rather than producing learners who shall be immediately useful to their communities. The mess in the education system manifests itself in many forms, which culminates in mutual bitterness among and between parents, learners, teachers and authorities. Parents cannot afford to pay school fees, needed to pay for resources that teachers need to teach. Many students fall above the age limit of 18 years to be in high school and they then become victims of exclusion from schools on grounds of their age. It is difficult to implement the new curriculum in schools because of a lack of adequate resources. Even universities do not have enough money to buy books for their libraries and cannot afford to make copies for students. This is really discouraging.
The appalling conditions under which learning for poor students takes place is further aggravated by corruption. Examples of such corruption are the leaking of exam papers, stealing of public funds and sexual abuse of learners by educators in exchange for good marks in exams.
What is the government doing?
In an attempt to deal with some of the problems the government points to a policy on school fees exemption. The criteria on which a decision to exempt learners from school fees is based is questionable. Not to mention the fact that most people simply do not even know about the policy of school fees exemptions. Instead of dealing with the problem, the government puts the blame on others. It blames principals for not issuing exemptions or teachers for being incompetent and lazy. Schools are also expected to take all the blame for poor matriculation results. The key issue of when adequate resources will be made available to all schools is never addressed.
There is a lot of commentary in the media about how learners misbehave terribly and are violent in our schools. But the question of how to deal with the socio-economic system that produces such individuals is largely ignored. Blame is also apportioned to parents, for failing to pay school fees and for failing to take on their role as serious stakeholders in the schooling system.
The truth is that education is a business and is sold like any product. Private schools are mushrooming everywhere and learners and parents are concerned with obtaining the best results so they go to private schools in order to improve their chances of selling their labour to the highest bidder. As long as capitalism exists and its contradictions, such as unemployment, education will continue to be a commodity that only those with money can afford.
What is the youth doing?
Some young people drop out of school and register with employment agencies that promise them travel around the world, but only to end up being employed as drug couriers and pushers. This is how the desperation and frustration of young people without opportunities manifests itself. They resort to crime, prostitution and the like. Or they end up in the fastest growing working sector of our population – beggars on street corners!
On the other hand there are many youth groups springing up everywhere that attempt to address some of the immediate problems faced by young people. Making sure, for instance, that young people enjoy their right to education and that young people themselves organise around this issue. Our only hope is to save the sinking education ship.
I want to conclude on a revolutionary note. I can confidently say that the mess in education can and will be corrected by ourselves, the affected young people. The struggle for free and quality public education for all is simultaneously the struggle to dismantle the social system based on profit. So that we can build a society where all members of it will be valued and live their lives to the fullest.
Mamma Mashaba is a development, gender and youth activist and a leading member of Youth for Work. She lives in Polokwane, Limpopo
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