COMMISSION ON THE CHALLENGES FACING PUBLIC EDUCATION

Facilitator: Nathi Nhleko, Chairperson, Portfolio Committee on Public Service and Administration

Speakers: Prof. Kader Asmal, Minister of Education

    Edwin Pillay, Deputy President of SADTU

    Teboho Loate, Nedlac Community Convenor

Issues for discussion

• Challenges facing Public Education System in South Africa
• The role of business, labour and community in meeting these challenges
• Transformation of public education in relation to socio-economic factors such as the current fiscus, infrastructural capacity and skills requirements
• The practical priorities for effective implementation in the next five years
• Mechanisms to address the problems that are being experienced in the institutions of learning, particularly those that exist between management and labour

Introduction

This report reflects the observations made in the Commission on the challenges facing public education. The Commission did not adopt the report. The Commission could by no means do justice to the subject in the time available, nor was it able to deal conclusively with any of the issues. Given the strong and often diverging views that still prevail, it was felt that it would be crucial that this debate be taken forward in an appropriate forum.

Summary of issues raised by Professor Asmal

Professor Asmal spoke about the challenges facing public education. He said that the state of public education had led him to conclude that the educational condition of the majority of people in this country amounted to a national emergency. This had led the Department to announce a national mobilisation for education and training under the slogan "tirisano", working together.

Professor Asmal highlighted the physical degradation in many public schools. He further said that service delivery at district offices in many parts of the country was poor. There was a lack of support and monitoring in public schools.

The Ministry of Education supports the democratic tradition of public education. This tradition recognises education as a liberating process for both individuals and societies. It ranks access to education as one of the most fundamental of human rights and places a duty on the state to make provision for the satisfaction of that right.

The Minister challenged Nedlac to help develop clear strategies for intervention and make the public education system work.

He said that business should make available the resources they can to assist public schools and public education institutions. Business also has a role to play as employers in the eradication of adult illiteracy. He urged business to invest in the education of their workers, children and schools and by so doing invest in economic development and growth.

The Minister urged labour to put the issue of public education at the centre of its agenda. Worker publications should indicate the responsibility of members as parents and their participation in school governing bodies.

Summary of issues raised by Edwin Pillay

Mr Pillay said that there was common cause that South Africa inherited from apartheid a divided, demoralised and unequal education system. The school register of need gave a clear picture of the unequal distribution of resources.

The development of new policy and legislation, most notably the National Education Policy Act and the South African Schools Act, meant that there was now a comprehensive framework for progressive educational transformation and delivery.

He said that the South African Democratic Teachers Union at its fourth national congress adopted a declaration in support of the global campaign for quality public education.

In view of the principle of lifelong learning, which underlines much of the progressive and innovative thinking in education policy over the last ten years, Mr Pillay raised a concern regarding Adult Basic Education and Training (ABET). He said there was no commitment from government to eradicate adult illiteracy or devote resources to this area. ABET's budget remained inadequate and a victim of tight fiscal policy.

The issue of Early Childhood Development (ECD) had not been addressed in the Minister's recent nine point programme. Government funding for this remained less than one percent of the education budget.

With regard to Education for Learners with Special Educational Needs, only the development of an inclusive education and training system could make it possible for all people to participate fully and equally in an inclusive society.

Mr Pillay raised a concern regarding the implementation of the Development Appraisal System in many provinces. There had been little attempt on the side of government as the employer to develop government policy on teacher development and the provision of relevant in-service training for teachers. Sadtu believes that the development of co-ordinated national policy on teacher upgrading and retraining is essential to public education transformation and efficient use of human resources.

Mr Pillay said that the de-unionisation of the South African Council for Educators (SACE) was an issue causing concern and confusion among teachers. He said that the education budget merely maintained the existing systems and was unable to redress the extreme inequalities and inefficiencies that were entrenched under apartheid. Sadtu believes that the fundamental policy goals of equity and redress require the reprioritisation of budgets towards social expenditure. Fiscal policy rather than sound educational imperatives were increasingly driving the educational budget.

Summary of issues raised by Teboho Loate

Mr Loate said that there was a crisis facing public education in the country, especially in the rural areas, which were characterised by lack of resources, low teacher morale and uncertainties regarding rationalisation and redeployment.

Teachers and learners were highly vulnerable in schools. Schoolyards were subjected to vandalism, drug dealing, rape and violence.

Lack of discipline among authorities, principals and students was a concern. There was a need to expose teachers to professionalism and to curb the absenteeism of children at schools.

The tertiary education system was characterised by fraud, corruption and lack of discipline. The system destabilised professionalism in tertiary institutions.

Mr Loate raised a concern regarding a drop in the number of pupils studying mathematics and science. There was a high level of Mathematics and Science illiteracy in the country.

Poverty and lack of resources contributed to poor learning.

Summary of discussion

• Participants felt that there was a need to clarify the role that SADTU and other teacher union formations could play in providing direction and support for transformation initiatives aimed at dealing with the legacy of apartheid.

• The commission felt that the relationship between professionalism and trade unionism (incorporating the need to clarify the role of SACE) was an issue that should be addressed.

• The majority view was that teacher morale should be built with a view to reviving the public education system in the country.

• The participants said that there was a need for ongoing and intensive teacher training and development owing to the rapid obsolescence of some of the existing skills and qualifications.

• Most of the participants felt that there was a need to involve senior members of society in the restructuring of public education. They said that the removal of students from public schools to private schools by many senior members of society contributed to the dysfunctionality of some public schools.

• The participants felt that the monitoring and support systems in the district offices should be revived.

• The commission felt that the role of the business sector in supporting initiatives at local level was a good initiative. Government should clarify on how they would like to engage business and what were the areas of most need (eg. IT and computers)

• The commission raised concerns regarding the education budget. They said there was a need to monitor the levels of expenditure in the provincial administrations. The Minister would like all stakeholders to be involved in this process.

• There was general consensus that the various stakeholders should come together with a view to adress the challenges facing public education.

Closing remarks by the Facilitator

It was necessary to determine how to structure the debate and to decide who would be responsible for mapping the way forward. The moderator felt that Nedlac should lead this debate, as it involved government, labour, community and business and perhaps others, such as NGOs. Nedlac should also take steps to identify all the relevant stakeholders and to ensure that they were included in subsequent discussions on this issue.