From Africa

Education failure brutal to youth culture

Comment: A very strong appeal. Are we next?

By Dave Shepherd

Take a look at the pictures, in newspapers and on the television screens, of the xenophobic acts of violence. Look beyond the horrible acts, look at the faces of the perpetrators of these despicable acts - setting a person alight, locking people into their homes and then setting them alight, looting people's belongings, all with glee and a look of ecstasy radiating from their faces and affirmed by their body language. Look beyond all that.

What do you notice about the age of the perpetrators?

Take another look and confirm with me that those who are brandishing pangas, those who are dancing with sticks and stones in their hands, those who are carrying away the spoils of looting, those standing with looks of approval, are in their twenties - many just a while away from being teenagers. Some are even in school uniform.

Ponder on that.

Fourteen years ago, when we all stood as one, in long snaking queues, to vote on April 27, 1994, these young adults were just beginning their schooling.

In place, we had the constitution with the Bill of Rights. Green Papers, White Papers, Bills and finally Acts were published. Training and Orientation of Teachers took on a frenetic urgency.

Gone was the segregated curriculum, school-goers were no longer called pupils but learners, the adults who manage and arrange their learning were called educators.

The new watchword was Outcomes Based Education (OBE), and the whole system became geared to deliver a new way of constructing knowledge, which we called, Curriculum 2005. Not forgetting the National Qualifications Framework with indications of articulation and transfer between the Bands (General, Further and Higher Education and Training); underpinned by the South African Qualifications Au-thority, which gave a clear indication of learning pathways to competent persons appropriately skilled, who would contribute to, and enjoy the fruits of a growing economy which competed with the best in the world.

What happened to the infinite possibilities of freedom, the environment of opportunity to become whatever you wished, ever growing, realising your potential - a learner for life?

Let me hazard an answer.

The architects of our constitution, the sculptors of our education system had a common vision of a nation made up of human beings who would live, embracing our richness of diversity, sensitively, tolerantly, acknowledging differences, and celebrating equality, the right to choices within an environment of human rights and responsibilities. A rainbow nation - ubuntu in action.

The architects and sculptors of a changed education system articulated their ideas, their ideals and ideologies on paper, in pamphlet form or in booklets and books. We were showered with posters proclaiming and extolling the paths to a better life for all.

These appeared on walls in staffrooms, classrooms, and in the corridors of state departments.

Unfortunately these great ideas, these worthy ideals, have remained just there - on the printed page, on the walls, covering dirty marks, perhaps - imprisoned in words printed on paper.

The ideas and ideals have not become part of our heads (minds) our hearts (innermost convictions), or our hands (doing).

We do not understand them enough to make them part of our psyche, we do not make them our passion and we certainly do not implement them in our daily business. They are not part of our very being.

I am persuaded that the entire education system stands accused of causing this appalling mess we find ourselves in.

This is the result of a series of acts of omission:

Omitting to ensure that the entire teaching corps reached a common understanding of why we were embarking on this journey. Omitting to make sure that we all understood the destination, the objectives, goals, aims and ultimately the outcomes. Omitting to accept that best practice in teaching and learning remains best practice. Proven methodologies remain - always. Omitting to arrive at a common purpose in striving for that vision of a new, competitive and vibrant nation. Omitting to accept that there are multiple intelligences. We cling to the notion that those who are considered academically intelligent should go to school, and the other mere/lesser mortals should go to a college. Omitting to attract those academics in Higher Learning Institutions to open debate and for them to accept that even though they did not think of, discover, invent or even suggest the changes being articulated, there was a sound case for the changes. Omitting to arrive at a cohesive FET Band which articulated and transferred, within the band itself, as well as with the Higher Education band. The FET College's offerings are still seen as "inferior" to that of the schools and anyone going to a college is not able to continue into the Higher Education band. Here is my understanding of what OBE means and what it should achieve. Surely, the vision is that the curriculum, being the sum of all the learning experiences to which an individual is exposed, results in a citizen who has all the competencies to realise successful and full potential, within close familial relationships, within society, within the economy and within the democratic political make-up of our nation. In other words, it sets out to build a nation of communicating, sensitive, tolerant persons working together towards a common goal - a better life for all our people. This nation of ours will be made up of individuals who know how and where to access information, and who are able to think creatively, innovatively and weigh up options, thus making informed choices about their interests and aptitudes leading to a career or gainful employment, which in turn results in a meaningful life, while contributing to the economy as a whole and therefore to the good of all our people. Individuals who are able to make informed choices about their well-being in the realms of physical, mental and spiritual health. Individuals who have sound values, attitudes and appreciation's regarding their fellow human beings, the natural environment of our world, also its art and culture. An individual, yet still inextricably bound to fellow human beings - ubuntu made a reality. Ponder on all the notions, ideals, objectives, goals and aims articulated above. If the young people shown acting in an abhorrent manner during what have been called "xenophobic" acts had been given a chance of accessing the vision of the curriculum, would they have behaved in such a manner? The fact of the matter is that those young persons who have perpetrated the horrible acts of violence have not learned: To communicate sensitively, tolerantly, accepting our richness in diversity. Knowledge about South Africa in relation to the rest of our vast continent, knowledge about themselves, their aptitudes, their innate talent in order to make informed choices regarding their careers as well as their well-being; physical, mental, spiritual as well as social. Relevant and marketable skills in order to become economically active to the betterment of themselves, their families, their communities and hence the nation, and Values, attitudes and appreciations enshrined in the constitution. Education, therefore, in my mind, has let them down, has let us all down, and therefore stands accused. Dave Shepherd is a former director responsible for Institutional Management and Governance Planning in Early Childhood Development, Schools and Adult Community Learning Centres in the Western Cape Education Department. This article was originally published on page 11 of The Cape Argus on June 16, 2008