So how bad is it really? Well, our Grade 10 average for Maths at IkamvaYouth’s Ebony Park branch is 28% and our Grade 11 average is 29% – and these are learners who put in extra effort to attend supplementary classes. Who knows what the real performance levels are of those learners who are simply going through the motions? In all likelihood we’ll never know because each year the schools tend to “encourage” Grade 11s who are likely to fail not to return for Matric as this will reflect badly on the school’s final results. So, as bad as the matric results are each year, the reality is actually much worse.

Then, consider this: in the last 3 years, we have added R100 billion to the public sector wage bill of which a hefty chunk goes to teachers and this is even before we include the additional R30 billion+ required to foot the current strike demands. Now I’m not sure about you but the last time I walked into the shop and bought something for R100 billion I had pretty high expectations of what I would get in return. And so the elephant in room that everyone seems to be ignoring is what return have we received from the previous increase in salaries?

The answer is surprisingly simple: the return is negative. Over the past few years, the matric pass rate has consistently declined and, if we allow some anecdotal evidence, any IkamvaYouth tutor will contend that the gaps in understanding are actually getting bigger not smaller. So who’s to blame?

The answer  to this question is a lot more complicated and the three power brokers (i.e. the unions, teachers and government) each have a lot to answer for. It is surely self evident that the union insistence that union meetings be allowed to take place during school teaching hours and an outright refusal to allow any form of performance management or teacher accountability is problematic. The truth is that most people would support an increase in teacher salaries (and a substantial one at that) and for my mind we shouldn’t stop at 8.6% if we know that the outcome is going to be an increase in the number of learners who access meaningful post-school opportunities. I mean, double the teacher salaries if that means more people can engage productively in the main stream economy but its a big IF. Sadly though, a sizeable number of the teachers themselves are simply not fit to teach and don’t deserve to be paid at all (never mind an increase) – many regard teaching as standing at the front of the class and reading from a textbook and once this is done they are actively disengaged (or at times openly disruptive). This is only further complicated by a government that appears fairly clueless as to how to fix this and it hasn’t helped that they have lost any moral high ground through dubious enrichment schemes to connected individuals and by splurging on unnecessary items like luxury cars, overseas trips and accommodation all the while asking everyone else to tighten their belts.

BUT this is all actually a distraction. The real problem is that the unions, teachers and government officials are relentlessly flogging a dead horse. The amount of time, energy and resources directed at this lifeless creature is phenomenal. In fact, this particular dead horse is more of a dead donkey given its less than impressive history as bantu education and the dubious transition through various forms over the past 16 years. We are so busy beating the OBE out of this poor thing that we haven’t realised it stopped breathing long ago.

Now if you want proof of this then proof will be provided by the startling results at the end of this year. We will notice (I predict) that the 2010 matric results will remain fairly constant with only minor movements up or down. For my mind this should be enough to convince everybody out of their denial. The schooling system is basically so stuffed that a 3 week strike by teachers a month before the final exams (meaning that the vast majority of learners will go into these exams thoroughly unprepared) will barely register on the final results. The good schools will continue to produce good results and the rubbish schools will once more produce the equivalent of a 12 year warehousing process for learners who at least managed to stay in school  - which is just about all they will be able to take with them from this process.

So, if its true then that the voice of the unions is far too narrow and the voice of government is far too compromised then what’s the solution? The solution is to locate the missing voice in this whole commotion that is distressingly conspicuous by its absence. We have to ask: where is the voice of learner? where is the voice of the parent? where is the voice of those who stand by those who bear the brunt of this dysfunctionality?

I’ve been listening for a while and besides from some occasional missives from Equal Education it’s a wilderness out there. We have to fix this. How do we do this? I’m hoping you might have some ideas (please comment below). The key question for me is how  we re-orientate this discussion to start from the basis of the learner as the most important element of this whole process? I honestly don’t think we can do this without a REVOLUTION and its a revolution that will need to be led by learners and parents. So to the learners and the parents… where are you?

1. We acknowledge that teaching is one of the most important and most difficult jobs in the world.

2. We also acknowledge that the schooling environment in South Africa in particular is one of the most highly contested environments in the country with multiple (and often competing) agendas at play.

3. We fully support the irrevocable rights of educators and public servants to raise grievances about their salaries and working conditions through legitimate protest action.

4. We also believe that with these rights come responsibilities – and this includes accountability for one’s actions.

5. Finally, we acknowledge that many teachers would far rather be in class teaching than on the streets demonstrating.

As SEF we are deeply concerned about the negative impact that the teachers’ strike will have on the education of our country’s learners and in particular on our learners who are bearing the brunt of the protest action. Many educators are making plans to ensure that their learners are not prejudiced during this time and we want to commend them for their efforts.

HOWEVER, we make the following URGENT call to all parties concerned:

1. As obvious as it is, it needs to be stated that we call on everyone involved in strike action to recognise the negative consequences for the learners, especially learners in matric facing some of the most important exams of their lives. We also call on all concerned to hold fast to the long-held community principle, ‘MY neighbours child is also MY child’ and ACT ACCORDINGLY.

2. The definitive feature of the current strike action is an inexcusable lack of imagination and creative thought from all sides. We especially call for greater CREATIVITY and an assurance that the learner is instead put first in all on-going activities. The professed commitment to quality education rings very hollow when we observe the actions and words of many in positions of leadership. For example, there are many possible ways to strike that will NOT adversely affect the education of our learners yet still bring pressure to bear upon the state. We challenge the current lack of creative thought and call on parents, learners and educators to pressure union leaders and government to think differently – to pursue creative solutions to legitimate grievances.

3. We reject the curse of lazy thinking that bedevils the automatic default position of many union leaders. The declaration of “war” or threat to “bring the country to its knees” is infantile and completely counterproductive. War always entails innocent casualties and the causalities in this case are our learners and the futures’ to which they aspire to. This cannot continue.

4. It is simply NOT acceptable that our children are treated as bargaining tools at this crucial time of the year OR that any more teaching time is lost. We call on educators, unions and the state to immediately develop appropriate contingency plans over this period that will not compromise the future aspirations of our learners.

5. Finally, we call on a multi-year agreement to be reached by all parties that reflects the real value of teachers to the country’s development, promotes stability in the educational environment and includes performance related clauses that instil much improved levels of accountability in our schools.

In conclusion, the mark of a good educator and a good education is the ability to promote CREATIVITY and engender CRITICAL THOUGHT. By these two standards the circumstances surrounding the on-going strike action leaves much to be desired. We cannot continue to be led by the narrow ambitions of those who seem unable to comprehend the real negative consequences of their actions and who also fail to act responsibly to ensure that this damage is limited and controlled.

The learners of our country do not deserve the current treatment and lessons they are receiving at the hands of those in power and those who are entrusted with helping to define their future’s.

In hope of a speedy resolution.

The SEF Team

R500 per child for a year’s learning:

Our Target:

100 impoverished preschool kids to receive:

Basic Computer Training

Elementary Numeracy

Elementary Literacy

You can sponsor a child: R500 for the year. Every child will receive a weekly computer session with a trained faciliator and practice age-appropriate literacy and numeracy excercises.

PLEASE NOTE: Our preschools programme is being re-developed.

(last updated: 15/03/10).

A BIG thank you to LGIT Smart Solutions who recently took time out from their busy work schedules to help with some much needed building renovation. Amazing what a fresh coat of paint and some TLC can do!

The LGIT team that made this possible.

We look forward now to phase 2 which is to equip this room with computers and expand Siyakhula’s educational offering to the Ivory Park community. LGIT have not only invested time and effort in Siyakhula this year but have also bought into the vision of quality education for all – we look forward with much excitment to further interaction in the year to come.

LGIT Smart Solutions is a Information Technology training provider based in Woodmead, Johannesburg and a Gold Certified Microsoft Partner. Visit LGIT’s website here.

The reality, however, is that in our poorer schools we are losing another generation. The post-schooling opportunities available to the majority of learners from Ebony and Ivory Park are extremely limited due to the poor performance of the schools in this area and a lack of resources, support and external assistance. This week Siyakhula delivered Micro-Science kits to two nearby high schools in an effort to help address the lack of science laboratory equipment. 6 Science teachers were trained by Radmaste (WITS) and provided with the tools for practical hands-on experimentation – the challenge is again highlighted by the fact that these 6 teachers are responsible for the science education of over 4000 learners. You do the Math.

For most of the matriculants from these schools, the post-schooling options available are almost entirely low-skills dependent. Tertiary education is extremely rare and, at best, only 5% of learners will graduate with university exemption. The overwhelming majority will not achieve the required academic standard necessary for further education and skills development and their future life and career options remain severely restricted as a result. During the dark days of Apartheid a rallying cry for the oppressed was “Freedom or Death” – freedom at the time was simply non-negotiable and there was no doubt as to its importance. Should the new rallying cry for us today be something like “Education or Death”? Surely quality education is simply non-negotiable and what can be more important? Is it not increasingly urgent that we put behind us the days of ‘liberation before education’? How do we more effectively unlock the empowering and transforming potential of ‘liberation through education’?

Siyakhula’s schools enrichment programme aims to provide youth from underperforming schools with the necessary skills and information – both academic and personal – to access further educational and/or employment opportunities and thereby transform their personal and social circumstances. Quite literally we are trying the change the world.

For a very accurate and well-written description of the state of our township and rural schools, click here. (Note the suggestions in the last paragraph)