KNYSNA NEWS - The corrosion of South Africa’s education is a far bigger threat to the country’s future than the current energy crisis or political instability.
This was the central message that University of the Free State rector and vice-chancellor and renowned educationalist Professor Jonathan Jansen brought to the Garden Route last week as part of several engagements in Knysna and Plettenberg Bay.
At a school management team workshop at the White House in Plett on the same day, Jansen elaborated. He said South Africans had become “happy with low expectations” and mediocre role models and heroes.
Jansen explained that today’s icons did not lead by example. “Julius Malema could not even pass woodwork and when last did someone in Parliament even have a bachelor’s degree?”
“President Jacob Zuma says teachers should be on time and teach, yet he still arrives three hours late for a meeting.”
Jansen said Minister of Basic Education Angie Motshekga had lowered the bar even further by allowing a 30% pass mark.
And the result of these low standards was reflected in spectacle of this year’s State of the Nation Address (Sona). “The whole thing was an uneducated nation being reflected in parliament. Education is not only about skills, but also about respect and other things like how to address an issue without losing your temper. Education affords a set of values.”
He said the nation should refuse to expect that “we can only go so far”. “The sky is not the limit.”
Jansen believes that teachers and principals can change the situation around. “The hidden curriculum – the behaviour of the teachers – is more important than the formal curriculum,” he said to Plett and Knysna principals and teachers.
“Even if the principal gets a heart attack, every child must work hard and pass.” He added that teachers should arrive at school with the attitude “I can change the lives of these children no matter what”.
He added that if teachers brought “the difference” students would “make the difference”.
Jansen also told teachers not to become discouraged by challenges and referred to a scene in the Disney movie A Bug’s Life where ants carry food to their nest and a leaf obstructs their line. The ants panic but are guided around the leaf. The “queen-in-training” also panics, but is reassured by her mother that “gaps happen” and that challenges can be overcome.
Jansen said the same applied to education, “gaps happen” but that these could be addressed by changing strategy.
“If there are overcrowded classes, we need to change our strategy.”
This was pertinent to local teachers and principals who were given Jansen’s book How to Fix South Africa’s Schools last year to implement the key strategies outlined in the book. They reported back on Friday.
Formosa Primary School principal Colin Wildeman said his school’s biggest challenge was that more than 50% of the learners’ first language was isiXhosa which caused a language barrier. “Another challenge is overpopulated classes with 48 to more than 50 learners in Grad 1 classes for example,” Wildeman said.
Murray High School deputy principal Edgar Gelembe said one of their biggest challenges was that learners did not do their homework. They followed Jansen’s advice and changed their strategy, by keeping the learners at school later allowing them to do their homework at school.
Jansen also addressed about 500 high school learners from Oakhill, Percy Mdala and Concordia High Schools on Friday.
His core message was simple: leading by example. He also encouraged each South African to reach for their full potential, to not accept the nay-sayers and the negative views, to strive for greatness, step forward and be part of the solution of transformation.
“I liked the talk because it was very motivational and taught me a lot about academics in South Africa. South Africa does not expect a lot academically. He got people’s attention and told me that I am capable of getting great marks,” Keenan Tobianksy said.
'We bring you the latest Knysna, Garden Route news'
