Executive Director of CDE, Ms Ann Berstein
Director-General of Department of Basic Education, Mr Bobby Soobrayan
Representatives of Teacher Unions, School Governing Body's and Non - Governmental Organisations
Distinguished Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Thank you most warmly for inviting me to this important gathering of local and global experts in the field of education.
All thanks to the Centre for Development and Enterprise (CDE) for hosting a roundtable discussion on the significant matter of schooling reform.
You have done a great service to the schooling systems worldwide by bringing together distinguished individuals all here to share diverse experiences and perspectives. Over the years CDE has informed government policies on how best to realise social and economic development using education as a driver.
Background
Like the workshop on “International experience of schooling reform”, this roundtable offers a climate conducive for learning from international experience better to improve our schooling systems and help shape the democratic future of our societies.
Held in Washington in 2009, the workshop created a platform for interrogating concerns raised about the quality of the South African education system. It explored the value of learning from experiences of other countries on education reform.
Undoubtedly, experiences shared during engagements of this nature yield invaluable information vital for transforming education policies and systems.
Significance of education
There is no way of talking seriously about social and economic transformation without talking about education and its role in human development and economic growth.
Many agree that education is a fundamental tool for achieving sustainable development and delivering on the Millennium Development Goals, particularly Goal 1 on poverty eradication.
This is what former President Nelson Mandela meant when he said: “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”
It is imperative that our education systems be well structured to deliver on the needs and aspirations of all our peoples. This we can do best by learning from each other’s experiences.
Our work must be informed by practical experiences, reliable data, research and benchmarking from home and abroad. The relevance of international experience in schooling reform is therefore unquestionable.
Education reform in South Africa
Education systems constantly evolve to keep pace with ever-changing needs of societies. In South Africa, the advent of democracy and non-racialism in 1994 came with new demands for institutional and social change.
In the South African situation, demands for education reform continue to be informed by the need to address and redress the legacy of apartheid and segregation. As we review our policies and develop strategies for improving quality, our historical context demands that we also consider the question of equity.
We have made huge strides since 1994. A few examples should suffice:
- Many children now complete the compulsory Grades 1 to 9 (80% in 1994 against 99% in 2010);
- All laws that divided learners by race in the apartheid schooling system have been repealed;
- There are more African learners enrolled in formerly whites-only schools;
- Government spending on each school child has been equalised; and
- Critical and developmental learning outcomes have been embedded within the current curriculum.
Like education systems elsewhere, especially in developing countries, we also have challenges to surmount. For instance, we still have a high percentage of learners leaving the system without having mastered the necessary knowledge and skills.
More worrying is the fact that these challenges are more prevalent among learners from poor and rural communities.
To address these challenges systematically, we have developed an education sector plan which we call “Action Plan to 2014: Towards the Realisation of Schooling 2025”.
The Action Plan is our blueprint for improving the quality of education and for turning around the schooling system in line with our national development goals.
The Action Plan
The Action Plan is intended to address deficiencies in our education system. It sets out 27 national goals of which 13 are output goals outlining expected improvements in learner performance and school enrolment.
These include:
- Increasing the number of learners in Grade 3 who by the end of the year have mastered the minimum language and numeracy competencies for Grade 3
- Increasing the number of learners in Grade 6 and 9 who by the end of the year have mastered the minimum language and mathematics competencies for Grade 6
- Increasing the number of Grade 12 learners who become eligible for a Bachelors programme at a university
- Increasing the number of Grade 12 learners who pass mathematics and physical science
- Ensuring that all children remain effectively enrolled in school up to the year in which they turn 15 and
- Improving access to quality early childhood development.
On the whole, the Action Plan covers key areas ranging from teachers, learner resources, whole school improvements, school funding, school infrastructure and support services.
What we want to achieve in our schools by 2025 is the following:
Learners who attend school regularly take responsibility for their own learning, have access to computers, connectivity, a good meal, good teachers, sporting and cultural activities.
Teachers who are confident, well-trained, continually improving their capabilities, committed to giving learners the best possible education and enjoy job satisfaction due to decent conditions of service.
Principals who ensure that quality teaching takes place as prescribed by the national curriculum provide responsible leadership, promote harmony, creativity and a sound work ethic within the school community and beyond.
Parents who are well informed about their children and school activities.
Learning and teaching resources that are in abundance and of a high quality.
School buildings and facilities that are spacious, functional, safe and well-maintained.
South Africa: The relevance of international experience
Our vision for turning around schooling in South Africa as outlined in the Action Plan provides a holistic approach for creating an environment that is conducive for quality teaching and quality learning.
A distinct feature of the provision of public services adopted by our current government in 2009 is an outcomes-focused approach which emphasises monitoring and evaluation of the outcomes we have set out to achieve.
In line with this approach, we have signed a delivery agreement with the President in October 2010 directing us to achieve an improved quality of basic education that is envisaged in our long term strategy – Action Plan to 2014: Towards the Realisation of Schooling 2025.
We share social and economic similarities with many other developing countries. We are optimistic that deliberations at this roundtable will shed light on challenges and aspects of our schooling system calling for change, including:
- enabling tools such asInformation and Communications technology(ICT) solutions that we can deploy in schools to support administration, teaching and learning
- teacher training and professional development programmes that can yield the desired teaching corps
- quality educational content and resources and
- effective and economical strategies for achieving our educational goals and vision.
I look forward to learning from your experiences which can only enrich our knowledge base and ensure that we improve the quality of teaching and learning in our schools.
Lastly, we fully agree with the CDE’s conception of the relevance of international experience in schooling reform. Like the CDE, in its policy formulation South Africa also considers the observation that:
“There will be value for the country’s policy-makers and the education sector generally to understand what has been attempted, and why, in selected places around the world, and what the impacts have been and why, and to explore the implications for national and provincial/local education policy and practice.” (CDE, Project Background, November 2010).
In this respect, the roundtable on schooling reform is a valuable intervention.
Once more, on behalf of government, we’re grateful to have this discussion on our shores and are very thankful to all the international guests and speakers who have made it.
We wish you an enriching discussion and a great stay in our country.
Working together we can change the world using quality education as “the most powerful weapon”.
I thank you.
Source: Department of Basic Education
