Honourable MEC for Education in the Northern Cape, Ms Grizelda Cjiekella;
Members of the teaching fraternity
Esteemed guests
Ladies and gentlemen
Before I commence my address, kindly allow me to reminisce about my childhood for I believe it is entirely appropriate for this occasion.
Both by mom and dad, mindful of the poor quality of education that was provided by the then apartheid Department of Coloured Affairs, always encouraged me, sometimes quite vigorously, to do extra reading in order that my world-view was not confined to, nor totally informed by, the contents of an inferior school curriculum.
Besides the less than satisfactory subject matter that was taught and which was driven by a distinct racist ideology, we had to contend with school infrastructure that was almost non-existent, the poor calibre of many of the teachers and the general gloom that was all pervasive as a result of political oppression. Moreover, money was hard to come by. Be that as it may, mum and dad kept persevering.
In spite of all these hardships, our moms and dads never stopped encouraging us; they never stopped goading and chiding us for the sake of our own future well being; and above all they never, even for once, ever stopped loving and caring for us!
I reflect, with a great deal of emotion, on my parents’ contribution to my personal growth and development. Ladies and gentlemen, I can, from this very podium, tangibly feel and see in you that love and care; that persistence to give your child a worthy education; and that steadfast determination to witness your child succeed in life, no matter what the hurdle or impediment may be. Honourable moms and dads: you all deserve a round of applause.
And so, by sheer virtue of my parents unquenched desire to see me succeed educationally, I decided way before my teens that I would be a teacher which I personally view as my first calling or vocation.
Ladies and gentlemen, kindly allow me to also reflect on the comments made by Margaret Sanger, the first President of the Planned Parenthood Federation, when she had the following to say in an address to a conference in New York in 1925:
“Before you cultivate a garden, you must know something about gardening. You have got to give your seeds a proper soil in which to grow. You have got to give them sunlight and fresh air. You have got to give them space and opportunity, to strike their roots deep into the soil. And always–do not forget this–you have got to fight weeds. You cannot have a garden if you let weeds overrun it. So, if we want to make the world a garden for children, we must first learn the lesson of the gardener”
Ladies and gentlemen, in presenting this address, I draw on the manifesto of the ruling party, President Zuma’s state of the nation address; the deep thinking that informed the concept of ‘child friendly schools’ for implementation in South Africa; Basic Education Minister’s budget speech and of course, my maiden state of the province address delivered on 12 June this year.
The ANC, as you may all be aware, has declared education to be a top priority of this government, and has also declared that we can do much more by working together: as parents, as learners and as educators.
Schooling, ladies and gentlemen, must be a positive experience for children. Conducive conditions for learning encourage our children. However, if our children do not have competent teachers to guide them, textbooks to learn from, toilets, running water or electricity, then these factors are major obstacles to learning. Therefore, in recognition of the critical support and assistance needed by learners and educators, the national Department of Education in partnership with United Nations Children’s Fund, has embarked on a project entitled child-friendly schools (CFS) that aims to address safety and security and other key issues that hamper the attainment of quality education in South African schools.
In fulfilling the education related millennium development goals, it is incumbent on all role-players not just to get all children into school, but to ensure that all schools work in the best interest of the children entrusted to them. This entails providing safe and protective schools that are appropriately staffed with trained teachers, equipped with adequate resources and is graced with the correct conditions for learning in a holistic and wholesome manner.
We all have to recognise that children, coming from different backgrounds, have different needs. Therefore, the schooling system must build on the worth or assets that children bring from their homes and communities in order to compensate for the deficiencies in the home and community environment. Child friendly schools will enable children to achieve at a minimum, the knowledge and skills prescribed in the curriculum.
In addition, they will also help them develop the ability to think and reason, build self-respect and respect for others, and reach their full potential as individuals, members of their communities and citizens of the world.
Out challenge in educating our children is not simply to get children into school, but also to improve the overall quality of schooling and address threats to their participation. If both the quality of education and access thereto enjoys high priority attention, children who enrol and finish primary school are likely to continue, complete the full cycle, achieve the expected learning outcomes and successfully tackle secondary schooling.
In essence the CFS model is a precursor to quality education rather than a rigid policy or blueprint. Ladies and gentlemen, the world has changed fundamentally from the spendthrift world of just 2 years ago. If one were familiar with debates in the world body politic, one would learn that future growth would primarily depend on expanding investment in education. Success, economically speaking, will be shaped by the extent to which we anticipate the future.
We need to ensure that we have a schooling system that prides itself on producing learners that can shape their own future in a positive way. Turning our society into a knowledge-based one requires that our schools primarily offer quality education to our children that will make them globally competitive yet locally indispensable.
I thank you
Issued by: Northern Cape Provincial Government
23 July 2009
Source: Northern Cape Provincial Government (http://www.northern-cape.gov.za/)
