A lot has been said and done regarding the standard and quality of the South African Education systems. There are pockets of excellence to be applauded like the IEB (Independent Examination Board) and areas of improvement in the CAPS/NCS system (Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement / National Curriculum Statement). This article will primarily focus on the CAPS/NCS shortcomings and how to improve the system as a whole.
I have 14 years of teaching at various secondary schools in Zimbabwe (5 years) and South Africa (9 years). Having been exposed to various education systems and being curious about how the best funded education system in Africa fails to perform as expected, I have come up with the possible solutions outline below.
One aspect in the favour of South Africa's education system is the ability to adapt. After 1994, the Department of Education has changed from OBE (Outcome Based Education) to NSC (National Senior Certificate) and now CAPS. This is a very positive trait to take the education system to new heights. Organisations which can learn and change stand a better chance of success in these turbulent times. The outcry about the quality of the current education performance can be addressed through another change in the education system.
CAPS has just been introduced and from my own experience the system is giving challengesto educators and learners alike. The main challenges to the FET (Further Education and Training) or the GET (General Education and Training) systemic and structural. As far as possible, mother-tongue teaching and learning must be introduced as soon as possible. The current 98% pass rate in the IEB system may be attributed to the language of teaching and learning (which is English and Afrikaans). UNESCO (2010) Institute For Lifelong Learning explores the benefits of mother-tongue learning in Africa in greater detail. Most learners in IEB system use English/Afrikaans as their home language and as their language of teaching/learning. In contrast, learners in the NCS/CAPS systems use vernacular most of the time but are expected to pass their subjects in English. this is a serious problem affecting most African countries in general. For Africa to develop, mother-tongue must be used as much as English/Afrikaans (or French). Most, if not all developed countries use their own languages in all forms of communication and in the teaching/learning systems. Unless if Africa starts using local language, development will take far too long to accomplish. South Africa must learn from how Afrikaners developed their language to its present status. It is sad to hear Africans addressing each other in English in meetings or at rallies. Let alone use the colonial language in public schools!
Prof V Msila wrote a compelling article entitled "Africanising Tertiary Education" in response to UNISA's Vision 2030. However, this must go beyond protesting use of English/Afrikaans at tertiary institutions. After 22 years of self rule, I am yet to see any learning institution built by an African government where the language of teaching or learning is mother-tongue. This is pathetic. in today's world of technology, language translation is fairly simple and cheap. The onus is upon policy-makers to Africanise every written word into the relevant local languages. Hence Prof J Jansen (2015) launched a diatribe in News24 on the mooted introduction of Mandarin in South African schools rather than introducing local languages.
Beside the issue of language, the South African education system is overloaded with irrelevant requirements making it burdensome to learners and teachers. The number of subjects to be studied are unnecessarily too many. Someone intending to study engineering, for example, does not really need 3 years studying 2 languages, Life Orientation or any other non-scientific subject. its a total waste of time. At FET, learners must specialise in the subjects related to their future careers. By so doing they will spend more time preparing for those learning areas. As such, pass rates will certainly improve. Prof P Vale from University of Johannesburg detailed the language problem and impact in South African schools and how mother-tongue instruction can improve the quality of teaching/learning.
The current education system must not be too academically-focused. Practical subjects must be introduced such that those who cannot fit into the sciences, commercial or general stream must be catered for by offering them practical subjects such as building, welding, fashion design, art, music, dance, cookery, etc etc. In many schools the focus is on pass rates and not equipping school-leavers with life skills. Skilled people end up starting their own businesses and thereby create employment for themselves and others.
Another sad feature of South African schools is the lack of proper libraries and laboratories. Subjects of a practical nature should have a laboratory or a workshop. Most practical tasks are not done well, if at all. Hence the high failure rate in subjects requiring practical knowledge. Computer laboratories must be constructed at all schools to equip students with computer skills. The current generation of youths seem to have an aptitude in technology. Introducing computer technology-based subjects will have a positive impact on the education system and the economy in general. In the same vein, new and relevant subjects must be introduced to cater for contemporary needs of society. For example entrepreneurship, business studies, art and design, woodwork, metalwork, agriculture, programming, building and construction, plumbing, electrical/electronic systems, basic engineering etc etc.
The time allocated to Life Orientation must somehow be made available to sporting activities. in my 9 years teaching in South African schools, sporting activities are almost non-existent. The powers that be seem blind to the fact that careers can be made out of sports. The talents of most South African children is never identified or utilised. The government and labour unions must sit down and sort out this sad state of affairs. Sports is time-consuming and there are no examination results to worry about hence it takes a back-bench in the school calendar. Sports is there on paper but the implementation of sporting activities leaves a lot to be desired. Politicians shout hollow about quota systems in sports rather than construct sporting fields in schools. There are very few, if any rural and township schools with sporting fields for rugby, cricket, tennis or swimming. The only sporting fields you will meet are for netball and football and those ones will be poorly maintained.
The construction and maintenance of laboratories, libraries, sporting fields and workshops will boost the quality of the education and also have a positive impact on the economy. Tenders must floated to construct such infrastructure at schools as well as delivering books translated in mother-tongue. Furthermore, other administrative drags like 'moderation' must be eliminated with immediate effect. In my teaching experience, I have come to conclude that the moderation as done in schools add no value to the overall quality of education. It is a total waste of learners and teachers' time. Similarly, the pass requirements need to be revised upwards in the case where learners are specialising in few subjects. if some of the above proposals are implemented, I strongly believe that the quality of education in South African schools will improve
