Estimated reading time: 8 minutes
“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” – Nelson Mandela.
Flash forward decades after these powerful words were pronounced, and you now arrive in a country where the standard of education and the actual schools catering to the next generation are anything but “powerful weapons which you can use to change the world”. At least for the most part.
Coming into power years ago, the ANC was hell-bent on correcting the inequality in education. Therefore, once in the driver’s seat, now focussed on producing a highly educated population, one would think the new government would have increased the standard of education, taking pride in correcting this sizable problem. Not continually lowering it to the point whereby students are pushed through, pass marks are a laughable 30%, discipline and respect now a mere memory and infrastructure, if any, is now the victim of corruption.
Just look at the state of the rural schools where one would have thought, almost 30 years later, would be a beacon of pride, but sadly, all these years on is quite the opposite.
However, in the midst of this, the once elite-only private educational sector took flight, seizing the opportunity within the country’s borders. Tailoring packages, offering new-style bursaries; these suppliers of quality education built on their business modules, filling the ever-increasing requirement for a reliable education taught in a safe, functional facility.
But even though filling a gap, the private sector cannot be the scapegoat for government, but should instead be the module the government is trying to mimic or, god forbid, possibly outshine.
Think about it for just a moment; currently, in South Africa, thousands of teachers are successfully educating hundreds of thousands of children in private institutes and, yes, certain government schools, but more on these schools shortly. Adversely, the many state-run schools are still battling to erect buildings, toilets or place educated staff. The only question is why and what is the impact of this all?
Speaking with a good friend and long-time celebrated educator and leader in the private education sector, Bryn Thomas. Who has earned a reputation as a result-driven Executive Head for the Curro Group, holding a proven, successful track record—I delve into the unspoken about components of education in South Africa and what you need to consider before making a decision about it all.
Firstly, discussing the decline of the pass mark in the country, Bryn points out, “I think the first thing to take into consideration is what the motivation for lowering the mark is? I think anytime there is a lowering, there is always this feeling that the standard is dropping.” But, as Bryn points out, he believes the intention to lower the mark probably ensures that those who are not always provided the opportunity to achieve a certain level can now get to a specific rung to access the following step. “It is the analogy of the child first crawling, then walking and lastly running—as it is very hard to go from crawling to running.”
After being presented with this answer, I surprisingly found myself caught off guard. As the usual rebuttal, being that true negative South African style response, was not his outlook. And what he says next motivated his logic even more. “I also do understand it is not easy for the schools where they do not have the resources. Additionally, the various youngsters do not have support at home from parents who might be working long hours or not working at all. You also have to consider that several children are in environments where they are walking long distances to school, and do not have enough food in their stomachs to concentrate on what is going on in a school environment. This all means that they can’t reach the results required to contend with a higher level of education, especially in these rural areas where conditions are much tougher for children than in cities.”
A valid point, like a child waking up to cartoons, cereal in bed, and dropped off at the school gate does not in the least face the same decisions, options and challenges as their peers walking to school, barefoot in the cold—with only the school’s one free meal as their nutrition for the day. Secondly, Government schools in your more affluent urban areas see over-eager parents all contending with one another, throwing money and sponsorships to support what the state can’t.
Despite this, Bryn says he thinks that anytime a government reduces the pass mark to achieve a goal, all sense is lost. And I could not agree more! How can we expect to cure poverty, economic idiocy and laughable politics if the gross body of children currently becoming adults are only required to deliver the bare minimum, and the government, who should be remedying this all, just simply isn’t?
Ignoring the apparent issue with a poor pass rate in effect, I asked Bryn how he believes a continued lowering standard in government education will impact student behaviour and commitment in class? As learners who are driven to achieve, make for better students.
“I think it is going to have a massive impact. The reality is that children need structure and as human beings and society, we need carrots dangled. As people we need an environment that pushes us. And if we are not pushed hard, by having a pass mark that is high enough and some kind of real incentive, there is no way children and human beings, in general, will push themselves to be the best that they can be. That is just the reality of society and if that mark is too low, then unfortunately it is not going to generate the desired effect in my opinion.”
Moving past the classroom for a moment, discussing this muddy standard of education and its impact on young peoples’ work ethic in the business world after school, Bryn explains it is going to have a knock-on effect, as when a person finds themselves in a society where the expectations are not particularly high, they seldom push themselves to achieve their goals. Even those who are motivated and want to be the best, if they are not continuously driven, will steadily lower their standard, eventually affecting their productivity. “I think in the workplace and the business world, even as adults, we have to be continually driven.”
To evolve on the adage, “on a slippery slope”, South African education is down the slope and requires a lift to the top of the mountain. We cannot ignore the fact that the country’s best and brightest are, for the most part, hard-worked people. Who through trials and tribulations, valleys and mountains, become successful people.
Providing an example to this, Bryn explains his superiors at Curro push him, and in turn, he pushes his staff, which sees him and his team working as a unit in improving as individuals, constantly striving to be and do better. This, in turn, sees their learners improving, reaching for their goals. In other words, due to the top bras possessing focus and clarity on the plan, the private education sector flourishes, opening new schools, expanding into other parts of Africa. While the South African Government still negotiates the pass mark and erecting schools.
However, with all of this in mind, if South Africa wants to be at the forefront of achievement globally, Bryn stresses that we cannot accept the mediocre anymore. Stating, the perfect case study exists across the ocean, showcasing what happens when people are pushed from school days. “If you look at countries around the world, especially many Asian countries and how they push their workforce—obviously a balance is important, but they push them hard to achieve the best they can and therefore many of these young people go on to dominate a lot of what happens around the world.”
Ending off with Bryn, I asked him how difficult it is to teach students who know they only require a meagre mark to pass versus teaching a class of students with expectations and requirements? And how does this affect the teacher and subsequently the educator’s career in the long run?
As he points out, motivating and keeping children highly functional is an art on its own. Let alone dealing with the challenges faced outside the classroom in a learner’s life. “In a private school environment, already you are going to have parents who are super committed to the results and therefore are often more actively involved.” However, the sad fact is that many parents cannot afford this premium offering.
For the most part, they are focused on so many other things, like putting food on the table and paying the bills. Thus, often cannot get behind their child’s education. Whereas in many middle-income and higher-income homes, there is that support structure.
Therefore, if you are going to be in an environment where the children’s motivation is already low due to parents being focused on just surviving, and the challenges therein, coupled with a low expectation and pass mark, the knock-on effect is terrifying. And due to this swirling combination, these children end up being left to their own choices, influenced by other children around them.
Adding to this, Bryn stresses that, in the long run, it will also have an impact on educators’ career development and how they see the education sector in its entirety. Which could push them away from the industry simply due to being exposed to poor environments, unruly children, and poor guidance from the government—all because of low mark requirements.
“From an educational point of view, surely we should be setting the bar higher and higher all the time, not dropping it”, concludes Bryn.
What are your thoughts? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.
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