“Government’s inability to meaningfully transform basic education is one of democratic South Africa’s most grievous failures and an appalling indictment of our society.” CDE (March 2023)
In 1994 Nelson Mandela strongly emphasized improving education for all South Africans. The output was The South African Schools Act of 1996 and the notion of “a new national system for schools which will redress past injustices in educational provision, provide an education of progressively high quality for all learners”. It was also expected to “promote acceptance of responsibility for the organisation, governance and funding of schools in partnership with the State.”
29 years into democracy the Centre for Development and Enterprise (CDE) in a series of reports analysed the chronically ailing public education system and concludes that [the] “change required the right diagnosis and political will” and, “that a broad cross-section of leaders outside of government: churches, NGOs, advocacy groups, individuals, civic bodies, parents, principals, teachers and learners, and especially business need to coalesce around a common set of minimum demands for systemwide reform.”
The need for system wide reform in education as key drivers of job creation and social upliftment is compelling. Is it likely? Probably not, while government is locked in a ‘wicked problem’ of its own making. Any potential drop in the national pass rate, alienation of the unions that are defending the competency of teachers and their jobs, the shameful physical condition of many schools and, the capacity of many teachers to migrate to higher education standards, all add up to intolerable political risk. Add in South Africa’s fiscal constraints, economic stagnation, rampant corruption and, the fact that government spending on education is already second only to the cost of servicing public dept, then any hope of systemic transformation of basic education seems a forlorn dream.
Abandon all hope?
A cautiously optimistic perspective is that positive change is increasingly evident despite the political headwinds. Civil society is taking the initiative and driving change in their precincts. Momentum for positive change, somewhat reluctantly, is resulting in government entering private sector partnerships to deliver and improve critical public services in localities. These partnerships are most evident where there are active and committed community-based organisations.
For basic education the case can be made that the conditions for active citizenship and partnerships for real change is already embedded in the Education Act. Evidence of this is the incredible success of public schools where communities and stakeholders take responsibility for and invest time and money into driving the performance of their local school.
These successful schools also seem to have similar characteristics. They see themselves as a microcosm of the South Africa most citizens aspire to. They encourage inclusivity, transformation, and being part of broader social responsibility. They embrace academic excellence, sport, and extra-curricular programmes as a developmental imperative. But, most importantly, they take responsibility for their own destiny by electing competent and engaged School Governing Bodies (SGB) to focuses on strategic comparative and competitive advantages and how best to support, encourage, and celebrate exceptional performance of school management and staff.
It is these attributes that parents appear to value and are prepared to pay additional fees for. They are also attributes that the private sector and philanthropists will find value and are likely to invest in.
Conclusion:
Systematic transformation of public education should be the responsibility of government, especially the Department of Basic Education. However, where the expectation of government intervention is low then change will need to start with communities taking responsibility for their local schools. This will need committed and credible SGB leadership to identify the critical constraints and opportunities where they can exercise certainty and control of the output.
Where SGB capacity building and support may be needed, collaboration with better resourced schools and community administration and management specialists is very likely, either as corporate social responsibility (CSR) or a shared vison of building bridges for a better future.