Business has education duty

It takes a village to raise a child and it takes a village to achieve and maintain superior quality in public school education.

During and after the #FeesMustFall protests, renewed calls were made for the private and business sector to play a larger role in this village of raising our children.

I support the call for the business community to enrich the quality of education and programmes in schools and tertiary institutions through funding and/or sharing expertise, services and resources, providing technical assistance, and other contributions to address specific student needs.

Here is why I support this call: The business community has a bigger obligation as a good corporate citizen to improve the communities around it. Education is one of the most fundamental components for the success of any group – a society, a company, a community. When a company or business becomes involved in helping to facilitate and improve education in a community, it has a direct impact on our province and country.

The business sector is the main beneficiary of a good and quality education system. Therefore investments in education and skills have long-term gains and help economies achieve growth with quality jobs.

Connecting skills’ development to economic growth, employment and development strategies, requires public organisations to work with private partners and develop policies that link education and skills’ development to the labour markets and to make investments that generate future employment growth.

Perhaps just as compelling as the civic responsibility to invest in education, is the tremendous impact our local education system has on the business environment.

The quality of an education system directly affects a country’s ability to generate sustainable, diverse employment opportunities; and employers benefit from the product of high-quality education.

So, in order to accomplish its own goals and guarantee its financial stability, the business community must commit to supporting meaningful education programmes and provide leadership and resources in these efforts. There is no better time to get involved in education than right now.

Of course, across our province are examples of schools that are flourishing due, in part, to the involvement of local businesses or industries that have decided to make the success of education in their community a priority. Thank you.

These partners in education see results, not only on the faces of the children they assist, but through the community recognition they receive for their hard work.

Customers recognise that businesses have a unique responsibility to the communities they serve, and they react to education-conscious organisations with increased business and added respect.

A good relationship between the business and education sector is indeed mutually beneficial. After all, business needs trained, educated employees who can analyse, effect innovation and solve problems.

Educators need resources and expertise to expand learning opportunities for students who meet those demands. The investments business may offer education will secure a future for the nation shaped by the very children it has invested in.

Here is my message to our province’s business community: Help improve education and you improve economic opportunities and the quality of future employees. Help improve education and you expand business potential and the ability to compete in the global marketplace. Help improve education and you improve our nation’s future.

As we address this issue of business involvement, it may help to start with small, attainable programmes and goals in local schools. Work with one pupil, one student, one class, or one school or a tertiary institution on whatever level you can.

That said, the push for educational excellence should be considered a crusade. It is in the business community’s self-interest to lead the charge.

Indeed, the South African business sector can make a national impact on the future of education. The efforts can begin with small victories in local schools. These triumphs can guide our schools and tertiary institutions to excellence. Cooperation between business, government and the education sector should be a vital, long-term goal.