Sizwe Mabizela is no fan of the idea of a free tertiary education for all. And it is not something the #FeesMustFall student campaign should seek to achieve.
In fact, in an interview with the Dispatch the Rhodes University vice chancellor said, free education would serve only to benefit the wealthy, who do not require assistance with university fees, and would therefore widen the social and economic inequalities in the country.
He said the country also needed to turn away from its obsession with matric and regarding the matric pass rate as the most significant indicator of the health of the entire schooling system.
Too many children dropped out of school long before matric, which Mabizela described as a colossal waste of human talent.
Research has suggested that only about half of the children who enrol in Grade 1 make it to matric.
“We need to start investing in the front end of our education sector rather than in the back end. We need to invest in early childhood development (ECD).
“Research clearly demonstrates that the first five to seven years of a child are absolutely critical. That is where we need to start.”
It required developing capable and competent ECD practitioners and ensuring every child had access to ECD and acquired the basic skills of reading, writing and arithmetic from a young age.
He said a massive drive to educate and train existing teachers was also vital to improving basic education.
“The centrality of the teacher in the learning enterprise cannot be overemphasised. Too many of our teachers are themselves a product of the existing dysfunctional system. They have never had good teaching models. They do not know what being a good teacher entails.
“Teachers must be equipped in safe spaces with skills and content and pedagogical knowledge so that they can become competent, confident, capable and enthusiastic teachers.”
The equipping of principals with leadership and management skills was also essential, as was a focus on creating good physical infrastructure conducive to learning.
“We don’t need more experts or more research. We know what needs to be done. Let’s just get on and do it.”
He said the fact that the Eastern Cape education department had underspent to the tune of R127-million on its conditional grant budget in the face of such massive need for restructuring was frightening and indefensible.
Whatever was done at the higher education level acted merely as a band-aid.
“The foundational knowledge of too many of our university students is weak. Ironically, they often become our best students because they survived a crippling schooling system and made it here against the odds. But, it is critically important to fix the schooling system so that those young people that come to university are adequately prepared in terms of knowledge skills and attitudes so that they can properly benefit from higher learning.”
Mabizela said it had also become increasingly urgent for the nation to develop a greater multiplicity of educational pathways. A university degree was no guarantee of employment. “At the moment university is regarded as the only viable option. For a country of our size and level of development we need far more people with artisanal skills then with university degrees.
“We need to focus on our technical and vocational education and training sector and make them institutions of choice too.”
Mind-sets had to be changed to ensure due respect and regard was given to technical skills and knowledge.
Mabizela said a different approach to education had become imperative. “We are condemning our young people to a life of hopelessness and despair. We can’t do that. We dare not. If we want to build a winning nation, we need to sort out our education. There is no better investment that we can make other then ensuring every young person has access to quality education.”
Mabizela - It’s time to reimagine education
In fact, in an interview with the Dispatch the Rhodes University vice chancellor said, free education would serve only to benefit the wealthy, who do not require assistance with university fees, and would therefore widen the social and economic inequalities in the country.
He said the country also needed to turn away from its obsession with matric and regarding the matric pass rate as the most significant indicator of the health of the entire schooling system.
Too many children dropped out of school long before matric, which Mabizela described as a colossal waste of human talent.
Research has suggested that only about half of the children who enrol in Grade 1 make it to matric.
“We need to start investing in the front end of our education sector rather than in the back end. We need to invest in early childhood development (ECD).
“Research clearly demonstrates that the first five to seven years of a child are absolutely critical. That is where we need to start.”
It required developing capable and competent ECD practitioners and ensuring every child had access to ECD and acquired the basic skills of reading, writing and arithmetic from a young age.
He said a massive drive to educate and train existing teachers was also vital to improving basic education.
“The centrality of the teacher in the learning enterprise cannot be overemphasised. Too many of our teachers are themselves a product of the existing dysfunctional system. They have never had good teaching models. They do not know what being a good teacher entails.
“Teachers must be equipped in safe spaces with skills and content and pedagogical knowledge so that they can become competent, confident, capable and enthusiastic teachers.”
The equipping of principals with leadership and management skills was also essential, as was a focus on creating good physical infrastructure conducive to learning.
“We don’t need more experts or more research. We know what needs to be done. Let’s just get on and do it.”
He said the fact that the Eastern Cape education department had underspent to the tune of R127-million on its conditional grant budget in the face of such massive need for restructuring was frightening and indefensible.
Whatever was done at the higher education level acted merely as a band-aid.
“The foundational knowledge of too many of our university students is weak. Ironically, they often become our best students because they survived a crippling schooling system and made it here against the odds. But, it is critically important to fix the schooling system so that those young people that come to university are adequately prepared in terms of knowledge skills and attitudes so that they can properly benefit from higher learning.”
Mabizela said it had also become increasingly urgent for the nation to develop a greater multiplicity of educational pathways. A university degree was no guarantee of employment. “At the moment university is regarded as the only viable option. For a country of our size and level of development we need far more people with artisanal skills then with university degrees.
“We need to focus on our technical and vocational education and training sector and make them institutions of choice too.”
Mind-sets had to be changed to ensure due respect and regard was given to technical skills and knowledge.
Mabizela said a different approach to education had become imperative. “We are condemning our young people to a life of hopelessness and despair. We can’t do that. We dare not. If we want to build a winning nation, we need to sort out our education. There is no better investment that we can make other then ensuring every young person has access to quality education.”
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