INSIGHT | New order needed to transform SA’s education system

President Cyril Ramaphosa’s pronouncement  of the establishment of nine TVET colleges in the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal, as well as a new university in Ekurhuleni, during his state of the nation address  is certainly a major step in strengthening the higher education sector.

One of the challenges facing higher education in SA since 1994 has been to “redress the past inequalities and make higher education suit the new order”.

Unfortunately, despite the huge strides made in higher education, numerous challenges still beset this sector, including access, affordability and limited career opportunities.

While the plan as outlined in the Sona might not fully address the vision of a post-school education and training system that is responsive to the needs of individual citizens, it must be noted that it is a step in the right direction.

It provides a platform to closely analyse the higher education sector, as well as the invisible corporate agendas unearthing in various forms.

Education has been commodified across the globe since the signing of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade contract in 1947.

Fees under this contract, to which SA is now a signatory, are regarded as part of trade.

The commercial aspect of acquiring knowledge has created a huge gap in emerging economies. The new norm across the world is to creatively change intellectual trade into various formats and provide price tags in response to demand.

SA as a young democracy is without doubt vulnerable to this global phenomenon, which can be summed up as commodity fetishism.

Every year, a major chunk of the national budget is allocated to departments dealing with knowledge production and management.

This is usually followed by the huge outcry from various sections in society on how these allocated funds are used in relation to the expected outputs.

Naturally, this presents an unfair advantage to the corporate sector to handle education as one of the most significant areas predominantly used for knowledge production.

Instead of treating the provision of student accommodation on campuses as a mandatory obligation, the hidden interest to make profit from the provision explains the extent to which education has been commercialised.

No one can doubt the current government’s spirited drive to subsidise the TVET student’s basic needs in the past few years.

Nevertheless, the biggest concern is the future of the young men and women after completing the courses, as there are very opportunities to put to practice knowledge acquired in these training institutions.

When proposals to improve higher education are biased towards commodification, the more chronic issues like funding lose focus.

The introduction of cost-sharing may be viewed as a good management tool in dealing with financial challenges in higher education.

Unfortunately, its implementation has seriously compromised the education aspirations of thousands of students from poor backgrounds.

Internationally, comparative data sets show that over the last two decades, there has been a shift towards larger shares of private funding of higher education.

In a country still struggling to cope with the inequalities of the past, this trend is asymmetrical to the aspirations many South Africans have of a new order.

So the question is, what sort of balancing act should the sector implement which will positively address higher education challenges.

We need to curb the infiltration and influence of the corporates in dealing with education matters. It is important that we treat education as an investment sector rather than a spending zone, where the primary motive is profitmaking.

Establishment of linkages between the different levels of technical education, such as engineering degree, diploma and certificate training, is very limited. TVET colleges, in particular, have little interaction with the industries that employ their graduates.

Stakeholders need to provide a mechanism or strategy for the industry to participate actively in the management, curriculum development, instructional processes or evaluation procedures in technical education.

Just like the intended opening of TVET colleges, the plan of establishing a science and innovation university points to the right direction to address the enormous challenges SA is facing in terms of capability in the respective fields. These disciplines are indispensable components of business, modernisation of the economy and strengthening of research proficiency.

The current ICT set up in SA also needs a closer analysis. Although the country has achieved notable progress, the poverty gap and the digital divide still adversely obstructs the set goals and targets.

Despite the prospects of ICT for teaching and learning, many institutions in SA have limited facilities.

To transform our educational system, ICT integration in teaching and learning is instrumental in defining a sound objective as well as strategy in the future plans of developing young people with the necessary 21st century skills.

In recent years, research has demonstrated that science classrooms can be created in ways that enhance the cognitive abilities of young people.

If the planned university can ponder these important aspects, without a doubt, in the years to come, our hopes and thirst for a new social order can be fulfilled.

— Anilkumar Kesava Pillai is an ANC MPL at the Bhisho legislature. He writes in his personal capacity.