Africa-Press – South-Africa. by Brian Isaacs
There is no doubt in my mind government must ensure adequate money is spent on education from early childhood development (ECD), primary, secondary and tertiary education.
I have proposed in my earlier columns there is no place for private education in South Africa. Private education encourages elitism and does not expose all South Africans to the problems in education in South Africa.
Schools are overcrowded and lack the necessary infrastructure and number of teachers, unlike private and former Model C schools.
I believe teachers working in the majority of schools of the poor must see that it is their political duty to see they have the qualifications to teach. They must go beyond their call of duty to see they give the children of this country a quality education.
Pre-1994 teachers at the schools of the poor spoke about the gutter education the Nationalist Party gave the oppressed people of SA. However, teachers in the oppressed schools continued to strive to rise above the gutter education and gave of their best to give children a good education. The concept of People’s Education or an alternative educational system was promoted.
I firmly believe this is what teachers should embrace. Working with the present curriculum but also making progressive changes along the way.
I never accepted in my teaching career to dumb down the children I taught. Every Friday afternoon, under the guidance of one of the greatest teachers South Africa produced, Fred Coker, we as the Life Sciences’ teachers would prepare experiments for our students for the next week. We would carry the apparatus in boxes from class to class to perform the experiments and dissections. We had no science laboratories.
Mr Coker introduced us to the Scientific American magazine and we had to give talks in class on the Nobel Prize-winners in Science, the names of which he would rattle off in class. Hundreds of his students became top-class scientists through the effort of one man.
Today, through the efforts of Zeid Baker at South Peninsula High School, it has become known at the Science Expo as one of the top schools.
I expect all schools of the poor to continue fighting for physical and human resources, but the point I am making here is that I expect teachers to give of their best in all schools.
I will never accept an argument that we cannot do our best because of our circumstances. I have walked into schools of the poor and have found inferior facilities but the school is neat and tidy.
The teachers are giving their best in the classrooms and on the sports fields. Teachers’ cars are packed with students going to play sport at other schools. Then there are dirty schools, the classrooms are not swept and the absenteeism of teachers is high.
At many schools, teachers have adopted the attitude they are not well-paid and therefore do not see the need to go the extra mile in their teaching or become involved in extra-mural activities.
This is our country, and if we adopt a negative attitude towards our children we teach, we are doing a great disservice to our students, ourselves and our country. Teachers, we are there to serve our community and at the same time fight for our rights!
Not to be served but to serve.
* Brian Isaacs obtained a BSc (UWC) in 1975, a Secondary Teacher’s Diploma in 1976, BEd (UWC) in 1981, and MEd (UWC) in 1992. He is a former matriculant, teacher and principal at South Peninsula High School.
** The views expressed here are not necessarily those of Independent Media.
Cape Argus
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