, EXTRACT A When almost a third of learners halfway through
their second school year (Grade 2) do not know all the letters of
the alphabet, and fewer than half of Grade 6 learners tested could
achieve the Grade 3 benchmark in reading fluency, we are in a
crisis. It represents a devastating disregard for our responsibilities
to the next generation, as well as a national humiliation. It
happened under the noses of our teachers, education departments,
political parties, government – and parents. Not another day
should be lost in tackling this wasteland. We have lost a decade of
progress; the average Grade 4 child in South Africa is three years
behind their Brazilian counterpart. These measures will show
results and help restore citizens’ sense of priorities. A child can
learn more under a tree with a good teacher than from an
untrained teacher in a pristine building. To borrow the phrase of
US campaign expert James Carville, who coined the election
theme, “It’s the economy, stupid”, in education “It’s the teaching,
stupid.” Still, physical conditions in many schools are not
acceptable. Someone needs to be named to take responsibility for
the quality of buildings, and to resolve the problem of empty
schools, including many Nelson Mandela raised money to build.
By mid-2023 there remained 3,300 schools still using pit latrines,
in which small children have died. For pity’s sake, can we not end
this rapidly, by putting one person in charge and accountable in
public, until it’s done? The budget for 4,000 schools was R10-
billion, which seems more than generous. Since most schools
without proper toilets are in rural areas, where the average school
size is fewer than 500 learners, the amount of about R2.5-million
per school seems excessive. An audit committee should be asking
searching questions. Source: Page 3 of 6 In an essay of not more
their second school year (Grade 2) do not know all the letters of
the alphabet, and fewer than half of Grade 6 learners tested could
achieve the Grade 3 benchmark in reading fluency, we are in a
crisis. It represents a devastating disregard for our responsibilities
to the next generation, as well as a national humiliation. It
happened under the noses of our teachers, education departments,
political parties, government – and parents. Not another day
should be lost in tackling this wasteland. We have lost a decade of
progress; the average Grade 4 child in South Africa is three years
behind their Brazilian counterpart. These measures will show
results and help restore citizens’ sense of priorities. A child can
learn more under a tree with a good teacher than from an
untrained teacher in a pristine building. To borrow the phrase of
US campaign expert James Carville, who coined the election
theme, “It’s the economy, stupid”, in education “It’s the teaching,
stupid.” Still, physical conditions in many schools are not
acceptable. Someone needs to be named to take responsibility for
the quality of buildings, and to resolve the problem of empty
schools, including many Nelson Mandela raised money to build.
By mid-2023 there remained 3,300 schools still using pit latrines,
in which small children have died. For pity’s sake, can we not end
this rapidly, by putting one person in charge and accountable in
public, until it’s done? The budget for 4,000 schools was R10-
billion, which seems more than generous. Since most schools
without proper toilets are in rural areas, where the average school
size is fewer than 500 learners, the amount of about R2.5-million
per school seems excessive. An audit committee should be asking
searching questions. Source: Page 3 of 6 In an essay of not more
