SA Education and Money.

Education, Money, Resources.

There are numerous articles and speeches about the importance of being ready for 21st century learning. South Africa has taken few measures to make this a reality. Gauteng Online was one of the first projects that the DoE initiated to introduce technology in schools. Crime and other factors impacted the success of that project. Despite its failure, one thing became apparent to me: FUNDS ARE AVAILABLE TO BRING ABOUT CHANGE IN SA SCHOOLS.

Lack of funds is an overused excuse that has led to teachers feeling the responsibility to fund their science labs. It is shameful for a government that is underpaying its teachers to dig deep in their pockets to find money to buy projectors for themselves. It is totally unacceptable.

There is a lack of accountability in the government and it is unfortunate that civilians such as teachers have the short end of the stick. Designing policies means nothing if their implementation site is practically non-existent. As teachers we are expected to be nurses, social workers, parents, police officers and psychologists and that is a lot especially if there are no resources to help us.

Our education system is in dire need of a serious wake-up call. It pains me that I am trained in Science and Technology but I am most likely to end up in a school with the bare minimum of resources. I will be extremely fortunate if I end up in one with a roof over my head. It is disheartening that we basically have to accept that this is the state of our education system. However, I am planning to make changes. God oh so help me.