SADTU must lead us and be the change they want to see
We can throw as much money at the education problem as we wish but the fact of the matter is that we are dealing with a value system that has to change
I am not an expert on teaching methods but I know what creates good teachers. I am quite surprised at some of the ideas going about with regard to making teachers more effective. However I think we cannot take a simplistic view on what makes teachers effective.
My parents were both dedicated teachers in Zimbabwe and I also am a beneficiary of good teachers from primary to high school and up to varsity. One thing that I clearly remember was the dedication to the profession by all my teachers. They were all so focused and their work was their passion. Of course one cannot teach teachers how to be passionate. This came as an automatic response to realizing that our only escape from poverty was a good education.
The teachers knew it and so did the students and so you had all parties involved in the education process doing their best. It was never about the school infrastructure nor was it about laboratories or the salaries and perks that the teachers received. Our teachers did not care much where we were attending classes since their main concern was to get into our heads and equip us for the future. They never complained much and could have even taught us under trees as long as they had willing students.
The interesting fact also was that teachers had a healthy competition amongst themselves and made sure that their produce was of high quality. It was a matter of personal pride.