Inequality is still rife in SA's education system

Note to Editors: The following speech was delivered by DA National Spokesperson, Phumzile Van Damme MP, in the State of the Nation (SONA) Debate in the National Assembly this afternoon. 

Honourable Speaker,

Two weeks ago I visited the town of Jan Kempdorp in the Northern Cape following the alleged rape, brutal assault and racial abuse of a learner by his peers at a local high school.

During the visit, members of the community informed me that racial tensions in the town had been simmering for many years.

The situation in Jan Kempdorp is in no way an isolated one, and occurs frequently across South Africa.

Just yesterday, there were reports of learners being subjected to racial abuse at a school in Witbank, Mpumalanga.

It is tragic that 21 years into our democracy, racism is still rife in South Africa.

Racism is one of our country's biggest wounds, festering, untreated.

We cannot continue to pretend that racism only exists in specific enclaves.

It is not a problem unique to any geographic location.

It is a problem in Cape Town. It is a problem in Johannesburg. It is a problem in Durban.

It is a problem in every single corner of South Africa.

Our young people are sadly, not immune to the evil that is racist beliefs.

Many children are raised by racist parents who teach them hate.

It certainly does not help that some schools still perpetuate this hate by segregating learners according to race.

We cannot have the situation where our young people are being taught to hate by parents and schools.

It is time for government to take a tough stance against racism.

As the DA, we are taking a tough stance against racism.

We have made it clear that we are not a party for racists.

Racists are not welcome in the DA.

Honourable Speaker,

It has to be clear in all our children's minds that there are dire consequences for racist behaviour.

In Germany, education is used to make sure that new generations never will forget the Holocaust.

The teaching of the Holocaust is not limited to historical facts, but makes young Germans appreciate the values and institutions that protect freedom and democracy.

We need something similar in South Africa.

In addition, I think it is important for municipalities around the country to initiate dialogues about racism, like the Mayor of Cape Town, Patricia de Lille has done.

Such dialogues are of course not a cure-all solution, but could inform any policy interventions required.

Honourable Speaker,

It is time to realise that our education system is not doing nearly enough for our young people, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Over the past 20 years, we have made significant headway in expanding education access to more learners.

However, learners from disadvantaged backgrounds are still being left behind.

If we calculate the 2014 matric pass rate taking into consideration the learner retention rate, it reveals that, in essence, only 1 in 3 of our learners passed matric.

Almost a quarter of the total bachelor passes were produced by schools considered more affluent, while only one in ten were produced by the poorest schools.

Due to insufficient funding being allocated to the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS), those learners from disadvantaged backgrounds who passed may not even be able to make it to tertiary institutions.

Like racism, inequality in our education system is still rife.

There was little or no detail in the President's State of the Nation Address about how this inequality would be dealt with, in fact, education was only mentioned three times and focusing almost exclusively on education infrastructure upgrades.

We will be taking the announcements on infrastructure upgrades with buckets of salt, because last year President Zuma announced that government would build 12 new FET colleges, 6 of which were to be built and completed in the last financial year. This has not happened.

South Africa's young people are tired of President Zuma's broken promises.

The fulfilment of his promises has been almost as elusive as his appearances in the National Assembly, woefully inadequate.

More needs to be done to improve South Africa's education system:

Here are some ideas to consider:

Prioritising the professional development of teachers

Ensuring that the Matric exams are invigilated and marked by people who are equipped and competent to do so. The DA-run Western Cape Government is the only province that tests potential markers.

Ensuring that provinces have effective and reliable systems in place to monitor the ordering and delivery of textbooks to every school. The DA-run Western Cape Government has a well-established system in place to ensure that textbook orders are captured and processed timeously.

South Africa's young people desperately need an education that will allow them to find dignified employment in order to build a better future for themselves and their families.

I thank you.

Issued by the DA, February 17 2015

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