MEDIA STATEMENT
BY THE
INKATHA FREEDOM PARTY
|
IFP MEDIA
STATEMENT BY: 6 February 2008 The Inkatha Freedom Party is shocked by a SAIRR survey that suggests that out of 45 countries, SA pupils feel the least safe at school. Even more worrying is the fact that the report states that SA's education system is in free fall and that the number of matriculants qualifying for university entrance has declined by 50% over the past 27 years. This report is absolutely shocking and it confirms what the IFP has said all along - that the education system in South Africa is in a state of revolving crisis. The government, having inherited an education system based on racial discrimination, continues to fail to provide an education that prepares our students for university and the job market. The country presently lacks highly qualified and highly motivated educators. Under the present system there is a scarcity and uneven or erratic distribution of resources. The management of the whole education system is structurally dysfunctional. Many of our educational institutions have become havens of drug abuse, violence, teenage pregnancies, ill-discipline and immoral behaviour. Our school grounds have become war zones and not places of safety and learning. All in all, education is in a sorry state. The IFP believes that the only way we can turn around this dismal state of affairs within our education system is to realise that South Africa needs a diversified education system that properly caters for the vocational, technical and academic needs of the country. The country must develop a highly qualified, highly motivated and adequately remunerated cadre of educators to achieve quality education. We need more teacher training colleges and the provision of far more bursaries in targeted subjects such as mathematics and science. Pupils must be encouraged to work toward university exemption. We must bring back a culture of accountability throughout the system, at both teacher and management level. The IFP believes that the Safer Schools Programme, introduced at the beginning of 2007 by the education department in partnership with the police, is having no noticeable impact and little is being done to help schools implement their safety plans. We call on government to invest more money into the Safer Schools project and we call on parents and educators to redouble their efforts to help implement the safety measures outlined by this programme. The IFP believes that school violence is a reflection of a sick society. We need to urgently restore the values of ubuntu, which has gradually eroded over the years. We also believe that respect for human rights should be balanced with the need for discipline in schools. Furthermore the IFP also believes that respect for authority and a respect for the profession must be reintroduced. We must revisit laws that allow for or encourage anti-social behaviour. Discipline, of both learners and educators, must be returned to schools. Lastly, we call on government to recognise the crisis unfolding within our education system and to give it the priority and attention it deserves.
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