07 July 2010

The IFP Youth Brigade (IFPYB) has said in reaction to government's announcement that it is to phase out the Outcomes Based Education (OBE) system, that the IFP had warned from the outset that OBE was doomed for failure in South Africa.

The IFP and the IFPYB has long questioned OBE's failed credentials in other countries as well as the lack of resources and training to meet its elaborate objectives in the South African context.

"OBE was an abject failure and it has been a costly exercise for the ruling party, who spent millions on implementing a dead policy which failed in a number of countries before the ruling party introduced it here. It has sadly turned an entire generation of South African school children into victims of yet another ANC experiment," said Pat Lebenya-Ntanzi, the IFP Youth Brigade Chairperson.

In addition, the IFPYB has long warned that the disgraced education policy was failing to teach children the basics of education - such as reading and writing.

"We have been sadly vindicated by the consistently poor performance of South African pupils in international maths and literacy tests. We welcome the return to a schooling system that will focus on the basics of education," said Lebenya-Ntanzi. 

Lebenya-Ntanzi said that with the implementation of the new education 'Action Plan 2014' government needed to launch a plan of action that will address OBE's failures.

"The OBE has produced a generation of young people who are unskilled and ill-equipped to enter the work force and this is why youth unemployment figures continue to rise. We call on government to look at an action plan or programme specifically targeting the OBE's lost generation, which must teach these young people basic skills that will assist them to access employment opportunities. Without such an action plan the OBE taught children face a bleak future," said Lebenya-Ntanzi.

Lebenya-Ntanzi said that while the new schooling programme was a step in the right direction it would still fail if government fails to address the massive inequalities in the South African education system.

"We need to take cognisance of the fact that our education system is still marred by low quality, high inequality and deep segregation. What we now need is not only a quality education system, but equality in our education system: equality in the access to opportunities and equal access to resources. Solving the injustices in our education system must be our main priority before we dream of making a success of the new schooling system," concluded Lebenya-Ntanzi.

Contact: Ms Pat Lebenya-Ntanzi MP, 078 186 3619.