Imagine sitting at your school desk and having a question on the classwork. When you ask the teacher she gives you a blank stare. Your teacher has no idea how to solve the problem and no one can help you. This is the reality for the majority of students in South Africa. A study from the South African government found that 79% of teachers scored below the expected competency of their students (Nkosi). With such disregard for the student’s education wouldn’t one want to institute greater accountability for the teachers and schools?
South Africa spends 6.4 percent of their gross domestic product (GDP) on public education, which is 1.5% more than the average European nation (Jobs For Cash). With the government investing so much in education, why does South Africa have one of the least successful education systems? One of the most significant factors contributing to South Africa's poor education is the South African Democratic Teacher’s Union (SADTU). SADTU portrays itself as a group fighting for quality learning and labor rights (Maphila). In reality, their actions portray a different story.
In 2014, after numerous allegations of corruption, an investigative task team was established to analyze SADTU’s exploitation of their position and the effect it has had on the students (Masondo). The examination unveiled a system in which jobs are systematically sold to unqualified countrymen. A person wanting a job can contact a local union official, pay a minimum of 2,300 USD, and be given their desired job (Jobs For Cash). SADTU’s corruption extends to the manipulation of appointments, retirement packages, and numerous bribes (Jobs For Cash).
In addition to creating an environment of corruption, SADTU has fought educational accountability measures and fundamental attempts to standardize the teaching profession. A report from South Africa’s University of Stellenbosch states “The influence exerted by unions, especially SADTU – perceived as interfering with the ability of the education system to act in the best interests of children” (Radcliffe). SADTU has remained opposed to any government policy which would monitor teachers or institute accountability measures (Motsohi). The union is against teacher competency testing, a system which would monitor teachers’ attendance, delivery of the curriculum, and resolve discrepancies between provinces (Motsohi). Instead, SADTU has lobbied to require a one-year notice before inspectors investigate a specific school (Masondo). In addition, the report found that SADTU was essentially running the education system in six out of nine provinces (Masondo).
SADTU’s corruption has had numerous adverse effects on the success of the South African education system. Due to the lack of accountability, teacher’s standards have decreased immensely. A report by the National School Effectiveness Study showed only 50/130 lessons in the curriculum had been administered (Masondo). In addition, since there’s no accountability or testing regarding the teacher’s competency, and many teachers are incompetent. A study from the South African government found that only one-fifth of educators understood the material they were teaching (Publishers at the economist).
If SADTU is going to portray itself as a group that fights for quality learning, they must examine the corrupt and adverse impact their lack of educational accountability has on the children of South Africa. In order for South Africa to have their children graduate from their schools and be successful, they must prioritize children’s learning over the teachers’ union. It appears that one of the major reasons that the teacher could not answer the student's question is due to SADTU’s interference within the education system.
Economist, Publishers At the. "South Africa Has One of the World's Worst Education Systems." The Economist. The Economist Newspaper, 07 Jan. 2017. Web. 07 Mar. 2017.
Masondo, Sipho. "Education in South Africa: A System in Crisis." CityPress. City Press, 31 May 2016. Web. 07 Mar. 2017.
Nkosi, Milton. "Is South Africa's Education System Really 'in Crisis'?" BBC News. BBC, 29 Jan. 2016. Web. 07 Mar. 2017.
Motsohi, Thabang. "Sadtu Is a Counter-revolutionary Force Obstructing Change in SA."BusinessLIVE. Business Day, 26 Feb. 2017. Web. 07 Mar. 2017.
Rusznyak Senior Lecturer at the Wits School of Education, University of the Witwatersrand, Lee. "South African Education Still Fails Many 20 Years after Apartheid." The Conversation. The Conversation, 07 Mar. 2017. Web. 07 Mar. 2017.
Maphila, Magope. "South African Democratic Teachers Union." SADTU. SADTu, 10 Mar. 1970. Web. 15 Mar. 2017.
Team, Ministerial Task Team. "Newsletter." Jobs for Cash: What the MTT Found - DOCUMENTS | Politicsweb. Politics Web, 22 May 2016. Web. 15 Mar. 2017.
My favorite aspect of this piece was the informative yet firm tone, in addition to the engaging hook. My main takeaway was that the South African government needs to sort out the corruption of SADTU in order for students to receive a proper education. How else does SADTU affect South Africa?
ReplyDeleteLots of research, very informative. Main takeaway is that not enough is spent for education.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this article as it was something I had never given much thought to before. I had no idea that the teachers are uneducated as well, so thank you for bringing that to light. I was wondering what could help the teachers to get an education as well. Is there a way that South Africa could spend more money training teachers? What would that look like?
ReplyDeleteI thought it was interesting how South Africa delegates even more money to education than European nations yet they are still very unsuccessful. I now know that corruption exists in their schooling system. What are some other solutions to this issue and how do we rid the SADTU of corruption?
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this article because you really dove deep into one specific organization and analyzed it which was really interesting. I am blown away at the lack of competency among teachers. How hard would it be to uproot SADTU?
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