Fear must not shut the door on better schooling

Change is necessary for this nation to progress. So we should listen to those who want to do things differently.

The MEC for education in Gauteng, Panyaza Lesufi, has, in seeking improvements to the management of schools, suggested that principals be assigned more than one school each.

So much of the education budget is spent paying salaries that is important to get the best out of teachers. We agree with and support Lesufi in his bid to find new ways of doing things. But we also caution that this should not be a populist venture to please a political constituency. The resources in our schools should be effectively managed for the benefit of all.

Education should be a tool for escaping poverty. Quality education should not depend on how deep your pockets are.

Change is viewed by some among us as threatening. We rather maintain the status quo than seek new ways of doing things.

Lesufi has asked why one principal should not oversee operations at multiple schools if that would transfer skills from well-resourced schools to under-resourced ones.

There is no valid argument against levelling the education playing field, but whatever changes are made must level it for the better. They should produce better results, not affect well-performing schools negatively.

There must be evidence that Lesufi's suggestion will work.

Progressing nations around the world have a common characteristic: they do not fear change and they are always in search of productive new ways of to address the challenges they face.

What the education department is putting forward for discussion should challenge the nation to think differently. The schooling of our children requires us to be innovative.

The existing education system is not working and new ways must be found. That is why we should discuss and debate the measures proposed by the MEC. Let us notfear change.