Mzwanele Manyi on grade 9 exit: 'Those who voted ANC are complicit in this mess'
The department of basic education's announcement that pupils as young as 15 will soon be able to leave school with government-approved qualifications has been met with a massive backlash by the public.
Education minister, Angie Motshekga broke the news on Thursday during her address at the ninth Sadtu national congress which was held at Nasrec.
Motshekga said her department was working on introducing multiple qualifications which would include a General Education Certificate (GEC), which will be awarded to pupils leaving school at the completion of grade 9.
African Transformation Movement (ATM) head of policy Mzwanele Manyi said the ANC government was failing the youth by keeping the legacy of apartheid alive.
Manyi expressed his dismay on Twitter, saying those who voted for the ANC were “complicit in this mess”.
The ANC Govt is doing all it can to outsmart the Apartheid Gvt in achieving Verwoed's dream of an african child who must not go beyond a certain level of education to enable his/her exploitation by Capitalists.
— Mzwanele Manyi (@MzwaneleManyi) September 26, 2019
Those who voted for the ANC are complicit in this mess.
Shame on you! https://t.co/vBEvM7SaHu
The conversation got heated as some agreed with the department's move. Manyi, however, stood his ground, saying children will use these qualifications to seek work, saying this would be a disaster.
The difference is that back then we didn't get General Exit Certificates ( GEC). You relied on your normal school report to divert to Vocational Centre or N stream.
— Mzwanele Manyi (@MzwaneleManyi) September 27, 2019
Now u are falsely armed with a GEC which some learners will use to seek employment.
This is a disaster, trust me.