Schools must prepare pupils for real-world opportunities, says Gwarube

Basic education minister Siviwe Gwarube says improved literacy and numeracy in all phases of schooling is at the top of her to-do list.

She outlined her five priorities for the seventh administration at a business breakfast in Johannesburg on Monday. The gathering brought together more than 100 business leaders and community stakeholders. 

“We can’t be an education system of intervention. Interventions are not strategies. An intervention is a short-term solution to a crisis. We have to look at the education sector as a continuum from zero to 18, literally from the time a child is born to the time they leave our education system into further education. We can’t be stitching together an education system with interventions,” said Gwarube.   

“We invite our private-sector partners to work closely with the department to co-create programmes that build the skills needed for a competitive and productive economy. We need your input, your insights and your innovation to help shape our education system in a way that prepares pupils for real-world challenges and opportunities."

She said one priority is to improve access to and strengthen the quality of early childhood development (ECD).

“We want every child in South Africa to leave our ECDs with a solid foundation in reading and counting.”

Improving literacy and numeracy across all phases of schooling is another key goal.

"We must enhance digital literacy and improve participation in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (Stem) education. These are the skills that will drive the industries of tomorrow, and we must prepare our pupil to compete in a digital and technology-driven world," she said.

"Our third priority is special education. We want to expand the curriculum and broaden our offering in schools to allow children with special learning needs to be able to gain an education and skills that would allow them to live a dignified adult life."

Gwarube said for youth who do not choose a traditional academic path, she favoured a model that offered a direct route into skilled work. "By partnering with industries, we can ensure these programmes remain relevant and aligned with market needs."

Upskilling of teachers and school management teams as well as improving safety in schools round out her five key goals.

She appealed to the private sector to donate motion detectors to prevent break-ins, to donate "patrol hours" to ensure security visibility when pupils walk to school and back  and to sponsor security guards at their local schools.

Gwarube reaffirmed her commitment to eliminating pit toilets in schools by the end of the current financial year.

“The fact that there continue to be children who drown in pit toilets 30 years into our democracy is something we can never, ever condone. It's one of the things that keeps me up at night.”

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