Educationist scathing about state of education in SA

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Outspoken educationist, professor Jonathan Jansen, says he does not believe that government genuinely cares about the welfare of children in public schools.

Jansen, the rector of the University of Free State, is in the Eastern Cape this week to give motivational talks to schools.

Speaking on Algoa FM on Thursday morning, professor Jansen said it would require a genuine caring government to fix the problems affecting education in the Eastern Cape in particular and the country in general.

He says it is not a question of a lack of resources.

"Your need a government that genuinely cares about its children in school. Every time you set up a scheme to help poor children somebody will rip it off or corrupt it. From the early days of our democracy in the Eastern Cape the primary school nutrition programme was corrupted by people who stole it blind."

"I dont think this is about resources. This is not about capacity, this is about attitude and so you need a government at all levels that genuinely cares about the plight of the poorest in our schools. Without that no national development plan of Trevor Manuel or fancy schemes of politicians are going to solve the problem."


"The schools here and nationally only work for about 20% of our children. The rest of our children, particularly poor kids, are completely cut-off from a good quality education. The teachers are not always there on time, the textbooks don't get delivered on time."

"In this province (Eastern Cape) there's this ongoing fight about temporary teachers that must be appointed, courts are now intervening and setting dates and still the provincial government don't deliver on court mandates. So, we fool ourselves, particularly the middle classes if we think because our children are in good schools that the majority of children are being well served and that is not true. That more than anything else keeps me awake at night."

Professor Jansen said he also did not believe that there is a change in attitude amongst political leaders to address the situation.

"Absolutely not. I see people who are obsessed with their own positions, with their own salaries, with their own promotions and own advancement in their political parties. I see people preoccupied with themsleves, I don't see people preoccupied with especially poor children."

"I don't sense, and I work a lot with government officials at all levels, that they care a damn.'