This year, 2024, roughly marks, just less than four centuries, since South Africa began to partake in the enterprise of informal and later formal education.
According to South African History Online (SAHO), the genesis of partaking in education in South Africa is traceable to “17th April 1658, opened by the Dutch East India Company specifically intended for the slaves from The Amersfoort”.
In a more contemporary study, it is narrated by Sandra Sanyagitha Sooklal, that the origins of “The history of technical and vocational education in South Africa is bound up with the early development of the South African economy and the discovery of diamonds and gold in the 19th Century” (Sooklal; 2005:19).
The above premise, is crucial enroute to considering contents from the two recommended articles Education and Inequality in 2021: How to Change the System by Dr. Conrad Hughes (2021) and South Africa’s Efforts to tackle joblessness can be more Effective: Here’s How by Prof.
Lauren Graham et al ( 2021). Due to both the latter having been published in 2021, both articles observably agree that Covid-19 exposed already existing inequalities.
Mindful of the aims intended to be achieved of awareness about the ‘History of Vocational Education in South Africa, especially regarding Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), it is worth pondering how to engage on problems to do with access to education and unemployment among the youth.
Both one’s historical and physical context is crucial when attempting to ponder:
- a) overcoming problems for students in one’s TVET classroom,
- b) pursuit of desired working relationships with colleagues and students,
- c) understanding requirements for meaningful employment and the extent to which one may prepare themself to be able to mitigate the challenges presented by access to education and the worrisome unemployment rate amongst South Africa’s youth.
It is noteworthy that the two prescribed articles by Conrad Hughes (2021) and Lauren Graham et al (2021) complement each other although the former was focused on matters concerning education in the international gaze, while the latter focuses on educational matters in South Africa.
Although Hughes is a Director-General of the International School of Geneva (Switzerland), which enjoys the status of being the world’s largest and oldest international school founded in 1924, his international outlook on education and inequality in 2021 and his proposal on how to change the education system globally resonates with me because he is a South African born scholar, who studied in South Africa, prior to elsewhere in the world.
Key points derived from Hughes (2021) include:
- a) since origins of ‘formal education 5000 years ago; there’s always been a ‘favoured class (namely wealthy small elites- rich, able, and privileged);
- b) the latter status quo persists to date;
- c) education is abused by ruling classes to amongst others subjugate other races, such as in America during the 1800’s when they undermined black people’s cultural heritage and doomed them to menial labour;
- d) globally education continues to be less accessible to women;
- e) in many countries expensive private schools are increasing, offering different approaches to education yet state schools continue to struggle;
- f) data referenced from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) showed that the desire to achieve universal access to education is very slow, which explains the rationale for the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 which seeks to “ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all”.
Hughes henceforth provides the following points, as prospects for the future
- a) relook at pros and cons of scholarship programmes as they dually contribute to access to transformative learning ecosystems and brain drain,
- b) Cheaper private education increases access to private school education but also widens social divides because public schools fail to keep up,
- c) it follows then why Hughes supports more robust state systems,
- d) As regards Online learning, Hughes observed that it was a plus for access albeit internet challenges for most people and it also lacked an ‘emotional quantum’ thus decreasing motivation levels.
Hughes and Graham et al (2021) share the same view of reforming the education system as a way forward by looking beyond ‘narrow academic metrics’ – a move from pure academics to a credit system capturing multiple other aspects of learning.
Focusing on South Africa Graham et al (2021) mused which interventions work, to curb unemployment.
They recorded 74% of unemployed youth in South Africa in 2021, according to Trading Economics (2023),.that static has decreased to 59,4 in 2024.
After considering several studies, they conclude that inadequate measures of success have unfortunately been used, to measure the success of youth employability programmes.
Barriers listed transcend the labour market and education system, including a) food insecurity, b) income and poverty, and care responsibilities amongst others.
It’s important to note that Graham et al (2021) point out that each of the latter limit the ability for young people to look for work.
The aforementioned listed challenges are argued by Graham et al (2021), to require support beyond just training and placement, of young South Africans, in entry-level jobs.
In the current post Covid-19 phase in South Africa, my aspirant role as a teacher in a TVET College, located in the township of Alexandra, compels me to be mindful of how Sooklal’s (2005) study pointed out that TVET’s in South Africa have a significant role to play, to produce quality graduates that are engaged and believe in themselves.
The elaborately listed points by Conrad Hughes (2021) and Lauren Graham et al ( 2021) are collectively worth consideration when engaging students in my class on their personal progress and future careers in the TVET sector.
Colleagues, teaching my students other modules will be engaged to join me in exploring ‘multidimensional programmes offering comprehensive support beyond mere training. Mentorship is key for meaningful job preparedness and employment.
Makwande.
*The author of this article is Dr. Tshepo Mvulane Moloi, a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Johannesburg’s Ali Mazrui Centre for Higher Education Studies (AMCHES). The views expressed by Dr. Tshepo Mvulane Moloi are not necessarily those of The Bulrushes