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'Education system fails kids'
28/12/2006 19:10 - (SA)
Johannesburg - The South African education system and the economy are failing the pupils of the country, the Federation of Unions of SA (Fedusa) said in a statement on Thursday.
The union said this following the release of the 2006 matric results.
"The education system does not yet prepare learners for the world of work, as the recent policy reforms are not established enough to deliver tangible results in practice," said union general secretary Dennis George.
He said Fedusa was also concerned about "the lagging standards in South African schools".
"This two-fold problem has been acknowledged by the Department of Education... on the one hand we find a syllabus that has arguably diminished over the past years, while on the other we find numerous problems relating to capacity."
The Democratic Alliance released a statement saying the education system is failing to provide South Africa's youth with the skills needed to move into tertiary education institutions or enter the job market.
Lack of teachers
DA education spokesperson George Boinamo noted a third of the country's matriculants were failing their core schooling.
George noted capacity problems as the unavailability of suitably qualified teachers in priority subjects such as maths and science, and provision of standardised study material and physical learning environments.
In regard to the economy, George said not enough jobs were being created to absorb the passing matriculants.
"While the economy was able to generate 544 000 new jobs in the period between March 2005 and March 2006, Fedusa remains concerned that the majority of these budding learners will not be able to find sustainable employment," he said.
"Fedusa calls on business to give these young people an opportunity to find employment and gain experience in the world of work as corporate business in recent years has shown hesitancy to take on young people without sufficient job experience."
To those matriculants wishing to further their studies, George advised that they utilise bursary and loan facilities to realise their dreams.
"Schemes like the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) assisted 106 982 students in 2006 with an average award of R11 384 per annum."
He said Fedusa aligned itself with the criteria of NSFAS as it gave opportunities to South African citizens studying for their first higher education qualifications.
"But to qualify, learners have to demonstrate academic potential as well as financial need.
"Those who did not make it should not be discouraged. They can approach sectoral education and training authorities (Seta) and further education and training (Fet) colleges."
George said this would enable pupils to be involved in learnership programmes and apprenticeships.
"This is possible as the Minister of Education has recently announced that Fet learners will also qualify for bursaries and loans while completing their qualifications."
Despite its concerns, Fedusa congratulated pupils who passed their matric, as well as teachers who made it possible.
- SAPA
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