Gauteng – South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has urged “fellow citizens” to make it their top priority to ensure that teachers and learners are protected from violent incidents, especially at schools.
“We need to work together, across society, to ensure that our schools are safe,” he said.
Ramaphosa was addressing the South African Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu) National General Council (NGC) meeting at Emperors Palace in Kempton Park on Tuesday.
In his remarks, he said “as we prepare to mark World Teachers’ Day, I once again express our nation’s gratitude to the members of Sadtu and all educators for their courage and commitment in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic.”
Sadtu kick started its two-day NGC meeting with the focus on wages, racism and violence.
Ramaphosa noted the emerging difficulties that the education sector is facing on a day-to-day basis and how the learning environments were disturbed.
"We are concerned about the apparent increase in incidents of violence against teachers and learners, often perpetrated by criminals who come into schools,“ he said.
The president described the incidents of violence, abuse and bullying at schools as a grave concern. “Incidents of racism are greatly distressing and show that there is still resistance among some people to the gains that this democratic order has achieved,” he added.
He pleaded with South Africans to work together to ensure that their schools are safe and secure.
“This means that SGBs, CPFs, communities, local businesses, unions and the police need to work together to ensure that every single school in the country is a place where educators and learners feel secure and safe,” he said.
Talking about the future of education in terms of digital and ICT, Ramaphosa said they need to ensure that schools and other educational facilities are the first beneficiaries of ICT infrastructure.
“We call on the private sector to work with us to invest in the upgrading, modernisation and expansion of our school infrastructure to benefit all learners, particularly in under-served areas.
“In a world that is becoming increasingly digital, Sadtu has a significant role to play in ensuring that its members are ready for new technology and new subjects as part of our shared effort to get our learners ready for this new world. Teachers need to educate learners about the benefits and risks associated with emerging media and technology,” he said.
The president further commended Sadtu for taking the initiative of training and equipping educators with the skills and capabilities to implement coding and robotics at schools.
“As the basic education sector, we need to work collaboratively with the Department of Higher Education, Science and Innovation to advance the Fourth Industrial Revolution in our education system. Our higher education institutions can do much more to prepare educators to teach the new subjects offered as part of the three-stream model.
“The education sector is critical to our country’s economic growth and we have to ensure that our educators are fully equipped with the skills and tools that they need,” Ramaphosa said.
He maintained that the educators’ union must ensure that the education system transforms the economy and improves the social conditions of our learners.
He also mentioned that early childhood development (ECD) is also a significant aspect to monitor as that helps develop children from an early age until they are ready for school.
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