IN an emotionally charged speech at West Ridge High School last week, Mr TT Mthembu, the representative of provincial education, Umlazi District, said the daily video clips circulated on social media, showing violence in schools and teachers still exercising corporal punishment was proof that more attention needed to paid to basic education.
Mthembu was speaking during the follow-up visit by the Deputy Director General, at the Department of Higher Education and Training, to West Ridge High School.
ALSO READ: Major boost for local school
“You can see that everyone is disillusioned. What we had hoped for in 1994, we are a failing. Educators are leaving en mass, learners ask themselves what is the need of going to school, because there is no hope that things will change after finishing matric. However, when we come here we feel that there is hope. Our wish as the District is that we want to see more schools like West Ridge, which is offering what the labour market is demanding. There should be more mainstream schools, going the pre-vocational route,” said Mthembu.
West Ridge High School is one of a few pre-Vocational schools aimed at providing education to learners who are not academically gifted. Mthembu further said the obsession over matric results should be a thing of the past.
“We cannot all be good in academic subjects.We are so obsessed about matric results and are very harsh on the schools who under-perform. Schools providing learners with skills should be encouraged and we should have many such schools. Such schools are the answer to the high teenage pregnancy and high school dropout,” he said.
The follow-up visit by the Deputy Director General, to the school comes after former Deputy Minister of Higher Education and Training, Mr Mduduzi Manana, visited last year. The visits are part of promoting “Post-School Opportunities for People with Disabilities” campaign. The aim of the campaign is to expose career opportunities to learners with disabilities and further explain to them ways to apply for funding.
ALSO READ: School tight-lipped over alleged assault
Commenting on the programme, Dr NkosiNathi Sishi, the Deputy Director General, at the Department of Higher Education and Training, said the programme will contribute to the government’s intention of mainstreaming issues of persons with disabilities in the post- School Education and Training (PSET) sector.
“We are working on developing a model in the country where thousands of learners will be taught the skills that the economy needs. Many of our schools produce learners with skills, which do not match the needs of the labour market,” said Sishi.
In conclusion, Dr Suren Seetal, principal of the school, said he hoped that the campaign had exposed his learners to career opportunities for people with disabilities and further explained to them ways to apply for funding.
Do you want to receive news alerts via WhatsApp? Send us a WhatsApp message (not an sms) with your name and surname to 060 532 5535.
You can also join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
