Report on Professor Jansen’s talk – Overcoming poor education

PROFESSOR Jonathan Jansen gave an inspiring – and at times humorous – address at the St Agnes’ Church auditorium in Kloof on Wednesday, 8 July.

Proceeds from the event will go to the organisers of the talk, Youth Education and Support (YES) Trust. Dee Steel, chairman of the trust, who opened the event, explained that the trust, which secures funding for tertiary and secondary education for disadvantaged students, has sponsored young people in many different fields including accountancy, science, social work, journalism and speech and hearing therapy. YES Trust was formerly known as the Christian Outreach Trust (COT) but recently changed its name.

Professor Jansen’s address, entitled How to Overcome the Race to the Bottom in Education, described various aspects of current education in South Africa. He gave pointers as to how parents and grandparents could counter mediocrity in the school system. Professor Jansen said that low expectations and poor standards have become so embedded in many South African schools and universities that they are accepted as being normal.

Professor Jansen suggested that parents create their own extra-mural education experience as they could assume that what students learn at school is inadequate for the 21st century. They should set their own standards of achievement for their children. If needs be, parents should bring in extra tutors, particularly in mathematics. Students that take maths literacy instead of pure mathematics are excluded from most courses. Parents should start a movement against poor education or join one (such as Equal Education) as they need to take a stand against inferior teaching and bad schools. Teaching staff were encouraged to motivate students in a positive manner rather than using fear factors.

“Internationally, South Africa and Honduras languish at the bottom of the scale in maths and science at Grade 9 level – this despite South Africa’s per capita expenditure on education being one of the highest in the world. There is no shortage of funds, it’s the way the budget is spent,” sad Professor Jansen.

The talk was stimulating, informative and challenging.