4.2 Education
4.2.2 Identifying the problem
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being clear that the school was in need of the scheme.61 As a result of this kind of mismanagement the scheme was handed over to the Department of Education (from the Department of Health in 2004) on the basis that it was more suited to understanding the system and so providing the food efficiently.62 While this move suggests that the government is trying to address the problems, it is evident that corruption and mismanagement has undermined the effectiveness of the feeding scheme system.
Another issue affecting the implementation of policies is the government‟s lack of active involvement in schools. In many schools mismanagement could perhaps be remedied with more checks on schools and more active involvement from the Department. Many rural schools are very isolated and are left to their own devices for months at a time.
Policies are therefore often not implemented, or when they are, the implementation is done poorly. Corruption can also be problematic in policy implementation in rural schools – money that is meant for a specific project is sometimes misused or appropriated for the principal‟s personal use. Currently it seems as if the Department of Education only visits a school with bad news or after trouble has arisen. If the Department was more pro-actively present in schools it could perhaps not only minimise mismanagement but also encourage schools to see the Department in a positive light.
Better relations between schools and the Department could go a long way toward better policy implementation.
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community‟s interest hence they fail to recognise the value of the community or of acting as a group, focusing instead on furthering their own individual needs. Schools can be an important asset to the community. Each community could be uplifted if it united in support of its school. School facilities can be used for community meetings and activities, as well as for functions to raise funds. In addition, if the youth of the community is able to receive a good education the benefits of this will filter back into the community. Not only will they potentially contribute financially to those members of their family who are still uneducated and living in poverty, but their education can contribute toward the knowledge needed to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Research has shown clear links between education and health: while there may not be a direct correlation, there are numerous ways in which education affects health in a positive way (Chandola et al 2006:339). Among other things, education can help prevent unwanted pregnancies and contracting HIV/AIDS as it heightens awareness of responsible sexual activity. Improved health may also remove a lot of financial and emotional strain from the community. But instead of realising this far–reaching value of education, there are citizens who vandalise and steal from schools for their own short term benefit. Windows and doors are used in temporary shelters and other equipment is sold for profit. Of course we need to consider that these people are in desperate need but resorting to illegal methods cannot be the solution. In any event, a lot of the vandalism is not tied to need: vandalism where classrooms are trashed and teaching materials ruined, has no benefit to the perpetrator nor does it help someone in need. It is this kind of behaviour which suggests that citizens have lost sight of the value of the community and community goals and instead seek to further their own ends without consideration of who or what gets damaged. This suggests a complete lack of respect for property and for the value of school property in particular. It is worth considering that perhaps this is a result of a lack of education – it is at school that children are taught respect for property and to value their own education. Those who have not had this opportunity are perhaps more likely
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to vandalise school property hence the problem may be circular. If this is the case, it may be very difficult to fix the problem until the cycle is broken.
Linked to this worrying shift in attitude among citizens, there is the additional concern that citizens – educators and learners alike – do not see education as something of intrinsic worth. It appears as if education is just a means to an end – some kind of economic survival. For learners who can achieve survival through another means, it becomes unnecessary to them. Learners who choose to work, or parents who force their children to work, may view school as a luxury and not a necessity. In the short term, it is more beneficial to have an additional income (or the only income) for the family rather than for the child to have an education. The cost is very high as some children leave school without even the basics of literacy and numeracy and those who stay on throughout high school may still not receive a full education as many are late and often absent and so miss out on valuable teaching time. School seems to be considered expendable which will have dire consequences for the upcoming generation since education has far reaching benefits: not only in assisting learners to find jobs after they matriculate, but also in other social aspects such as health and other life skills like financial management.
The attitude of officials is particularly alarming. There seems to be little appreciation of their duty to citizens. Instead, corrupt officials in the Department of Education treat their position as just a job – once again an instrumental means to economic survival and one which they use to try and get as much as they can. They seem to act in their rational self-interest in order to best profit themselves and so appear to turn away from the moral considerations as the example of taking money meant for the national feeding scheme indicates. Another concern is the ineptitude of officials. While they are not maliciously undermining policy, their ineptitude has damaging effects on policy implementation.
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Furthermore, when officials do not deal with the incompetency of those who work below them, it hinders progress. In this case, it seems there is a lack of concern over the capabilities of officials which does not bode well for the implementation of important policy.
4.2.3 Analysing the implications