Posted on by michellebeeslaar

Be the change you want to see in the world

Is the research we are producing in South Africa locally contextualized, relevant and addressing societal needs?

In the 2000s social justice became a buzz word, hence in 2009, the United Nations declared 20 February annually for the international observance of World Day of Social Justice. The 2020 theme being ‘If you want peace and development, work for social justice’. In South Africa, there can be no discussion on the topic without adding the word economic social justice. A Statistics South Africa (2019) report acknowledged that usually, inequality is more between nations, for example, Spain is more equitable than Venezuela. Yet, South Africa holds the dubious placing of being the country where the most inequality exists internally as opposed to another state. As per the graphic below, only 1% of the richest have almost 20% of the wealth, only 10% earn 65% of South Africa’s income, creating a bleak picture for the remaining 90% of South Africans and underscoring why the triple challenge of poverty, inequality and unemployment cannot in 2020 remain political rhetoric, but 26 years into democracy, requires urgent turnaround. 

Income Inequality by Ryan Honeyball, World Inequality Database, 2019

In South Africa, wealth and access to resources isn’t the only dividing factor. The legacy of colonialism and Apartheid have created a countrywide spatial plan that research by the Socio-Economic Rights Institute of South Africa (2016) explained seriously undermined the ‘other’ to access opportunities such as employment, transport, education and basic services thereby entrenching the divide between the have and have-nots. 

There are many wise words spoken on being the change in our world, a few noted below: 

Using these quotes and understanding the indisputable levels of inequality in South Africa, the question must arise as to how do those of us engaged in research and academia ensure that our work, irrespective the field of study, is locally contextualized, relevant and addresses our societal needs, the most pressing here being socioeconomic justice.

In 2019 Prof Tawana Kupe became the first black vice-chancellor and principal of the University of Pretoria. Off the bat, he stated that under his tenure the university would focus on research that is relevant to society. In his own words, “Our research must address the issues that are most pressing to the communities in our country and on our continent. These include achieving food security and addressing climate change, unemployment and poverty, inequality and violence.”

From this vision, Future Africa emerged with the University of Pretoria as its base. The institute aims to mobilise African scientists across faculties and the continent to collaborate using multidisciplinary and technology-based research to develop innovative and locally contextualized responses to Africa’s most pressing societal challenges, in other words, research that matters. 

This issue of study/research relevance often rears itself in the almost annual debate on access to institutions of higher learning, notably from the agenda-setting momentum created by the 2015 #FeesMustFall movement. Of late, there are even questions over whether we produce too many PhDs and if their research makes them employable or over-qualified for the market outside of academia? Without being specific, I recently participated in a postgraduate conference and was surprised by the number of research topics that I couldn’t connect the dots to tangible societal outputs. I wondered then, as I still do now if the new Vice Chancellor’s vision is for the university to produce socially required and relevant research, who is allowing and sponsoring the topics, not in line with this very specific objective? I personally research on improving public policy and implementation on food safety within the broader political rights of food security, to prevent another foodborne disease such as the 2017/18 listeriosis outbreak that caused many deaths, too many unnecessarily so. What are you researching? What are you supervising? What studies are you funding and approving? 

Within this context as we continue and up the ante on the discourse over the decolonisation of education in South Africa, I argue that it would be socially irresponsible to place not only the number of graduates and PhDs we are producing and the costs thereof on the agenda, without a deeper understanding of the skills, research and studies that South Africa requires to actualize the vision espoused at the dawn of our democracy in 1994 of socioeconomic justice for all. As we move towards the National Development Plan and Sustainable Development Goals, both earmarked to be met by 2030, this question of the co-production of societal need-based research and skills needs to be even more urgently answered. Government and civil society must work with academia to establish the short, medium and long-term research goals required to fulfil constitutional and international obligations such as meeting universal human rights as well as achieving the strategy that best serves our national interests.

Using this framework, institutions of higher learning, need to create enabling environments to produce the skills and research that our society requires to develop and compete on the global stage. Ultimately, this means that you (and I) need to ask ourselves the tough question – ‘does my study contribute to an aspect of acknowledged societal need or is it simply because I am interested in the topic and have the time/money to pursue it?’ There may come a time in South Africa where we will have the luxury of studying at our whim and passion, but surely that time is not now in 2020 when we have 29% unemployment, an average of 17 million social grants paid annually for basic survival, a quarter of the population living below the food poverty line and a reminder again that only 10% of the population earn 65% of all income generated.

Laurie Buchanan wrote ‘whatever you are not changing, you are choosing’.

Read that again academics. 

Posted on by pagieljc

Education in South Africa: A tale of two tragedies and our response as reformers

Do you see them?

The beginning of a new school year – for most teachers and learners – is accompanied with excitement, hope, the intention to do better than the last and of course a bit of fear of the unknown. This phenomenon is true throughout all types of schools across the country. Rich or poor, public or private, big or small, fee-paying or non-fee paying. These schools are filled with hundreds of eager learners who dream of better things for themselves and their families. The irony, however, is that for only a fraction of these learners, dreams will become a glorious reality. The large bulk of learners who start the year excited and filled with hope quickly realise that the year will be just the same as previous years.

P1

This realisation is different for each learner. Some realise that their teacher will not be in class for half of the year, despite earning a salary. Others realise that they will still have to make use of the pit latrines across the field to relieve themselves. Others, still, realise that they will have to share two books and five pencils with fifty-six others in their classroom under the big, barren tree outside. Some realise that their hunger pangs are not quenched by hope and excitement and others realise that violence is going to be the only after school activity for the year. These tragic circumstances are by no means the fault of any of these learners. This is the unjust system of historical inequality at play.

These inequalities have been written about and studied for years by multiple organisations. The World Bank, for example, has written a 2018 report, titled ‘Overcoming Poverty and Inequality in South Africa: An Assessment of Drivers, Constraints and Opportunities’[1], which highlights important aspects of South Africa’s unique socio-political-economic climate, but fails to recognize its own role in the advancement of inequality by encouraging a neoliberal agenda. More holistic and realistic reports on South Africa’s gross inequality would be Pam Christie’s 2010 book ‘Landscapes of Leadership in South African Schools: Mapping the Changes’[2] as well as the work done by Ahmed and Sayed ‘Promoting access and enhancing education opportunities? The case of ‘no-fees schools in South Africa’[3]. These works testify to the fact that there are serious inequalities in South Africa’s education system and go further by pinpointing causes for our current problems.

P3Dietrich Bonhoeffer once said that the moral test for any society lies in the condition of its children[4]. When I consider the above injustices in light of Bonhoeffer’s quote, I realize that South Africa suffers from a bi-polar moral disorder. A fraction of our children are protected, provided for and encouraged to succeed while the majority are left defenceless and without any hope for the future. If only a fraction of our children finds themselves in conducive conditions, then our morality as a nation is seriously lacking. It is not enough for 1/10 learners to succeed, while the other 9 are forgotten.

My personal challenge at the moment has been to navigate the experience of our nation’s bi-polar moral disorder and its varying spectrum. I have worked at less-advantaged private schools and now at an elite public school and the challenge remains the same. What do I do with my skills, knowledge and power to change the reality of our nation’s morality? The answer, as I see it now, is to take up space amongst people that tend to easily forget about those unwanted and undesirable learners. It is to disrupt what is considered a ‘sanctified space’ for a wealthy, predominantly white and exclusive group of people by reminding them of our injustices – past and present. This reminder is to make known the realities of learners across the country so that they are never forgotten or disempowered. It is to ensure that those who seek hope – find it and finally, it is to break down barriers so that all our learners, in this great country, can be empowered and find success no matter where or who they are.

P2

The isiZulu greeting ‘Sawubona’ means ‘I see you’. This is a profound statement that goes far beyond the greeting. It literally means to acknowledge, to understand, to empathise, to recognize and to appreciate. My challenge to everyone reading this is to remember to see others, especially those that do not have the same privilege as you. I intend to make this a mainstay for my 2020, to see (acknowledge, understand, empathise, recognize and appreciate) learners from all walks of life, I hope you will join me in this challenge!

[1] World Bank (2018) – Overcoming Poverty and Inequality in South Africa: An Assessment of Drivers, Constraints and Opportunities, Washington DC.

[2] Christie, P. (2010). Landscapes of Leadership in South African Schools: Mapping the Changes. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 38(6), pp. 694-711.

[3] Ahmed, R. & Sayed, Y. (2009). Promoting access and enhancing education opportunities? The case of ‘ne-fees schools in South Africa. A Journal of Comparative and International Education, 39(2), pp. 203-218.

[4] Henry Giroux (2015) – Education and the Crisis of Public Values: Challenging the Assault on Teachers, Students, and Public Education, Page 10.