SA's Failing Education System

Appalled would probably best describe the frame I find myself in right now.

It's Wed, 29 June and a national paper's (The Star) headline reads, "Many of our kids can't read or write", subheadlined by "Study shows pathetic state of primary school education".

Now this is worrisome to me. Why, you ask.  Well, not only do I have family who is currently in school, but I may someday have to send my own kids to school.  And I would love to do that in my birthed country.
These kids are at a critical age, where literacy and numeracy skills are crucial to them as future students and "leaders" of this beautiful land.  Your core (and basic) learning curriculum at grades 3 to 6 are as a foundation to learn and understand the work you will be taught in higher grades.  Why, then, were our kids scored a dismal 28 percent in a countrywide assessment test in numeracy and literacy?

These results are the not the first signs of a crumbling education system.  It is quite sad, how our leaders are always preaching to the global audience about how they value the youth and young in South Africa.  Yet, they are struggling to face the issues that are staring them right in the face.  The very issues that are hurting the future of a country with so much promise.

South Africa spends a fair share of its GDP on education, still, the return on investment is null.  Also, an often overlooked hindrance to a prosperous education for our little ones, lies in the lack of quality teachers.  The quality of teachers and resources must be on par.  Grades 3 to 6 producing failing results, can hardly be blamed on a curriculum that's lacking - the educators should own responsibility and learn to know that their guidance is fundamental in the lives of these kids; that being a teacher is not merely 'just a job'.

Outside of the school gates, we as parents and caretakers and siblings or relatives should play a part too.  I try as best as I can, to encourage young ones to read and to practice their numbers; whether they have homework or not, and even getting them to join their local libraries. 
I'll be the change I want to see in the world, as Mahatma Gandhi keeps reminding me.  Every little bit you do, counts, there's a ripple effect that will resonate for years to come.  South Africa's schooling system needs to realise this.  Angie Motshekga, our Basic Education Minister, needs to realise this, saying that the results are "very sad" is simply, not enough.  Yes, she conducted these tests but now there's work to be done.

I'll be sitting and watching and hoping for a positive outcome based on all this.

First, read this:

BEING HUMAN by Naima
I wonder if the sun debates dawn
some mornings
not wanting to rise
out of bed
from under the down-feather horizon

If the sky grows tired
of being everywhere at once
adapting to the mood swings of the weather

If the clouds drift off
trying to hold themselves together
make deals with gravity
to loiter a little longer

I wonder if rain is scared
of falling
if it has trouble letting go

If snow flakes get sick
of being perfect all the time
each one trying to be one-of-a-kind

I wonder if stars wish
upon themselves before the die
if they need to teach their young to shine

I wonder if shadows long
to once feel the sun
if they get lost in the shuffle
not knowing where they’re from

I wonder if sunrise and sunset
respect each other
even though they’ve never met

If volcanoes get stressed
If storms have regrets
If compost believes in life after death

I wonder if breath ever thinks
about suicide
I wonder if the wind just wants to sit
still sometimes
and watch the world pass by

If smoke was born knowing how to rise
If rainbows get shy back stage
not sure if their colors match right

I wonder if lightning sets an alarm clock
to know when to crack
If rivers ever stop
and think of turning back

If streams meet the wrong sea
and their whole lives run off-track
I wonder if the snow wants to be black

If the soil thinks she’s too dark
If butterflies want to cover up their marks
If rocks are self-conscious of their weight
If mountains are insecure of their strength

I wonder if waves get discouraged
crawling up the sand
only to be pulled back again
to where they began

I wonder if land feels stepped upon
If sand feels insignificant
If trees need to question their lovers
to know where they stand

If branches waver in the crossroads
unsure of which way to grow
If the leaves understand they’re replaceable
and still dance when the wind blows

I wonder where the moon goes
when she is hiding
I want to find her there
and watch the ocean
spin from a distance
Listen to her
stir in her sleep

effort give way to existence
---

I found this surfing the net, and my immediate instincts were that I have to share this.  Beautiful, right?
The author of this awe-inspiring work is Naima, she is one half of an acclaimed duo called Climbing PoeTree.

The significance of June, 16th

Today, in my country, we celebrate a holiday: Youth Day.

[This post will be short and to the point, unfortunately, I cannot dedicate the amount of time that such an honourable day deserves.  I've made impromptu travelling plans and need to prepare and pack and I've only a few hours to do so today.]

It could easily be thought that we are just having a day exclusively catered to the attention of the youth in our country, you know, just to be conscience about matters but that's not true.  This day bears a significance that will be forever etched on the South African collective conscience.

June, 16th commemorates the start of the Soweto Riots of 1976, also widely known as the Soweto Uprising.  An uprising that many will say was the turning point in the liberation struggle in South Africa.  Thousands of students took to the streets on that fateful day to protest against the Afrikaans Medium Decree - simply put, saying no to be taught in the sole language Bishop Desmond Tutu once labelled as "the language of the oppressor". 
I'll go out on a limb and say that nobody does not know of the iconic picture of Hector Pieterson, as he was carried by Mbuyisa Makhubo after being shot by the South African police.  That picture, symbolising such heroism, caused outrage internationally, condemning the Apartheid government.

Suffice to say, the young Hector Pieterson's life was not the only to be lost during the Uprising; many were killed.

And that is why today, we not only reflect upon and honour the young from the past - but also the young of today.  Who exactly are the youth of our country?  The National Youth Act of 1996 says, that the youth of South Africa are defined as persons in the age group 14 to 35 years.

I believe the youth of South Africa has a lot to offer, we are young in promise and have grown up in a country young in democracy, basking in all of its glory, the bittersweetness of a past hard to forget and yet, with a yearning of complete solidity in its future.

Defining 'her quaint notebook'

I feel I just have to announce that this is my first post (cheesy-things-we-do).

Firstly, I want to share insight with you, as to what I was hoping to achieve with the title of my blog.  Know too, that it took days of deliberating, that's what I do, I marinade choices before taking a decision spiced with a bit of procrastination to delay things even more. Not intentionally, I only ever piece my actions together in hindsight.

I am prone to verbosity and ramblings, this is where the term 'notebook' comes into play too; I'd have to force myself to keep things to a bare minimum.

Right back to the matter at hand: If you know me, personally, you'd know that I'm never without a notebook or even just a flimsy piece of paper to jot things down.  I do it compulsively.  I take note of topics that are current, that matter, that are controversial, trivia, details, quotes, my random thoughts, books I find interesting and would like to read, places to see and things to do, lyrics to songs, a line or two of poetry, new findings, notes on people who I find inspiring or simply alluring.  See, I take note of many things and this is what I'm hoping to achieve with this blog.

So, defining quaint, it's easy to see how all this is coming together, right?  I'm almost certain that every post will contain elements to appear pleasing, enchanting perhaps, slightly capricious and easily apprehended no matter how grave or silly they are.  That has always been my writing style, obviously, it will evolve and mature, I'd be gutted if it didn't.

As I mentioned earlier, the 'notebook' bit is to further distinguish that this blog will be filled with a plethora of notes.  My notes.  A notebook can be defined as a book(let) in which notes are kept or a small laptop computer.  Quite fitting, I reckon.

So welcome to Lucinda de Leeuw's blog, Her Quaint Notebook, where you'll be intimately enthralled in my commentary, interpretation, explanations, findings, observations and the like, of everything and anything that matters to me.