GETTING EDUCATION RIGHT: Imperatives, Alternatives & Responsibilities

BRUCE GOURLEY describes how education is too important to be left just to the educators and why we are all the stakeholders in the role education must play in South Africa.

Education has reared its troublesome head once again. Should the Education Ministry split? Have we prepared our children well? What has been the impact of the Lost Generation (those with little education now sitting astride the raging bull of industry and politics) and what will it mean to the future? As a subject of discussion it certainly raises the hackles of those involved. This is after all something that is profoundly personal as everyone immediately has an opinion gleaned from their experiences during their formative years. It connects quite firmly with the future as one only has to imagine one’s own children moving through the system and out in the world - will it work for them?

Education, experience and performance would be what I imagine the defining characteristics of merit to be and while there is precedent of performance existing without the former two, it is education that offers itself as the primary guarantor of the others. In other words it is the foundation upon which we grow, experimenting and testing through experience and finally delivering on our promises through performance.

It is deeply disturbing to admit to a situation in which forces other than merit dictate one’s rise to the top. In South Africa only the ostriches would be foolish enough to dismiss the truth of this claim. In politics, industry and stunningly even in education this is plainly the case. But this month’s issue of PY-TV is focused on education and the role it plays and should play in creating dependable leaders, driving innovation and, in the shorter term, potentially helping us weather the economic storm whose winds blow ever harder.

The results of poorly applied education exist throughout our society including places one would least expect it. Let me refer you, as does fellow contributor Richard Smith (“Masters Of Their Universe”), to an article in FinWeek entitled STABLE CRISIS in which it was pointed out that even in the ivory towers of academia, solid professional credentials now play second fiddle to transformation. Much will be sacrificed at this altar for in our rush to establish racial equilibrium in all sectors, merit seems rather wistful.

I share a similar ailment to Luke Watson in that the very mention of another ‘Election Manifesto’ induces uncontrollable waves of nausea. We’re good at talking and terrible at delivering. So what do we have to do in the re-crafting our nation’s educational system to produce individuals that go on to deliver the goods in their professions, in management, in leadership and in innovation? Yes, a rather broad question! I don’t know the answer exactly but I know this and maybe it’s our start point: we have a big problem and we’re not asking or encouraging the smartest people in our society to play a hand in answering it.

For a moment let us focus more intently on the pedagogical aspect in education. Bizarrely, I find myself thinking of so many post-match rugby analyses. We need to get the basics right. When you have an engineering shortage in a so-called emerging industrial market you plainly haven’t got your basics right. We need to build an educational system that drives an economy and doesn’t live off it. So, get the sciences back in the classroom. And if that means hiring old white guys to teach it (like the private and public sectors have with engineers) then I’m afraid we bite the bullet and do so. We need to reward quality teaching and we need to support those working hard to deliver education that stands our youth in good stead. I think the jury is still very much out on the benefits of the new model of primary and secondary schooling and it will be hard to judge the success of these youngsters as they enter the job market just as a recession breaks but we must look carefully at the relevance of the syllabus and place it into context with what our nation and our economy needs.

Further, in regard to models of teaching, Richard makes a good argument for mentorship and as a combination of education and experience I think this concept is absolutely critical but I would point out that mentorship only works when the mentor believes in the legacy of their subject matter. It is no surprise to learn that most mentorships exist in craft-based industries, usually populated by people truly passionate about their art. Mentorships work when there exists an element of altruism. Right now, like politics, education is too important to leave to the educators. We must all get involved. This recycling of knowledge and skills could prove the ultimate sustainable resource. Welcome to the volunteer generation.

I think there also room for alternative models of teaching. Economic crises require changing the rules, reinvention and innovation and here we need more options on the table as far as educational processes are concerned. From personal experience I believe we need models far more focused on real-world scenarios and that bring in collective and diverse skills. Most projects and managerial roles require working within a team and the steering of that team towards a definable goal. The ability to identify skill requirements, to consolidate those skills within a team and to guide the team (often including highly-contradictory personalities as we now employ ever wider skills sets) is critical to the success of delivery. We need to realise that many of the skills sets needed reside outside of where we imagine them to be. Moreover we also need to come to terms with the participation of multiple age-groups and cross-institutional collaboration. Tools like Kluster (www.kluster.com) aim to help all of us become efficient project leaders and individuals focused on delivery. How much more significant would portfolios and CVs be when backed up by real multi-player cross-disciplinary project experience? Students can be teachers and professionals while still being students - he who stops learning, starts dying.

Technology has blown open the opportunities for alternative means of education. Distance learning has become far more engaging, the distribution and transfer of material so much easier, while supporting search engines and integrated widgets, apps and wikis offer a wealth of usable data to students and professionals alike. We need to harness the capabilities of these technologies and make sure that they are being leveraged in our society. This happens to be a private grudge I have towards those who disdain technology, for technologies’ power to aid our society is and will be miraculous. But again, it is up to those willing to become what Google calls Technology Evangelists to teach and inform others of what technology can do. All we ask is that technology be met with open minds.

There are also new areas of knowledge to map and define. These new subject matters bubble up as swiftly as emerging technologies announce themselves. Technology has begun to become theoretical subject matter and as such requires concerted efforts to regulate in terms of relevance and best practise. Areas like data visualisation require clear frameworks in order to begin the educational process. But these subject matters only tip into the greater consciousness once their value has been understood and applied to volume. Prior to this point of acceptance these technologies battle on in relative anonymity. This is the preserve of the pirate. In The Pirate’s Dilemma Matt Mason recounts how massive innovation comes from the black market sector who are quite willing to create and supply any hungry market. There are lessons for all of us in this. Education must begin to include the creative investigation of alternatives. Whether it be business models, academic research, planning, design or innovation, we must begin to instil the skills of analysis, strategy and scenario planning.

I have spoken about the more traditional subjects and called for greater attention to be paid to those skills required by our economy but I would like to clarify my views on those avenues of study beyond these perhaps conventional sectors. I strongly believe that we have not embraced the arts holistically. It seems not all arts are created equal. Is dance any less important than painting? For a nation so artistically inclined it is an outrage to accept that we cannot offer real support for our already limited crop of artists. But what does this mean for education? The role the arts play in offering so many young people an alternative means of expression, in giving them joy, purpose and direction, its therapeutic potential as well as the mirror it holds up to our society should guarantee it a prominent place in any educational system - as important as any other physical or academic activity. I hear echoes of old school speeches that referred to creating well-rounded adults. I think we should, as adults now responsible for those educational processes (and make no mistake we are all responsible), take a long hard look at what it means to be well-rounded in a climate of economic upheaval, racial transformation and political uncertainty. We may well come to learn from what we would propose to teach.