Cost of a future

I have always supported the idea that the more you ensure your citizens are educated, the better it goes for your country. Educated people are in a better position to become employed or start businesses to employ others. In South Africa we have frightening unemployment levels and linked to this, we have very low education levels and pass rates.

This is a serious situation. Our matric pass rates drop annually. So, the powers that be, being the bright lights they are, do the only thing they could think of- drop the pass marks.
Now, surely the most logical step would be to look at where things are going wrong.
Our educators need to be top notch and be in education because they want to teach. Teachers need to be well trained and passionate about teaching. This process should begin from pre-school level. This is where your foundation begins.
To do this, they should be subject to annual exams themselves. (It was established that many teachers cannot pass their own exams). So don't drop the pass rate, but increase the quality and standard of education.

Education in South Africa is an expensive project. Basic schooling in a public school costs around R5 000 per year. This excludes stationary (but includes a sub-standard teacher).
University undergraduate degrees run into the tens of thousands and post graduate to doctorates could set you back R100 000 or so. Even studying a diploma from colleges set you back from R10- 20 000.

Okay, these figures are both rounded and average, but the message remains the same. You pay a lot of money and not much in return. We have a tertiary education level of 6% of those over 20 years old.

To me education is not a privilege but a right. Just because people cannot afford education, why should it be withheld from them? Truth is, that for most people to study(excluding the rich of course), they require some type of financial assistance by way of a bursary or a loan. Having said this, these two options are not available to everybody. Most people who are employed, live from hand to mouth and cannot afford to pay off a loan or payments to an educational body. (They have small things like food and rent to consider first.) Then there are the unemployed, who let's face it, require free education but will never be in a position to afford it. Nobody can argue that education does not only empower you, but assists you with your progress in life.

Funding will always be a problem of course. Having said this and acknowledging that this would be a challenge, I am sure that there is a way to assist people who want to study. Millions of Rands are wasted in corrupt deals, on useless parties and get togethers, on first class travel and 5 star hotel bills and the list goes on. Our government needs to get serious about governing and assisting their citizens.  Until they do, we will remain a third world country.