Chairperson, allow me to start this debate by borrowing words from a famous actor, Michael J Fox, who said, and I quote: I am careful not to confuse excellence with perfection. Excellence I can reach for, perfection is God's business.
At times we import models and ready-made curriculum solutions without much considering our own situation. In pursuit of the solution to the problem of the culture of learning and teaching in our schools, we need to start from the basics. Beyond the technical support, which most of the speakers have alluded to, for example school fees, bursaries, learner transport, etc, the prerequisite for a culture of learning is the mastery of vocabulary. This is the long and short of the matter.
Where there is a severe vocabulary deficit, the culture of learning is seriously undermined. If the department wishes to enhance the culture of learning and teaching in our schools, they must pay particular attention to vocabulary. It is the foundation on which the educational superstructure rests. Where there is no foundation, the building collapses. In business it is a lack of capital that restrains the entrepreneurs. However, in education it is lack of vocabulary that impedes and frustrates learners.
In most cases, the South African curriculum dictates that children need to acquire a mother tongue and, thereafter, English for educational and commercial reasons. Many children are defeated here. Learning one language is hard enough. To master two languages poses a very steep challenge. The culture of learning in South Africa generally flourishes in the little pockets where families are better resourced and where children have access to literature. It also flourishes where they are exposed to good spoken language.
Cope is advocating an activist state. In an activist state, the state actively supports the development of community leaders and cascades bureaucracy so that all efforts to tackle the problems can be joined at the local level.
The present government is relying only on the top-down mechanism and is, therefore, failing. Cope would have removed VAT on books for children and encouraged nonprofit companies to produce easily accessible literature for children. If the problem of vocabulary is solved, the problem of enhancing the culture of learning and teaching will be resolved.
Let me come to the problem of funding poor learners in higher education. Every week this government is embarrassed because whatever is meant for the poor is grabbed by those who are already wealthy within that circle that is close to government.
Cope agrees that we should create support for the poor, but we insist that total transparency should prevail. According to the Sowetan a few weeks ago, in Mpumalanga an MEC, Pinky Phosa, pressured her head of department to award her future son-in-law a bursary. Has the government acted on this? Why are wealthy learners always prioritised?
In the activist state that Cope envisages, ordinary people will have a great deal more power than at present. We are committed to a state where people shall really govern and where people will be active in their own cause.
In conclusion, I will address the question of teaching. Cope insists that colleges of education be reopened; teachers' certificates be upgraded at least after two years; and every classroom must have immediate access to the Internet so that they are able to facilitate teaching and learning.
We have lost 16 years. We owe it to Madiba to create a golden republic and not to slide towards a banana republic. I thank you. [Applause.]