Nelson Mandela's Vision

Nelson Mandela's Vision
The education system in South Africa.
By Albert Wisco

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world,” said Nelson Mandela.

In 1994, Mandela became the President of South Africa, ending decades of apartheid. It was a result of the first all-race election in South Africa, an incredible event in global history. Now 90 years old, Mandela continues to fight for a world in which all children have access to a good education.

Recently, my family lived in South Africa. It was well over a decade after the end of apartheid, and I learned about the sacrifices parents make for their children – all children, for that matter.

Based on my conversations and reading, South Africans were most concerned about the following issues -- all interrelated, all having an impact on education: racism, crime, security, poverty, unemployment and HIV/AIDS.

Education has long been considered the key to improving lives. However, the quality of schools in South Africa varies greatly.

The government provides minimal funding, and it’s up to parents to pay school fees to improve on the basics. Nonetheless, there are still teacher shortages, over-crowded classrooms and poor school conditions. At the other end of the spectrum, the best state-run schools are priced out of reach for most people charging more than what most South Africans earn.

So what will parents do?

A friend who worked long hours as a domestic worker used her modest earnings to send her children and the orphans in her care to a school with conditions a step above the state school.

She awoke well-before dawn so that she could commute to work, and she made the return trip home often arriving after dark.

It can be said that the poor state of education in South Africa is rooted in segregation and the Bantu Education system. Although there’s no longer a legal basis for apartheid, the social, economic, and political inequalities between white and black South Africans continue to exist.

My friend, who is black and a single mother, worked tirelessly with the hope that education can improve the lives of her children.