The ANC's dreams for South Africa have turned into a nightmare of catastrophic proportions, also in the field of education. In his novel entitled 1984, George Orwell describes a state where citizens are willing to sacrifice their freedom in exchange for promises that sound good. Ultimately, none of these realise.
There is much to be said about the ANC and empty promises. And the Minister of Higher Education, Dr Blade Nzimande, has made an immense contribution in this regard. One such empty promise is that every municipal district in the country will get an institution for higher education – something that will obviously never happen.
The Department of Higher Education's budget was allocated to, among other things, planning, policy and strategy. The FF Plus hopes against all hope that the Minister's plans for the future will deliver more than mere nightmares.
Meanwhile, the past gets the blame for everything while there is no looking forward to the future. This is one of the consequences of the Karl Marx inspired indoctrination.
South Africa's students are not free. The government is holding them hostage by keeping them illiterate and using the past as an excuse for all its own failures. All for the ANC's own short-term political gain.
The ANC is looking for the solutions to South Africa's problems in the wrong book. If urgent attention is not paid to basic education to ensure that it improves and that children younger than ten are taught to read and do calculations properly, then the Department might as well close its doors.
The high drop-out rate among students in higher and basic education shows that they are at the mercy of their circumstances and that they have no clue as to how to approach their studies.
The fact that learners in average South African schools struggle with mathematics, but that learners in Afrikaans schools perform well in the subject mainly serves as proof of the benefits of mother-tongue education. English will not make education better, on the contrary, it is one of the biggest causes of poor performance. End yet it seems as if the ANC does not want to, or cannot, comprehend this.
While the ANC is still grappling with the benefits of mother-tongue education, the wave of the Fourth Industrial Revolution is already starting to wash over the world. Those who are able to ride the wave due to their level of literacy will reach new heights. Those who are struggling now will fall even further behind.
Inequality and unemployment could increase drastically. There will come a time when the ANC can no longer blame the past for its own shortcomings.
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