School Education Going Industrial In South Africa?

Today's article was written by a 2^nd year journalism student of the Walter Sisulu University. Nobesuthu Beya investigates a new clocking system for teachers which has been proposed by the Department of Education. 

Despite government’s good intention, there has been mixed emotions when it comes to the proposed finger clocking system for teachers.
R480 million is to be invested in a proposed biometric clocking system for schools, aimed at curbing teacher absenteeism and bettering the education system in our country. This was announced earlier this year by Education Minister Angie Motshekga at a media briefing.
A recent survey showed that South Africa has the highest teacher absenteeism rate in the Southern African Development Community (SADC), according to the South African Government News Agency.  

       
SADTU Deputy General Secretary Nkosana Dolophi said he did not reject the proposed system
but questioned whether it is a priority given the current state of the education system.

Nozihle Mbokomba, a teacher at Dumisa LP School in Mdanstane, said: “My only wish is that if this system comes to pass it will be implemented at both provincial and national level and that senior officials will also clock in using the same method.”

Learners are often found outside their classrooms during school hours. The proposed new clocking system for teachers might result in less teachers being absent and more learners attending classes.  

According to the World Economic Forum South Africa is among the lowest ranked countries when it comes to the standard of education, due to staff shortages, poor teacher training, lack of educational resources and lack of support for pupils both at home and at school.

Sinovuyo Makhenkane, a former pupil at Msobomvu High School in Chalumna, said: “Surely an investment of R480 million towards skills development would benefit the country better. In grade 11 we did not have an accounting teacher for three months and when he finally arrived most of us failed the subject.”
“The money could be channelled towards scholar transport too, as it is a major problem,” said Nozihle Mbokomba.

Currently teachers clock in by signing a book to record their attendance. But the system has proved to be a failure as it can easily be bypassed, as teachers simply ask their colleagues to sign in for them when they are absent. The biometric clocking system will enable the Department of

Education to collect real-time data.Nkosazana Jamelani (72), a grandmother of six said: “I send my children to school so they can be educated and become leaders one day but if there’s no one teaching them at schools, they won’t get anywhere in life. This system might help in assuring that my kids are guaranteed to get education when they go to school.”Even though this system is still in the pipeline it has been under a lot of scrutiny in the media as many people feel it is a waste of money and it would be attempting to treat only the symptoms and not the core issues that face the education system in our country.
Article and Image by Nobesuthu Beya/Walter Sisulu Univesity