EDWIN NAIDU
PAYING tribute to great teachers, including his aunts, encouraging graduates to walk in the footsteps of giants before them, Buti Manamela, the Deputy Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, also threw down the gauntlet to new teaching graduates at the University of Zululand on Tuesday afternoon.
“Teaching is one of the most important professions our country needs. We have a group of young people who will become an army in our classrooms nationwide,” he said during his keynote address at UNIZULU’s Faculty of Education in Kwadlangezwa.
Addressing students at the only comprehensive tertiary educational institution north of the Tugela River on Tuesday, Manamela noted that not all teachers were good ambassadors for their profession; some have committed crimes worse than society can comprehend.
“A few amongst those who practice this profession do go to school under the influence of alcohol; others have sexual relations with the school kids; some even use violence to instil discipline; some do not even bother to ensure that they do their best, or even beyond the call of duty; to teach the kids to the best of their abilities,” he added.
But his message to graduates was crystal clear.
“I want you to be a better type of teacher. The one who understands the children that they teach, their weaknesses and their strengths, what their family background is and who their parents are (if they have any), whether they do have a meal before they come to schools, are being bullied at home or at school which may affect their studies, can they hear or see, and if not is there a way in which we can help them so that this does not affect their studies, you need to contribute into revolutionising teaching.”
The Deputy Minister urged graduates to study further and explore ways of improving education delivery through technology.
“Can we find a better way to deliver lessons in a much more exciting and fun way? Is there a way we can think of education beyond the classroom?”
Mindful of the changing world in which social media platforms like Twitter and TikTok dominate, Manamela said teaching must keep up with the times.
“You are the generation that needs to think beyond the box and get children excited about mathematics, history, languages, science, art and technology. They say in China, using algorithms, some social media is used for learning and teaching beyond the classroom,” Manamela added.
Paying tribute to Nokutela Dube, the founder of Ohlange High School in Inanda, and wife of the first President of the African National Congress, John Dube, Manamela described her as a woman who made education fashionable.
But he urged students not only to emulate her but do better than her.
“Founding a school today may be one of the simplest acts one can achieve. But in 1901, being black and a woman was no small hurdle. But with dedication and commitment, she pushed ahead with her dream of educating the black child,” he told students.
Manamela reminded students of the many great South African leaders who emerged from UNIZULU.
The illustrious list includes Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, Judge Sisi Khampepe, Sibongile Khumalo, Dr Mosibudi Mangena, Dr Hlengiwe Mkhize, Judge Mogoeng Mogoeng, and current Minister of Higher Education, Dr Bonginkosi Blade Nzimande.
“However, I do not urge you to be like them. They walked these corridors in the toughest and thickest of our time in history. The adversity that confronted them, the legislated hate that was meted against them, and the narrow path that lay ahead beyond the gates of this university is what shaped them. I urge you to do better than them,” he said.
Acknowledging that the post-school education system has inherent structural problems, Manamela said, however, it is one of the best in the continent and can stand head and shoulder with the best in the world.
“When you leave here, remember that every school in the province should have an educator from here; every court a legal fundi of your Almer Mater, every clinic a nurse, every mine an engineer, every covered inch of this country where there are graduates, you now have the honour of wearing the badge: I went to oNgoye and I graduated,” he said.
According to the Deputy Minister, credit for the success of the UNIZULU graduates belonged to the educators who helped shape them.
“Today, because of the investment of all the teachers in your life, you have crossed the first box of education at a higher level. I was not inspired only by the teachers in school, but the teachers at home played even greater role. Both my aunts and my uncle were trained teachers. Not only were my aunts teachers, but they were both principals.”
“They also went on to study further beyond their teacher diplomas. They are heroes in our family but also in their communities. The teaching profession remains one of the most important and valuable. The extent of the impact and reach that teachers have in society is immense,” he added.
Again, referencing social media, Manamela said TikTok would not only be used for showcasing dancing and singing, important as these are, but should also promote robotics, 3D printing, technological literacy and many other things that will help children evolve into sophisticated beings.
He urged graduates to be the generation responsible for redefining learning and teaching.
Not missing an opportunity to extol the benefits of Technical and vocational education and training (TVET) colleges, Manamela said that during a visit to an institution, he spoke to one of the teachers in the electrical workshop who have been with the college for many years.
“He took me through the various stations he uses to train his students. One of these was the solar installation and maintenance station. He told me this was not part of the curriculum, but the challenges out there have imposed this curriculum on us. So every Saturday, he teaches his electrical students how to run solar energy as a business. In the first week, only two students attended because it was voluntary. Only when these two students started making money did the rest become interested.
“That’s the kind of innovation that I am talking about. I want to take this opportunity to urge you to go and
teach at TVET Colleges too. This is one of the growing sectors that need better qualified instructors who understand and respect the trade,” he added.
Concluding his address, Manamela told the new crop of teachers that they must consider working in rural areas, those villages, those outskirts where no one goes, “but where lives and souls also need to be saved”.
“We need a million Nokutela who will brave the unjust laws, the hurdles placed before them, the desire to be self-serving and the urge to use what we have just for our benefit.”
“History does not remember those who danced in their limelight. History reflects those who lit candles for others to see their way. Go out there and make history and a better country.”
The graduations were in full swing at the University of Zululand. PHOTO: DHET
INSIDE EDUCATION
