There can be no doubt that formal schooling will always form the centre of educational systems in modern societies. However, there are real challenges associated with the formal school as a system of passing knowledge from one part of the population to another in the current South African scenario. Firstly, there are countless people in our country for whom the educational opportunities of the democratic era simply came too late.
Anthony Giddens, an eminent sociologist, describes education as the structured transmission of knowledge within a formal institution. Again, as stated earlier, going to school is not a viable option for a significant portion of our people. At the same time, we need these people to have skills and knowledge in order to make informed decisions and take responsibility as important members of our communities. So there is a challenge to find ways to give them access to knowledge and skills without sending them to school.
The second shortcoming or weakness in the formal school process is that sometimes the focus and pressure involved in trying to obtain good passes make it difficult for learners to master the knowledge and skills part of education. So it helps if communities have other complementary learning centres or systems, which learners can access on a voluntary basis in order to question and refine what they have learnt with their peers. These institutions can go on to serve as think-tanks and brain-trusts within the previously disempowered communities.
Community-based think-tanks and brain-trusts are needed not only to enhance the capacity and competence of communities when dealing with well-resourced external entities. They are also required to equip their communities to ensure that our democracy does not get subverted and turned into a technocracy to benefit a few at the expense of millions.
It is every community’s capacity to understand and implement this imperative of going an extra mile in its learning endeavours that will make us the competitive nation we can be in the global marketplace. We cannot meaningfully lead in any way if we cannot lead in the way of knowledge.
Our own literary icon, Professor Es’kia Mphahlele, said:” Let us assert our presence in the world of ideas, policy-making, management, scholarship, and free ourselves from the tyranny of the textbook.”
Gibson Sakong
Executive Chairman – Montshepetja Academy
5 Comments until now.
With my focus on the third paragrapph; Not so long ago a survey focused on probing the challenges, status and nature of sport in our national schools showed that school sports have become too competitive and thus most learners would usually refrain from participating in them to avoid ‘being laughed at’ by their fellow learners.
It thus become accurate and proper that outside the schooling pressure to obtain high marks there ought to exist facilities and organisations like Montsepetja where individual can discorver themselves and by all means engage in the pursuit of ones inner ability.
I had a tough time in being more than just a member the most popular sporting codes in high school because they provided no opportunity of learning but of competition-which I lacked. Well, I still hold it to be untrue that I absolutely lacked the capacity to compete it’s just that the atmosphre there did not provide for a chance to learn(I emphasise). Deep down I had the ability all I needed was the right environment to discover it.
In the context of communities that are disadvantaged by ‘maybe’ their situation on the South African map, chances are very limited for a child to acquire any knowledge that would prove to be useful in his pursuit of a better life for himself, his family and his community at large.
In most townships and are areas closer to cities there exist parks, educational and empowerment resource centers and different other institutions aimed at empowering the individual outside the school- even thought most of the individuals from such areas are not knowledgeable to a satisfying degree. This is another challenge on its own to encourage people to utilize available resources to their advantage. In my regard and the context of the people that I stand for, the immediate statement is almost utterly irrelevant.
I it true that “We cannot meaningfully lead in any way if we cannot lead in the way of knowledge.” Yes luck plays a major role in life but it is beyond human ability to provide luck, what is in our power is to take this life and try and hold it by the horns, only through knowledge since those who do not know how can never attempt to hold a bull(life) by the horns. We need knowledge for for it is the only way in which this world can be stuffed with polymoths- exposure not to a specific type of education but a broad one. This is through exposure to different types of leaning experiences. And Montshepetja is one of those institutions to offer such an experience.
I WIIL COMMENT ON TWO SECTIONS, FORMAL SCHOOLING AND PRODUCING TOP CLASS PERFORMERS.
AS A SOCIOLOGY STUDENT IT IS INCUMBENT UNTO ME THAT I INCULCATE THE IMPORTANCE OF FORMAL SCHOOLING AND IT’S ALTERNATIVE, THAT BEING INFORMAL SCHOOLING. FORMAL SCHOOLING SYSTEMS ARE NOT ONLY IMPORTANT BECAUSE THEY ARE “PRACTICAL”, BUT BECAUSE THEY ARE THE FIRST STEP TO UNDERSTANDING THE IMPORTANCE OF SCHOOLING OR LEARNING AS IT IS FORMALLY KNOWN.
WITH THE ABOVEMENTIONED IT IS CRITICAL TO UNDERSTAND THAT INFORMAL SCHOOLING, AS BASED ON MY ANALYSIS OF THE GREAT Mr. SAKONG,PLAYS A MAJOR ROLE IN PREVENTING THE YOUTH SPECIFICAALY FROM “HANKERING” AFTER CONFIDENCE AND INITIATIVE IN IMPORTANT APECTS OF THEIR LIVES, THAT BEING DOMINATING THEIR PEERS.
WITH NO FURTHER ADO, I REST MY CASE AND DESCEND THE TONE WITH THE FOLLOWING “STANDING AGAINST SOMETHING IS A PRODIGY FOR OUR COUNTRY AND STANDING FOR SOMETHING IS THE CAUSE OF TURMOIL.” THAT SHOULD BE INVERSE AND WE SHOULD IMPLEMENT IT IN OUR SCHOOLING.
I THINK EDUCATION IS EDUCATION REGARDLESS OF WHERE IT COMES FROM.FORMAL SCHOOLS ARE AS MUCH AS IMPORTANT AS INFORMAL SCHOOLS.MANY CHILDREN ARE DEPRIVED OF EDUCATION DOMESTICALLY AND INTERNATIONALLY WE SHOULD BE GLAD THAT THERE IS AN ON GOING DEBATE ABOUT THE BEST OF THE TWO, AS THIS TWO ARE AT OUR DISPOSAL.MR GIBSON I TRULLY ADMIRE WHAT YOU DO FOR OUR BLACK YOUTH AS THIS CAN HELP THEM TO OBTAIN RIGHT QUALITIES THAT CAN AID THEM WITH THE CHALLENGES OF LIFE.IF I EVER BECOME A PARENT I WONT CARE IF MY CHILD GOES TO INFORMAL OR FORMAL SCHOOL AS LONG AS I KNOW THAT MY CHILD WILL GET THE BEST EDUCATION.THANK YOU
ONE OF THE MAJOR PROBLEMS WITH OUR FORMAL EDUCATING SYSTEM IS THAT, PEOPLE WHO WERE ORDAINED EDUCATORS ARE DOING THE JOB JUST TO ACCUMULATE SOMETHING AT THE END OF THE MONTH AND EARN A LEAVING. IF THEY TEACH WITH NO UNTEREST IN WHAT THEY DO, THEY ARE LURING US LARNERS TO BELIEVING THAT WHAT THEY ARE PASSING ON TO US IS NOT IMPORTANT.
ANOTHER SHORTCOMING IS RELIGION. THIS IS NOT SUPPOSED TO BE A PROBLEM, BUT IT IS. SOME RELIGIONS DON’T ALLOW CERTAIN PRACTICES TO BE UNDERTAKEN BY PEOPLE OF THAT SPECIFIC RELIGION, THIS BECOMES PROBLEMATIC FOR THE STUDENTS AS THERE IS A GRUESOME AMOUNT OF INFORMATION HIDDEN BY THE EDUCATOR. AN EXAMPLE OF SUCH MIGHT BE EVOLUTION, IT’S BELIEVED THAT EVOLUTION IS COUNTER RELIGION, FOR A “BORN AGAIN” EDUCATORTO TEACH WHAT IS COUNTER HIS/HER BELIEFS.
SUCH ISSUES ARE REFERRED TO AS MINUTE, BUT THEY ARE, IN THE EYES OF LEARNERS, SETBACKS AND CONTRIBUTE TO OUR FAILURES.
I had a very good time browsing throgh my psychology book, that is because I went trough some interesting passage on learning.
I n formal schools, we are referred to as learners and that to us means we are on a daiy basis learning. The book (Themes and Variations) says a different story as to our description of learning, which is going to school and be taught.
The book defines learning AS THE ABILITY TO RETAIN AND RETREIVE WHAT YOU WERE TAUGHT. It even gives an example, a learner is taught in class and to him/her she is learning, when a test is given, he/she gets a 3%. Obviously that child hasn’t learned.
When I was in high school I used to tell my mom that I am not a student, but a learner and I think that if we’ all be learners, all that this academy (MONTSHEPETJA) would have achieved it’s goal and objective.
This had an impact in the way I see schooling, I believe it will to you as the reader.
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