Statement by Cameron Dugmore, MEC for Education in the Western Cape

Although our schools can do more, the education system is nevertheless not failing to educate our learners for democracy, said Western Cape Education MEC Cameron Dugmore on Wednesday evening (23 April) during a debate on what can be done to promote and develop compassionate, caring citizens to prevent future violence.

The debate was organised by the Harold Wolpe Memorial Trust and Shikaya, an education non-profit organisation, and included a panel discussion with Professor Jonathan Jansen of the University of the Witwatersrand, and Gail Weldon, Senior Curriculum Planner at the Western Cape Education Department (WCED). The discussion was facilitated by Dylan Wray, Director of Shikaya.

The aim of these regular dialogues is to create a space for open and informed dialogue and debate around key local and global political, social and economic issues facing South Africa.

Said MEC Dugmore: “It is important for learners to be politically literate, that is, to know and understand democratic processes. The importance of volunteerism, social service and involvement in a democratic society are emphasised, and the causes, consequences and prevention of pervasive social ills, such as violence and abuse, are addressed in the National Curriculum Statement.

“Right from the start I have initiated and driven a process to unite all our RCLs in the province, because I have seen the leadership potential, the energy and the passion in our young people.

“Learners can learn about democracy, organisation and public office through RCLs. These bodies develop their own policies and codes of conduct and elect its own leadership.

“Our learners, through the RCLs, can play important roles in promoting a positive attitude to the school environment. This includes applying peer pressure on those who have no concern for the interests of others and persist in denying others the right to quality education.

“In many instances when I visit schools, I find the input of young people invaluable, for eg some complained about teachers coming to school under the influence of alcohol, or being absent for long periods, or that the class does not have a qualified maths teacher. It shows they care about their education and their futures.

“Through the pioneering work of our department, a proportion of learners have also been selected as Peer Educators on the basis of their ability to be(come) opinion leaders, role models, facilitators of learning and community activists.

“Over the past years more than 15,000 grade 10, 11 and 12 learners have been recruited and trained and are guided through a rigorous 2-3 year programme. They are called Peer Educators and are trained to:

• positively influence their peers through role-modelling;
• assist Life Orientation teachers in teaching about sexuality education and HIV/AIDS in the classroom;
• listen (‘counsel’) and refer their peers for support; and
• initiate or support school-community based HIV/AIDS projects and related projects that develop the social capital in our school communities.”

* Cameron Dugmore is Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Education in the Western Cape Provincial Government.

* Jonathan Jansen is Honorary Professor of Education at the University of the Witwatersrand and Scholar-in-Residence at the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in Johannesburg, South Africa. His most recent books are Knowledge in the Blood: How white students remember and enact the past (2009, in press) and Diversity High: Class, Color, Character and Culture in a South African High School (2008, with Saloshna Vandeyar). He is a recent Fulbright Scholar to Stanford University (2007-2008), former Dean of Education at the University of Pretoria (2001-2007), and Honorary Doctor of Education from the University of Edinburgh. He is a former high school science teacher and achieved his undergraduate education at UWC (BSc), his teaching credentials at UNISA (HED, BEd) and his senior postgraduate education in the USA (MS, Cornell; PhD Stanford)

* Gail Weldon is Senior Curriculum Planner (History) at the Western Cape Department of Education. She is a co-founder of the teacher development project, facing the past - transforming our future. She led the curriculum writing team for History in Grades 10-12 and was on the writing committee for History in Grade R-9. She is currently completing her PHD on a comparative study of the construction of memory and identity in the curriculum of societies emerging from conflict: Rwanda and South Africa.

The discussion was facilitated by Dylan Wray, Director of Shikaya and the co-ordinator of the project “Facing the past - Transforming our future”. Shikaya is a non-profit organisation with a vision of a South Africa in which every learner is inspired through enthusiastic, committed and professionally prepared teachers, to become responsible citizens in our democracy, valuing diversity, human rights and peace. Shikaya offers teachers and department officials the following services:

• Professional development workshops and programmes
• Resources to support and enhance teaching and learning
• On-going personal support to teachers at their schools
• Support in the use of the Internet and other information and communication technologies (ICTs) to extend and enrich teaching and learning
• Access to educational networks and research from around the world.

For enquiries, contact Gert Witbooi:  082 550 3938, or gwitbooi@pgwc.gov.za.

Visit our website: http://wced.wcape.gov.za

The Western Cape - A Home for All
INtshona Koloni - iKhaya loMntu wonke
Die Wes-Kaap - 'n Tuiste vir Almal