I wish to acknowledge:
Ewen Mackie , Chairperson of the Institute of Administrative Management, the IAM
Trevor Summerson of the National College for School Leadership
Dr Clive Opie, Deputy Director , Institute of Education, MMU
Barry Joy from the Teacher Development Agency
Ian Pratt, MD, SERCO
Alistair Gibson, IAM Hon Vice President and other members of the IAM council
Graduates and your families and friends
Distinguished guests, Ladies and Gentlemen:
This is the second occasion where I have the honour and pleasure of addressing graduates who are receiving their certificates in school business management. Only last weekend, I spoke at the 6th School Business Management Graduation Ceremony in London. Thank you for the opportunity once more.
Everything that has happened over the last week during our visit has underscored the correctness of the path that you have chosen to improve education in English schools. The focus on school business managers has been an investment in people, it has transferred skills in a real way, giving new opportunities and confidence to thousands whose value had not been recognized.
This investment in human capital will be felt for decades to come. Without exception head teachers we met spoke of the added value, which you have brought to the effective running of schools.
Your role has allowed them to get on with delivering the curriculum and taking learning and teaching to new levels. The school business managers we met in the schools we visited, spoke of a new lease on life, a new confidence and a passion for making a real difference in their schools.
I must say that those we met attribute much of their success to their tutors and also very supportive Head Teachers who gave them the time and space to participate in the course. Thank you tutors, thank you Head Teachers.
The fact that many school business managers are now invited and integrated into school management teams, is a very positive development. I would urge all Head Teachers to do the same.
The last week has been very hectic, and we have visited many schools and learned a great deal. We shall certainly be taking with us new knowledge, information and inspiration. But above all, we shall continue to build on the friendships we have established here.
The historical bonds between our country and yours have been very evident in the last week. It has been quite remarkable, that wherever we came, be it a school or a function, there was always a South African or ex-South African, or people who have family over there. I have a sister teaching here, and some people in my office even have family here in the UK.
Because of the historical relations, the architecture is similar, our hosts have spoilt us to bits, so we felt completely at home. The historical ties and the continuing relations continue to influence the development of our young democracy.
I know that your country generously benefits from the fruits and products of our education system, in the form of teachers and especially qualified medical personnel and other professionals.
We all agree that, without a sound education system, no nation can prosper. Just yesterday we visited Ireland. What I have come to understand was, that the way they have managed to turn their economic fortunes around, were based on two key elements.
The first one was entry into, and participation in the European Union, which led to direct investment into their education system. In other words, capacity building through networks. And that is precisely what our visit here is all about.
I want to quote the greatest South African statesman of all time, who said the following: "Education is the great engine of personal development. It is through education that the daughter of a peasant can become a doctor, that the son of a mineworker can become the head of the mine, that the child of a farm worker can become the president of a great nation." That person, which we in South Africa hold very dear, is Nelson Mandela.
In the last eleven years of democracy we have made great strides in the reconstruction of our nation. We have achieved the UN Millennium Development goal of universal enrolment for primary schooling; we have successfully united 19 different education departments; we have increased the number of successful black and women graduates; and the transformation process of our curriculum development is reaching stability and maturity.
Whilst we are proud of our achievements, we are also the first to acknowledge the continuing challenges, especially in respect of equity and redress; the drop-out rates (50%); the levels of literacy and numeracy; the performance of our learners in the subjects of maths and science; teacher support, development and qualifications; learner behaviour and parental involvement in the education system.
Marking the first Decade of Democracy, our country can rightfully be proud of many achievements, but there remain many challenges. At this point in time, the main national agenda of our country, is to create work and fight poverty.
To this effect I must express my profound thanks to your Prime Minister Tony Blair, and Chancellor Gordon Brown, for their efforts in addressing African debt relief, together with our President Thabo Mbeki and our Finance Minister Trevor Manuel.
Our President Thabo Mbeki has called on all of us to work hard in growing the economy with six percent, to halve unemployment in the next decade. However, one of the main obstacles in achieving this target, is the scarcity of relevant skills.
As you know, our country has been awarded the rights to host the 2010 Soccer World Cup. This has massive implications in terms of infrastructural investment and job opportunities.
Experts and economists predict that in the run-up to 2010, we are going to have to produce at least 13,000 engineers per annum to cope with the expected economic development boom. However our local engineering council is registering just above 3,000 per annum.
Earlier this year, a major oil company, Sasol, had to import about two-thousand engineers to refurbish their plants. At this moment, there is about half-a-million vacancies in the industries of information technology, accountancy, and communications. And this in a country with a huge unemployment.
Our education system therefore has a fundamental role to play in addressing the skills gap. In pursuit of building a better life for all our people, our Premier of the Western Cape, which is one of nine provinces of South Africa, has articulated the vision of our provincial government as building a Home for All.
To arrive at this vision, we have adopted an economic development strategy, which we refer to as Ikapa Elihlumayo, which means "Growing and Sharing the Cape". This strategy is underpinned by five major sub-strategies - Infrastructural Development, Spatial Development, Micro Economic Development, Social Capital Development, and Human Capital Development.
As the Provincial Minister of Education, I am responsible for the development and implementation of the Human Capital Development Strategy, which is about producing young citizens with sound knowledge, skills, values and attitudes to grow and share the Cape.
In pursuit of our vision of a Learning Home for All, the mission of our Human Capital Development Strategy is to ensure that all our learners acquire the relevant skills, knowledge, values and behaviour they need to realise their full potential, lead fulfilling lives, contribute to building their communities, contribute to the growth of our economy, and be internationally competitive.
The development of this partnership is perfectly in line with the objectives of our Human Capital Development Strategy, which identify social networks as a key component of our Human Capital Development Strategy.
Our strategy describes Social Capital as networks in communities "that enable it to take responsibility for, and to take leadership in projects that are designed to improve the conditions of the collective in that community. In doing so, the community mobilizes and exploits the varied resources available to it to meet its identified objectives."
Whilst we have made great strides in terms of the transformation of our education system, we acknowledge that much more needs to be done. Some of the major challenges that we are facing, are remarkably similar to yours.
From the very first day that we arrived, educational issues that dominated the media, were disciplinary problems and behaviour, violence and aggression, and debates on the proposed reforms in education.
I know that the Education Ministry has just completed a study on the experiences of students of diverse backgrounds in the system. In my meeting with Lord Adonis last week, the Minister informed me that they are deeply concerned with the performance levels of literacy and numeracy.
Without exception and going into detail, we are facing similar challenges. And I think you will agree with me - and that is the main reason why we are here - that a critical element of successfully addressing these issues, is effective and efficient leadership and management.
We all know that the global economy is increasingly knowledge-based technologically driven. Our children are growing up with all kinds of technological gadgets, and if we do not keep up with the trends, we may not be able to capture and maintain their attention for long. I was therefore very impressed with the innovative use of technological and digital equipment in some of the schools we have visited.
Without effective and well-managed schools, we will not develop the human capital our province requires. We are committed to lifelong learning and believe that our families, communities and schools must themselves be learning organizations. Inspired, passionate and dedicated school leadership can unlock the potential of a learning community.
Our school principals, both in South Africa, in your country, and indeed all over the world, face a myriad of complex challenges. Not only do our principals have to ensure the effective delivery of the curriculum in the classroom, but they also have to look after the social well-being of children, and at the same time ensure that every teacher has his basic needs. In essence our principals are managing large, complex and challenging institutions.
The concept of the school business manager as a dedicated individual who is able to manage human resource, budget, infrastructure and provisioning issues at school can add massive value to a school community and enhance learning.
As school business managers, your task is to release the principal from administration, so that he or she can focus on the core mandate, which is the delivery and development of the curriculum, and enhancing academic performance.
I had the opportunity to engage with some of you earlier and I want to commend the National College for School Leadership and the team from MMU - the graduates are confident and committed to using the skills they acquired to strengthen their schools. This is a credit to you and all your partners.
I believe that the decision by your government to set up the College was an inspired move, the benefits of which will be seen for years to come. That is why our provincial education department would like to partner with the College, Manchester Metropolitan University and our Independent Schools Association to develop and implement a course for school business managers in our province starting in 2007.
A key element of success of all great nations, is the building of social capital, which is about building networks, partnerships and capacity. The partnerships we are building on this visit have the potential to greatly increase our human and social capital. I hope that we would be able to consider an exchange programme between South African and UK school business managers, which could result in further twinning of our schools.
Building trust is important in any social network, including the school. And here I want to quote the words of a South African businessman, Tony Manning. He says: "The only way to build trust is to act in a trustworthy way, consistently and over time. Individuals and organizations are judged by what they do, not what they say. It's essential that you live the philosophies you espouse and keep the promises you make.". For you as school business managers, the building of trust between you and your head teacher and other members of senior management is critical.
I am hoping that, with the help of our friends here in the UK, we can develop the idea of the school business management programme as soon as possible, with a view to implement a pilot programme in 2007. I will submit a report to my national Minister of Education, Minister Naledi Pandor, on my return to South Africa.
Schools are central to the building of communities and the development of human capital. For us, the levels of literacy and numeracy, and the performance of our schools in maths and science, are important indicators of the liberation from and the reversal of legacy of apartheid education.
Without a doubt, our education system has an essential role to play in producing young citizens with the relevant knowledge, skills, values and attitudes to expand and sustain our economies. The qualifications of the School Business Management programmes, if developed successfully and if we get it right, can hold exciting opportunities all over the world.
Thank you for the support and friendship of your country during the dark days of apartheid. Now, as we are standing on the threshold of the next decade of freedom and democracy, we come to solicit your support once again, on a mutual basis. We know we can count on you, and we thank you for this.
Finally, some more advice to our graduates from Tony Manning, this time on integrity He writes: "To have integrity is to accept who you are, to honour your uniqueness, to live your own life in your own way, and not to pretend you are someone else in order to win approval".
Once again, congratulations to all of the graduates and all those who have made this possible. I know that your schools and communities stand to benefit from your dedication, passion and commitment. And I am sure your families, who also had to make some sacrifices, are proud of you.
I want to thank our hosts Trevor and the College, for your patience and for putting up with us the most. Ray, thank you, even though you have been the one exhausting us with your youthful energy. l want to thank all our other friends for the hospitality. You have certainly raised the bar, but we look forward to hosting you next time in SA.
Lastly, thank you to the Institute of Administrative Management for the Honorary Fellowship. I shall certainly try to meet your expectations as an IAM Ambassador.
I thank you.For enquiries, contact Gert Witbooi: 082 550 3938, or gwitbooi@pgwc.gov.za
Gert Witbooi
Media Liaison Officer
Office of the MEC for Education
Western Cape
Tel: 021 467 2523
Fax: 021 425 5689
Visit our website: http://wced.wcape.gov.za
