AFTER devoting about 10 articles to analysing and critiquing various aspects of the education Transformation Report and addressing the very closely related issue of educational financing, I decided about four months ago that I would put the topic in involuntary retirement. I felt then that with others joining the call for widespread discussion on the financing issue, someone would take up the challenge to lead in having a truly participative, not merely bi-partisan, national discussion on the issue. Along with others I am disappointed that we are yet to see any effort at a nationally led dialogue, even debate. I have therefore decided to take the issue out of retirement and make another small point about the urgency of discussing the financing of education.

There are several reasons why it is important to have an engagement on the topic now. Since there is not an imminent general election at this time (or is there?), the topic can be discussed more rationally. Furthermore, the political parties are not wont to discuss all angles of the topic during intense campaigning. As we have seen so often, they concentrate almost exclusively on what goodies they will deliver to the education system without the slightest indication of how they would fund the cherries. Few will forget that during the last three election campaigns there was intense competition on who would promise the most to our sagging education system. The silence on the funding was almost deafening.

We will recall the parties saying that official cost-sharing to fund class materials and the cost of the utilities would either have been reduced significantly or eliminated! In some cases, the impression was given that the burden on parents would be removed, whether the latter desired it or not. Over the period, nothing has happened to make it a reality that the cost to parents would be a thing of the past (reread the manifestos). What we have seen instead are cost of living escalating and real income declining to make the life of poor parents more miserable. The consequence is that they have to decide painfully between school fees, voluntary contributions and food for the table. The gap between promises and their fulfilment in entirety remains a huge issue.

Precisely because times are hard and many parents are finding it increasingly difficult to survive and contribute substantially to their children’s education, we must discuss the range of possibilities for funding the education system. Of all the sectors, education, health, agriculture and national security and justice must be protected and maintained on a sustainable basis if we are to survive as a nation. This simply means that ways and means must be found to provide a critical minimum funding of the education system, bearing in mind that it remains at the centre of the survival system. Any idea that it is not timely to consider afresh how we fund the education system in a time of crisis is severely flawed. Of course, funding is not solely about all parents directly contributing to financing the cost of education.

We do not have to look far to see some areas that require immediate additional inflows of financial and other resources. To deal frontally with reading literacy, additional resources are needed to reduce class size and teacher-pupil ratios to levels that will make it more probable that students needing more individual attention will get it. The reading materials to support the more focused efforts of the teachers will be needed. No one should doubt that these cost money. Allied to reading literacy is mathematical literacy which obviously does not need a powerful case for attention. Not considered normally, but most critical is “cultural” literacy that helps to define our way of life and aspirations for achievement in the different spheres of life. Without a concept of cultural literacy and the associated skills, young people in general won’t be adequately prepared for the future.

We probably need to determine the key set of literacies, including the fundamental one, that is reading literacy and set about to teach them and have them learnt.This will require a re-allocation of resources of people, time, materials and money. But it will also require additional resources which is partly what the financing of education is about. If we reflect on it thoroughly, we may just come to the conclusion that the lack of additional finance with efficient allocation is a major block to our development. In any case, “it takes cash to care”.

If as a nation we care greatly about our children, we will want to get them into school and keep them there for a minimum of 14 years. Ideally, it should be for 15 years. In either case it will need additional resources which can be realised from an innovative and a creative programme that is executed with will and commitment.

Why is it so hard to get the national discussion going? With available tools and strategies, almost the entire nation can be involved. We have PTA meetings, JAS meetings, town-hall meetings, CBO meetings, blogs and Facebook. A host of problem-solving ideas could come from a national reflection and discussion utilising this mix.

A thoughtful question is, who should lead the dialogue? Should it be government, civil society or the media? We should not put the onus on our teachers to lead since some people would construe their leadership as self-serving and accuse them accordingly. Would the private sector be willing to lead off? They may bear in mind that educational standards do not stand in a vacuum. Standards are related to supplies and use of books, computers, exercise books, balanced meals, desks and chairs, safe and secure play areas, adequately paid teachers and so on, as we are well aware. These eventually get transformed into knowledge and understanding, skills, attitudes, examination scores and grades.

The transformation of the education system will come mainly by a transformation of attitudes to it, a re-ordering of priorities in it and nationally, innovative and creative ideas, a will to make it happen and not the least additional finance. Who will answer the call for leading the discussion?

wesebar@yahoo.com