THE DAMNING report presented by the office of the auditor-general (A-G) in Parliament this week has again revealed that the country's education system is in crisis.
Baffled parliamentarians were told by officials from the A-G's office that there were no clear indications that the Department of Basic Education was doing anything right.
According to the report the national department of education and most of the provincial departments are failing to prove service delivery and the proper use of taxpayers' money.
These findings are in tandem with previous reports that have revealed that despite high spending and many interventions by the government the education system remains dysfunctional.
For example, a report released in July by Nicholas Spaul - a researcher in the department of economics at the University of Stellenbosch - revealed that South Africa spends about R10717.89 per child on primary education, yet accomplishes less than the government of Kenya, which spends only R2257.32 per child.
The unfortunate reality is that the report comes at a time when the Department of Basic Education is confronted by the dire situation learners in Limpopo faced (and most probably continue to face) after the provincial department had failed to deliver textbooks.
Typically, the government's response to the crisis in Limpopo has been largely self-serving and defensive - with no one (including Minister Angie Motshekga) willing to take responsibility for the chaos.
How can the public forget how. in an attempt to absolve herself, she delivered one of her ubiquitous political gaffes, arguing on national television that her job "was not to deliver textbooks but to develop policy"?
The essential message from this week's report is that the Department of Basic Education might have progressive policies - but the reality is that all this is in vain because of inefficiency, incompetence and probably an element of sloth - because those who were supposed to benefit are not.
The reports also show that spending more resources is not a silver bullet to solve all the problems the country faces - especially not in education.
What is needed is more accountability within government. This will ensure effective implementation of policies.
The most effective way of ensuring accountability and dealing with the prevailing situation is to relieve all those responsible for the current mess of their duties - starting with Motshekga as political head.
Clean up from the top
THE DAMNING report presented by the office of the auditor-general (A-G) in Parliament this week has again revealed that the country's education system is in crisis.
Baffled parliamentarians were told by officials from the A-G's office that there were no clear indications that the Department of Basic Education was doing anything right.
According to the report the national department of education and most of the provincial departments are failing to prove service delivery and the proper use of taxpayers' money.
These findings are in tandem with previous reports that have revealed that despite high spending and many interventions by the government the education system remains dysfunctional.
For example, a report released in July by Nicholas Spaul - a researcher in the department of economics at the University of Stellenbosch - revealed that South Africa spends about R10717.89 per child on primary education, yet accomplishes less than the government of Kenya, which spends only R2257.32 per child.
The unfortunate reality is that the report comes at a time when the Department of Basic Education is confronted by the dire situation learners in Limpopo faced (and most probably continue to face) after the provincial department had failed to deliver textbooks.
Typically, the government's response to the crisis in Limpopo has been largely self-serving and defensive - with no one (including Minister Angie Motshekga) willing to take responsibility for the chaos.
How can the public forget how. in an attempt to absolve herself, she delivered one of her ubiquitous political gaffes, arguing on national television that her job "was not to deliver textbooks but to develop policy"?
The essential message from this week's report is that the Department of Basic Education might have progressive policies - but the reality is that all this is in vain because of inefficiency, incompetence and probably an element of sloth - because those who were supposed to benefit are not.
The reports also show that spending more resources is not a silver bullet to solve all the problems the country faces - especially not in education.
What is needed is more accountability within government. This will ensure effective implementation of policies.
The most effective way of ensuring accountability and dealing with the prevailing situation is to relieve all those responsible for the current mess of their duties - starting with Motshekga as political head.
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