Former Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Minister, DrNaledi Pandor, visited Stellenbosch University as the special guest of Student Action for Palestine (SA4P). Picture: Leon Lestrade / Independent Newspapers
By Enver Surty
In Part 1, I introduced Dr Grace Naledi Mandisa Pandor whom I have known and worked with for close on thirty years. I traced her enormous contribution to many facets of South African political social and economic life each showing a tenacity, a resolve and a vision that has made our country a better place for all who live in it.
I included thoughts on her stellar role in the South African government and the African National Congress pursuing charges against the Apartheid Israel for committing genocide. This followed with a short note on Cde Naledi’s lineage and her formidable force of personality. And finally, the dawn of democracy which ushered in her role as Deputy Chief Whip and Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces.
We celebrate our heroes in the month of August and it is of course most fitting to rejoice on the remarkable and enduring achievements of one of our very own, in this, our national month dedicated to our women.
This second part deals with her role in the executive which straddles many portfolios for over two decades.
When Cde Naledi was appointed Minister of Education, tertiary institutions as well as schools were located in her portfolio. She held a Master's degree in Linguistics and had been an educator and academic before being appointed as MP and then as Minister.
She had first-hand knowledge of the autonomy and independence of universities and universities of technology and how they functioned. She was also well-versed in how schools functioned, as she had an added advantage being married to Mr Sharief Pandor, an experienced teacher, who would share his experiences with her as an educator.
Much of the policy decisions she had taken and initiatives she had begun were continued by her successor, Cde Angie Motshekga, who at that time served as the provincial Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for the Gauteng Department of Education. This in a sense resulted in a seamless transition between Cde Naledi and Cde Angie, as most policies were the outcome of discussions and resolutions in the ANC and in the Council of Education Ministers, where Cde Angie represented Gauteng. It is beyond the scope of this article to reflect on each aspect of Minister Pandor’s contribution but it will be demonstrated how she laid a solid foundation that her successor refined, expanded, and implemented in a manner that benefited the entire system of education, leaving a legacy we must celebrate.
The objective reality was that when she was appointed as Minister of Education, thousands of schools were dilapidated, constructed of unsafe materials, and without adequate sanitation and electricity. Provincial administrations were made up of a disproportionate number of districts and challenges were exasperated by the mixture of combined schools, in addition to viable and non-viable schools, under-funded special needs schools and rural schools with hardly any proper infrastructure and resources.
There was hardly any preparatory year in African Black primary schools, less than 5% of the African Black learners had the benefit of a preparatory year. Literacy and numeracy were a huge challenge among learners and there were thousands of over-aged learners in primary and high schools. In rural areas, there were primary schools with less than forty learners across all grades. This phenomenon was especially prominent in the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, and Limpopo. There was also a huge illiteracy rate among adults and there were no Further Education and Training (FET) colleges.
Cde Naledi reminded us that education either functions as an instrument which is used to facilitate integration of the younger cohort into the logic of the present system and bring about conformity or it becomes the practice of freedom, the means by which men and women deal critically and creatively with reality and discover how to participate in the transformation of their world.
This article will highlight just a few of the astounding achievements that are now firmly embedded in the system thanks to the foundation laid by Minister Pandor and the persistence of Minister Motshekga in ensuring that they are sustained and wherever possible expanded. In this sense, the future is not something hidden in a corner. It is something we build in the present.
South Africa was confronted with the reality that there were more than five million illiterate adults. Minister Pandor was aware of how being literate and numerate enhanced the self-esteem of individuals and made them more resourceful in their homes and working environments. Under her leadership, the Department of Education (DoE) set a target of 4.5 million adults who had to become numerate and literate, and the Kha ri Gude programme was born.
The programme was driven by Prof Veronica McKay and was launched in the Eastern Cape. Wordbooks had to be developed, quality assured, printed in mother tongue languages and English, and distributed. Thousands of volunteers and coordinators were appointed and teaching and learning took place in the homes of mainly elders in the villages. Each adult who was enrolled and the success rate of the program exceeded 85%. Women in rural areas and townships across the country were the primary targets of the programme. Thirty years later, the programme’s lasting impact is still evident in the literacy and numeracy skills of these Gogo’s, who now play a vital role in nurturing and stimulating the young minds of the children they care for.
The DoE reached the target of 4.5 million adults who had to become numerate and literate within a little more than five years. All adult learners were assessed and many proceeded to acquire further skills. Minister Motshekga ensured that the dedicated programme was completed. Hundreds of trained volunteers would later become qualified practitioners in schools that began offering a preparatory Grade R for five year olds.
Minister Pandor realised that African Black learners in particular were disadvantaged as less than 5% received formal pre-school education before 1994. She was acutely aware that cognitive development is at its highest level in early childhood. She set about the task to prioritise Early Childhood Development (ECD) by integrating Grade R in primary schools and developing norms and standards for classrooms and play areas.
Ms Palesa Tyobeka played a prominent role in driving this effort including the training and qualifications of practitioners. This was a bold move and a huge courageous step forward. Crèches in communities were run by individuals and NGOs through the Department of Social Development (DSD). Although there was no budget originally, the National Treasury recognised the value of Grade R and began allocating resources. It was left to Minister Motshekga to implement the programme fully. Today all practitioners have the minimum qualifications, and more than a million children in public primary schools have access to Grade R as schools now have dedicated sites where appropriate play takes place, as well as age-appropriate ablution facilities.
The ANC and government have decided to expand the programme to two years of preparatory learning. This would translate into at least 2 million children benefiting from ECD. There has also been a transition of the administration of ECD from DSD to DBE Education.
The outcome-based education system had its merits but resulted in too swift a change in methodology. It occurred in under-resourced environments and with hastily developed training programmes which created widespread confusion, owing to the education sector’s lack of readiness.
A consequence of the new curriculum was that there was a diminished emphasis on literacy and numeracy. Minister Pandor started an initiative to revise the curriculum with the participation of the whole education sector and thereby ensured that the fundamentals of literacy and numeracy would be central to learning. The workbooks developed for the Kha ri Gude programme were used as a model to develop workbooks for learners in primary schools, in the Language of Learning and Teaching (LoLT), as well as in all indigenous languages.
It became the responsibility of Minister Motshekga to further develop and implement the Workbooks initiative and today, all Grade R to Grade 9 learners receive workbooks in the mother tongue and LoLT. More than 55 million books are delivered each year to each public school. The benefit of this initiative became evident when the annual national assessments were carried out indicating the value of workbooks in enhanced performance.
When Minister Kader Asmal introduced the nutrition programme there were 250,000 learners from quintile 1 - 3 schools benefitting from the NSNP. During Minister Pandor’s term of office, it expanded phenomenally to about 5 million learners. Minister Motshekga has taken it to 9.5 million learners receiving nutritious meals daily.
Minister Pandor realised that not all learners wanted to go to universities and universities of technology. Skills such as plumbing, electrical work, building, and ICT could be taught in FET colleges, allowing learners to exit schools at Grade 10 to join FET colleges to acquire the relevant skills. She went about developing a curriculum and setting out a landscape for FET colleges county-wide. This also mitigated the dropout factor for those who were less inclined to follow the academic stream but chose technical and artisanal skills instead -which our country desperately needed. The curriculum was developed in partnership with key stakeholders in the private sector and Ms Penny Vinjevold did excellent work in this regard. After the split of the DoE to create the DBE, and Higher Education and Training (DHET), FET colleges became the responsibility of the Minister of Higher Education and Training.
The decision to make mathematics or mathematical literacy a fundamental (compulsory) subject was not an easy one. Minister Pandor consulted with academics and specialists in the field and then took the brave decision to make it a fundamental learning area.
Today the number of learners passing mathematics has increased more than tenfold thanks to this bold initiative and there has been a steady improvement in literacy and numeracy over the years. There are more learners passing mathematics above 60% than the total number of learners who had passed mathematics a few decades ago.
The Accelerated Schools Infrastructure Development Initiative contributed the building of more than 331 state of the art school’s during the period that Naledi Pandor and Angie Motshekga served as Ministers in Education. This excluded scores of schools built by provincial departments.
By replacing inadequate and unsafe infrastructure and providing basic services 1,336 water projects have been completed, all schools identified for electricity supply have electricity and the 1,088 sanitation projects have been completed during the term of office of Minister Motshekga.
Minister Motshekga also initiated the SAFE (Sanitation Appropriate for Education) which provided safe and age appropriate sanitation to 3095 schools in the past seven years.
Minister Naledi Pandor started the process of developing norms and standards for districts which included their roles and functions, powers and responsibilities, size and composition. This work was completed by Minister Motshekga and they are currently a perfect anchor for the stability in the education system. The quarterly meetings with District Directors from all Provinces continued and became an important forum for sharing ideas and developing best practice.
Much work had to be done in separating and funding universities and universities of technology. The institutions that were previously merged had to be stabilised and under the stewardship of Minister Pandor, and ably driven by Dr Nasima Badsha, the allocation of financial resources, promotion of research and development, governance, and improving access to tertiary institutions were completed.
Minister Pandor was always concerned about access and affordability to tertiary education. The National Student Financial Aid Scheme was born under her prompting and has grown phenomenally over the years. The poor management of this huge fund in recent times is regrettable.
As Minister of Higher Education and Training she expanded on technical vocational and artisanal training by expanding access, improving governance, investing in infrastructure in TVET colleges and bolstering partnerships with the private sector. She also introduced legislation amending the Higher Education Act aimed specifically at improving governance, quality, access, and promoting research and development.
Minister Pandor recognised the value of partnerships and promoted partnerships with international institutions through global cooperation and collaboration in research. More attention had to be paid to improved infrastructure and expansion of facilities. She managed to persuade National Treasury to spend more on infrastructure.
When Minister Nzimande was appointed he continued with the initiatives and higher education infrastructure has grown phenomenally.
Minister Pandor was the champion of innovation, research, and development and constantly appealed for a bigger budget allocation for research and development. The CSIR and many statutory bodies grew exponentially with improved funding. She promoted and celebrated women in science and piloted projects where science and technology were used to make a qualitative difference in rural schools.
Yet, her sojourn as the Minister of Science and Technology will be best remembered for the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) where the largest radio telescope will be built. The building of the Meerkat telescopes has already commenced; several have been completed and are functional in the Northern Cape. South Africa and Australia are the hosts of the SKA which will probe the universe in search of life, gravity, and the origins of planets. It will be the most powerful telescope on earth and has awakened interest in astronomy engineering and science. It is a global project where eleven countries share data on research and development through these powerful telescopes and is an important milestone in our growth and development.
When Minister Nkosazana Dhlamini an accomplished experienced and highly competent Minister was elected as chair of the African Union the Minister's post in Home Affairs was filled by Naledi Pandor. Much as Minister Motshekga built on the policy initiatives and priorities of her predecessor, Minister Pandor ensured that there was swift implementation of the projects initiated by her predecessor. The turnaround time for applications for refugee status was truncated to thirty days. There was urgent attention given to the issuing of Smart Identity Cards and the digitisation process in Home Affairs was accelerated.
Currently, over 1.4 million Smart ID cards and passport renewals are carried out at eHomeAffairs-enabled bank branches across the country Minister Pandor was fortunate to be assisted by an industrious Deputy Minister, Ms Fatima Chohan, who is also a trained lawyer and served with Minister Dlamini-Zuma.
Her sojourn in Home Affairs was for only two years.
As a Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, it is critical to have diplomatic skills and an understanding of how the world functions in terms of agreed rules, laws, and conventions. It called for a sound knowledge of economics, trade, and industry, and oversight of all diplomatic outposts.
Minister Pandor’s diplomatic skills were put to the test when she had to deal with the Lady R saga. There were threats of excluding South Africa from the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) because of the unfounded allegations that it supplied arms to Russia, suggesting that South Africa was partial instead of neutral to Russia. She had no difficulty in emphasising and reasserting the neutral stance adopted by South Africa.
South Africa, in fact, hosted the AGOA meeting where the US endorsed its continued participation in the AGOA treaty.
She had come full circle through her courageous, bold, and principled approach concerning the ICJ application against Israel discussed earlier. This has raised the moral standing of South Africa globally and among all progressive forces in the world.
Her institutional journey commenced as an advocate for human rights and after thirty years of uninterrupted service, without a blemish, ended as a steadfast veteran activist for human rights in another part of the world. Her desire to bring human dignity, equality and freedom, the founding values enshrined in our Constitution, to the oppressed across the globe will not be dimmed. She has always been proud of being South African and African. She ended her term with the government without complaint and left behind the brilliant legacy of unstinting service and loyalty to our nation.
Every time she sees preschoolers rushing to school, a Gogo sitting with her grandchild and reading from a workbook, a bank processing a Smart ID card or passport, a female scientist making a discovery or, perhaps, someday reading a report of sounds of life from a distant planet, she may smile and say ‘I have had a hand in this’ — and so much more.
She may turn her gaze to the dark sky lit with many stars and she will note the importance of her name, one of the many bright stars that lights our world with her spirited commitment to peace, justice, and equality.
Cde Naledi, fellow combatant and cadre: We have been deeply touched by your integrity, your ceaseless quest for justice and the path of reason and logic. Your temperament was distinctive, your collegial generosity of spirit excessive with a beautiful mind, to boot.
I have learnt that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.
Your legacy will not be forgotten, your contribution will not be diminished and the many causes you fought for will endure.
Palestine will be free, from the river to the sea!
Thank you.
End of Part Two
* Enver Surty served as Chief Whip of the NCOP, negotiator on the Bill of Rights, Deputy Minister of education, Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development and Deputy Minister of Basic Education.
** The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of IOL or Independent Media.