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PRIME victim of the ongoing political infighting at governmental level will be coherent and comprehensive policies and practice, says Terry Bell in his latest Labour Wrap. And this applies no more so than in the field of education, which is in an even greater shambles since the #FeesMustFall protests at tertiary level.
However, Bell maintains that being free is not enough; that quality education of an equal standard, from pre-school through to adult learning and university, has to be the demand.
But he maintains that the focus at the moment remains on finance, on fee-free education, especially at tertiary level. In line with this Cosatu, supported by student groups and others, has given notice that a national strike will be called to support this call.
Bell feels that such a work stoppage, especially if it is widely taken up, may focus the attention of lawmakers on education and even on the demand for a wealth tax to finance a fee-free era in formal learning. But, he asks, what sort of education is wanted - and needed? Because this is what the protests should be about.
He points out that, apart from vague calls for more technical programmes and an ongoing series of rows about a language policy, there is little new on offer. At the same time, there is considerable disgruntlement among teachers and their unions about the current situation.
However, he says that there are independent initiatives that have proven themselves and seem to point to the way forward. One such example is to be found in the heart of the Karoo, outside Colesberg: the Hantam Community Education Trust.
Bell notes that the history of this remarkable project has now been produced by the trust that started in 1989 as a pre-school project for the children of farm workers and now comprises a range of community projects.
This and such projects as PETS - Professional Educator Training Scheme - and e-Classroom, he says, provide examples of support systems and community-driven development that could be the templates for an alternative, free and quality education system.
* Add your voice or just drop Terry a labour question. Follow Terry on twitter @telbelsa.
