News
The Importance of Education
SPEECH DELIVERED AT THE FET LAUNCH ON 26 JULY 2003 AT THE EXHIBITION CENTRE,
DURBAN, BY PROF CRM DLAMINI SC, CEO KWAZULU-NATAL DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Programme Director, the Honourable Minister of Education Mr
Singh, Colleagues from the Department of Education distinguished
guests, ladies and gentlemen. Today is both an historic and historical occasion.
It marks the launch of the FET Colleges and FET in general. The year 2003 is
regarded as the year of FET. This is the culmination of years of planning,
thinking and strategising. Now we are giving birth to this new baby. This was
preceded by the appointment of Councils and of Rectors of the Colleges. This is
cause for celebration. It demonstrates that we take FET quite seriously.
There is no doubt that education plays such a fundamental
role in the life of a person, of a nation of a country and of the world.
Education is important because it equips people with the knowledge and skills to
earn a living and to make a difference to the lives of others. It teaches them
about themselves and their environment so that in acquiring this knowledge
they may live life to its fullest. It educates them about the hazards of life so
that they may know how to avoid them.
The earth as created by God is an unfinished piece of art; it
is an unfinished business. He left it to us human beings to further develop and
improve the earth. In this regard we become more than creatures but become
co-creatures with Him. When the earth was created, there were no houses, roads,
motor vehicles, aeroplanes and other machinery. This is the produce of human
creation. God laid down certain rules and principles to enable human beings to
rule and govern the earth. He gave them the mandate to govern and overcome the
world. They have authority to rule over the birds of the air and all the beasts
of the earth and the sea. In the process human beings would create order and
stability and provide a safe and healthy environment for life to continue and
for all the processes that support life to be sustained. Without this knowledge
the earth is a hazardous place full of many pitfalls and dangers.
The success of any person in life therefore starts with
education. Success in acquiring education usually entails and precedes success
in real life. With proper and quality education a person is sure to succeed.
Without it very few people succeed. In our mission statement we declare that our
role is the provision of high quality education which will ensure that the
learners we produce make a difference wherever they are. We want to have them
adequately prepared to meet the challenges of the 21st Century.
Education is important because it enables a person to realise
what his orker potential as well as aptitude and interests are. He/she then will
be able to pursue that particular vocation. No person can succeed or make a
difference in the lives of other people if she does not like the job that she is
doing.
If education is critical to the success of a person in later
life and if it leads to self-fulfilment, then education is extremely important.
There is no doubt that the world is where it is today technologically,
economically and even politically because of the knowledge that is generated
over the centuries. This is the role of education.
It is also well known that countries that have been
successful have placed the highest premium on education. If we want our province
and our country to be a winning and successful province and country, we need to
take our education seriously. We need to ensure that our youth is educated and
to ensure that it receives quality education.
Quality education is the one that will unleash the potential
of our learners and ensure that they succeed in a highly competitive market. It
is the type of education which will enable them to make a difference in the
lives of others. It is the type of education which teaches them that people are
important and that all systems and practices should serve human needs and not
the other way round. It is the education that is responsive to human needs.
Education is therefore important because it teaches us how
things have to be done and why they have to be done that particular way. It
prevents us from using a trial and error method. It equips people with knowledge
so that they become free from fear and from believing in myths and superstition.
It is of the essence of liberation. It teaches us to question thing and thereby
enables us to delve deeper into things and to come up with answers we never
believed existed.
As I have said the world is where it is today because of
education. It is where it is because certain people were prepared to raise
certain questions and because they were prepared to make certain observations
and to pursue these observations to their logical conclusions. The world is
where it is because certain people were prepared to speculate and to test their
hypotheses; because they developed theories and were prepared to test these
theories to establish their veracity and authenticity.
Education is important because it makes us grow. One does not
grow simply physically but has to have mental growth. Without mental growth we
cannot be mature adults. Mental growth is critical to further development in
life. Proper education results not only in mental growth but also in mental
liberation.
Owing to the importance of education, one should never stop
learning. This is what the whole idea of life-long learning is about. It means
that even if we have learnt and qualified in something, there is always room for
learning something new and something else that we find useful. The capacity of
the mind to explore and discover new vistas is unimaginable. Sometimes we become
comfortable in what we regularly do that we do not want to venture into
something else, something new and something exciting.
Life-long learning means that we enrich our lives. It means
we cannot come to a stage where we feel we have learnt everything and we have
nothing more to learn. Life-long learning is the secret to continuous
effectiveness.
If education is important and determines the fate and the
future of an individual, then it means that we should have a good job of
teaching. We should lay that strong and firm foundation which will ensure that
the person makes a success of his career. If individuals are successful families
and communities will be successful. If communities are successful, the province
and the country will be successful.
Education is important for nation building. If we want a
strong nation and a nation that will survive we have to provide good education.
We need to emphasize our values education which stresses the importance of
individuals and for upholding the dignity of individuals. It also emphasizes the
interdependence of individuals and the fact that we need one another. No one can
go it alone. We also need to care for one another because thereby we maximize
good neighbourliness and peace and harmony in the country.
Education is also important for strengthening our democracy.
We need to indicate in our youth the core democratic values that underpin our
democracy. A concerted effort should be mounted to discrediting violence and
selfishness. We need peace and stability in our country if the necessary
processes have to continue interrupted. In a situation where there is war or
conflict life becomes unbearable. Morever, it tends to breed poverty and want.
Then life becomes reflective of the five adjectives of Thomas Hobbes, namely
solitary, poor, nasty British and short.
Education is also important for imparting the necessary
skills in order to produce a skilled and competent work force. This is important
not only in the public service but also in the business sector and industry. We
also need education to develop the entrepreneurial abilities and skills of
individuals so that we can have a thriving economy. A thriving economy is
important for us to earn a decent living and to lead a good life. One of the
needs of society is that people should have jobs to earn an income with which to
support their families. Without jobs people experience hardship and they cannot
have their basic needs met.
A thriving economy is essential for political stability and
for the sustaining of democracy. Democracy as I said is essential for peace and
stability and for ensuring that we do not have unnecessary conflict. If there is
conflict in a country all the processes that make life worth living are
disrupted. It then becomes unenviable to live in that country. This has been the
experience of many countries in Africa. Africa independence many of the African
countries have been beset by conflict and wars. We need to avoid this at all
costs.
Our country is in need of development. That is why we need to
educate and train people who will contribute to the development of the country.
These are scientists, architects, engineers and economists. We also need to
produce people who are skilled in information technology. These are the areas
which are critical in a developing country. This does not mean that we do not
need people in the humanities and the social sciences. We need them. But there
is a greater need in the sciences engineering and technology. We need people who
have the technical skills who can get the job done.
The importance of FET under those circumstances need hardly
be emphasised. It demonstrates that we take the role that education plays in
society seriously. It is also evidence that we take the needs of society and of
the growing economy seriously. We would like to provide people who will fuel the
economy of the country. We would like to provide people with the necessary
skills to participate effectively in industry and business.
We trust that the learners who will go through the portals of
these FET Colleges will be adequately prepared to face the challenges of the new
millennium. We also trust that they will be able to make a difference whenever
they will be.
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