Toxic mix. Graeme Bloch

      Government and government policy surely cannot escape blame or responsibility for this. Chapter 4 will look at what government has done wrong and how actions and policies have compounded rather than resolved some of the multiplicity of problems. In any case, whatever their intentions and achievements, government programmes are clearly not hitting the ground in a forceful way; there is no critical mass that is driving changes through. Progress is painfully slow and unacceptably incremental. Progress in some areas is often countered by setbacks in others because there is little synergy driving overall towards clearly improved outcomes.

      While this book tries to avoid playing the blame game, responsibility still has to be located somewhere. Understanding the context and the causes, being empathetic to the range of difficulties, still does not let officials and teachers off the hook, to be very specific.

      Chapter 5 will look at what is being done to address the problems. At many different levels, there are incredible people and programmes that show the way and provide models of what might work. It is amazing to see the many successes and the many people and institutions in education working to make things better. Looking at the good things in education is not meant as an exercise to make us feel better, or to put on rose-tinted Pollyanna glasses. It is to try to find models and approaches that can work.

      Chapter 6 suggests how we should build the roadmap ahead, and Chapter 7 tries to propose actions that can be performed by different stakeholders to take us forward. We need a set of practical proposals to help us intervene and contribute to processes of education improvement. We also need a clear national plan and an agreed set of priorities around which to work, so we can slot in our efforts in a loose framework and usefully coordinate ways that maximise results.

      Can we fix our ailing, failing schools? Of course we can! In fact, we have to, if South Africa is to take its full place alongside other nations in the world. If we are to keep holding up our heads proudly in the world, we are going to have to be intellectually skilled and academically qualified, confident that our knowledge is global and cutting-edge.

      Change will not happen quickly or overnight. Still, there are many things that can be done immediately that would make a difference. Even though there is no quick fix, if we do not start now, with urgency, with unity, we will never achieve anything in the long term either. Without a sense of urgency, our country will surely end in serious trouble, and the loss of our human potential will be unforgivable.