The chopping of thousands of teacher jobs is by far the most disturbing news of this new administration.

The new year could start with some 2 400 fewer teachers in Western Cape classrooms alone. In KwaZulu-Natal, the number of teaching jobs on the line is 11 000.

Make no mistake, the long-term consequences will be nothing short of devastating. We are no longer borrowing from our children’s futures, we are stealing it completely.

No budgetary pressure can justify such a catastrophic decision in the face of corruption and ongoing wasteful government spending by a cabinet that is now the largest in our democratic history.

Over the years, I have written dozens of opinions about the need for a greater focus on education. This latest news has encouraged me to have a look back in two particularly potent ones, which I hope our education bosses will read and digest.

It seems obvious to me that more, not fewer teachers, and equal education are the only things that are going to save us as a country.

For all his awe, Nelson Mandela missed a beat by not rallying the country behind him in pursuit of guaranteeing a future generation of patriotic problem solvers, compromisers and critical thinkers.

And the only way something like that is achievable, is through a plan that ensures all our children get the same education.

Just imagine we had immediately dismantled segregated education in 1994 and thrown all our resources into making sure that all our children received the exact same level of education.

Imagine if we had entered into a pact under Mandela, agreeing that all government spending would be directed towards education for at least one generation.

Keep in mind that we would’ve had to tolerate deteriorating government services and crumbling infrastructure, like roads and electricity supply for a while.

Now since this was already our reality, I’m pretty sure we would’ve been a lot more accepting of it, if there was a massive positive pay-off at the end.

Let me paint the picture for you. Every child in the country is attending a diverse school that is highly resourced with everything they need, including well-paid, passionate teachers, sports equipment, extramural tutors and recreational toys.

A clean, safe and spacious facility with counsellors, computer rooms, devices, swimming pools, manicured lawns, the works.

Not a cent spared to ensure every child’s interest and aptitude is catered for and they are given the best possible chance of realising their potential.

Those with domestic challenges have the option to be picked up and dropped by a school bus, given three meals a day and the option to stay until their parents get home from work. All at no cost to parents, whether they can afford R10 or R10 000 a month in school fees.

Then we send these kids onto to their choice of free tertiary studies, with the same universal funding at their disposal. We make sure they get leadership training, business and financial management training and hands-on career guidance.

When they are done, they are compelled to do community service for at least five years, where their academic knowledge is converted into practical experience.

And this is where society starts seeing the rewards. Now you have a group of highly motivated young people, bursting with passion, ambition, gratitude, skills and most importantly, bright ideas to repair everything that had been sacrificed for them.

Of course this is an over-simplification and there would have been many hiccups along the way. But by and large, I am convinced a system like this would have put us on the right path to the greatness we dreamed of under Mandela.

Had we implemented a plan like this in 1994, that first group of highly educated and highly skilled graduates would be running our economy right now.

Imagine a generation of politically and socially brave, critical thinkers providing progressive solutions that our current crop of mostly ageing leaders can’t even begin to imagine.

They would be making us proud with their inventiveness and patriotic determination to work together towards the collective success of the entire country.

I see young graduates now with innovative ideas that they can’t get off the ground. Imagine millions of them finding value in each other’s contributions and helping one another succeed for the benefit of us all.

It’s a utopic dream, but what a country that would have been. And can still be.

dailyvoice@inl.co.za

Daily Voice