Problems and solutions—challenges and opportunities

Isn’t it wonderful to read objectives like these:

• Ensuring continuous enhancement of quality in the delivery and outcomes of education.
• Developing a quality assurance framework for the sectors of the national education and training system.

Isn’t it equally wonderful to criticise ‘them’ and point out how ‘they’ have not achieved these high goals, what ‘they’ are doing wrong and how ‘they’ should be doing it?

This attitude I’m afraid is very much outdated. These days, people generally want to be part of the solutions — NOT the problems anymore. So we admire the goals and make them ours as well. We try to find a way to help achieve them. And this is great.

My question is, even if we decide to embrace some high ideals and our intentions are buoyant, do we have the tools to attain them? Are the systems in place? Are we inventing wheels?

And in this process are we prepared to learn from others’ mistakes and experiences or are we ignorant and arrogant in believing that we are the only ones who can invent the right wheel?

I am looking for ward to reading your comments: can South Africa’s national bodies like SAQA and UMALUSI adopt / adapt quality assurance systems for education from other places in the world? Their challenges are different from ours — can we really learn those lessons — or should we rather invent our own wheels?