Is Sadtu using school pupils as political pawns?

Nelson Mandela said: “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world,” yet we see those charged with the daunting task of educating and moulding the leadership of future generations reneging on their burden of responsibility by choosing to rather devote their time to politics.

The South African Democratic Teachers’ Union (Sadtu), which represents the majority of teachers in this country, has made it known that it puts the personal interests of Jacob Zuma before those of millions of children across the country who are hungry for knowledge. Sadtu has called for a general strike in support of the shamed president of the ANC.

Sadtu has, however, committed to ensuring that teachers continue to deliver education to students, saying “the union will discipline members who act outside of its code of conduct and bring the union and the profession into disrepute”. We have seen the seriousness with which Sadtu treats any of its members who bring the union into disrepute when it expelled Willie Madisha for allegedly acting as a “Coin Security” guard. But is it sincere in its assurance to take action against those who bring it into disrepute?

On Friday August 22 2008, hundreds of school pupils converged on Beyers Naude Square to protest against the Constitutional Court in support of Jacob Zuma. What business is the Constitutional Court’s role in the case against Zuma to these pupils? It has been reported in the media that members of Congress of South African Students (Cosas), a political factory of imbeciles such as Julius Malema, had gone to schools and instructed students to join this nonsensical march.

“They asked our teachers and organised a train for us to come here. But we were not well informed about the reason why we are protesting,” Nomsa Mabona told the Times.

It is clear that teachers who are members of Sadtu supported the disruption of schools by Cosas miscreants in order to involve pupils in this march. By releasing pupils to Cosas, these teachers displayed a blatant disregard for their duties. Parents send their children to school taking comfort from the knowledge that the school will exercise reasonable responsibility for them. Who would have shouldered the blame if these pupils had caused havoc and damaged public and private property, or had been shot at and injured by the police? We have seen of what the hooligans at Cosas are capable.

The statement by Cosas threatened that “those who think there will be peace after they illegally take comrade Zuma to court, they are not only dreaming, but they must be prepared to meet the anger of South African students”. It appears that someone has been listening attentively to Julius Malema’s violent threats. Does the South African Human Rights Commission still believe Malema’s idiotic comments were not incitement to commit violent acts?

Sadtu appears to be using young and naive school pupils as pawns in its misguided attempts to intimidate the judiciary and subvert the course of justice. Much of its focus should be directed at improving the standard of education and ensuring that the matric pass rates are increased at end of 2008. The shocking decline in matric pass rates since 2004 is an indictment of teachers who in the past few years have been in the news for their sexual escapades with young school girls.

The beleaguered president of the ANC, Jacob Zuma, on occasion of his address of the Sadtu conference, said: “The question that I am posing to you as teachers of our children is how best are you doing this national task as expressed in our Freedom Charter? What is it that you are doing to fulfil your task in nation building? In essence, what this says to us and to teachers specifically is that you have a responsibility and a huge role in nation building.”

If Zuma were sincere in his address to Sadtu delegates, we would expect him to reprimand them for their attempts to abdicate their responsibility and their role in nation building by calling for nonsensical protests. No teacher should be condoning and supporting the disruptive behaviour of Cosas, and using naive school pupils as political pawns. We may be expecting too much from the president of the ANC as his aim at the moment is staying out of jail by any means necessary.

“Plants are shaped by cultivation and men by education,” said Jean Jacques Rousseau (1712–1778). We sure hope that Sadtu will commit itself to shaping these young minds through education and not through disruptive and inane political protests.