Education once fuelled Apartheid - Ramaphosa's education message
Key Takeaways
- Ramaphosa said education is essential for Africa's economic growth and social development.
- South Africa now allocates nearly 24% of its national budget to education.
- The president highlighted Rwanda, China, India and South Africa as examples of education-driven development.
South African president tells UNESCO that investing in education can break cycles of inequality and build stronger societies across the continent
Education was once used to suppress millions of South Africans during apartheid. Today, President Cyril Ramaphosa says it has become the country's most powerful tool for transformation.
Speaking at UNESCO headquarters in Paris on Friday, Ramaphosa urged African countries to invest more in education, arguing that strong school systems and skills training are key to economic growth and social progress.
Reflecting on South Africa's history, he said education had shifted from being an instrument of oppression to one of the government's biggest priorities.
"From our own country, South Africa, comes a story of optimism and hope, where education was used during apartheid as a weapon to suppress and to exploit the majority of the citizens of South Africa," Ramaphosa said.
He noted that education now receives the largest share of South Africa's national budget, accounting for nearly 24 per cent of government spending.
"And today, education occupies the highest spending item, close on to 24 per cent of the budget, where today school attendance has increased exponentially and where feeding of children at school now amounts to two meals a day for nine million young children on a daily basis, and where the pass rate has also increased exponentially," he added.
Ramaphosa said the investment has created opportunities for learners from poor and historically disadvantaged communities to reach universities, technical colleges and vocational institutions.
"What makes all this extraordinary is that the majority of those who are passing and qualifying for university were learners from poor communities, communities that were relegated by apartheid to the backyard of the education process," he said.
He pointed to Rwanda, China, India and South Africa as examples of countries that have used education to reduce poverty, develop skilled workforces and rebuild their societies.
"Education builds. It unlocks human potential. It dismantles ignorance. Every classroom and every lesson empower and transform not only their own lives but also the lives of the communities that they live in," Ramaphosa said.
Ramaphosa was speaking during a leaders' meeting on Sustainable Development Goal 4 at UNESCO, which focuses on improving access to quality education and strengthening education systems around the world.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
