Does homeopathy have a place in Biology education?

[brianvds]

That’s a scary picture you paint, Brian.  Scary, but not really surprising.  When you wonder about “a deliberate policy to keep the populace ignorant,” you’re giving them too much credit, I think.  It’s pure Dunning-Kruger.  As you say, there’s more than a little of the fundamentalist’s mindset to the powers administering and furthering this whole sorry basic education mess.  Is it too much to hope that they might ever sober up?

'Luthon64

As a friend of mine always says, reality always wins. Perhaps they'll sober up when reality kicks in. Or perhaps not. Rome fell before; perhaps we'll witness it falling again.

[Mefiante]

As a friend of mine always says, reality always wins.

True enough, but, to extend the metaphor, reality tends to defer its triumphs to the final energetic push during extra time.  And let’s not lose sight of what the foremost underlying cause is:  Our politicians’ and leaders’ inimitable proficiency with denial, deflection and obfuscation.  Without that, a disaster-in-the-making such as the one before us could be averted with some dedicated effort.  The question that urgently needs answering is why a problem usually must reach desperate proportions first before people start paying attention.

On the upside, just recently I learned about local moves being afoot by private concerns that aim to address basic education issues, initially focussing on mathematics, English and science in selected rural areas.  The idea is to make one-on-one tutors available online and to provide the necessary (self-contained) infrastructure to facilitate this.  It will be billed as supplementary to the DoBE’s syllabus (although one could reasonably expect that it will eventually wholly subsume that syllabus).  To begin with, corporate sponsors will be the primary source of funding, and tutors will contribute voluntarily, later to be extended into more affluent schools where small sums will be charged to make use of the resources so that it becomes largely self-sustaining.  The programme itself came out of Singapore and follows First World standards of education.  It’s an ambitious project perhaps, but one that is eminently feasible and economically viable with a little goodwill and today’s technology, and itself a product of science and mathematics.

'Luthon64

[Lurkie]

Direct answer: no.

Unless the teacher also includes reiki and crystal healing 

[Lurkie]

Brian. Random thought. If you are interested in palaeo zoo stuff and sick of teaching, the oil companies are the place to look. Those tiny little fossilized skeletons that need an expert to identify are of major interest to hydrocarbon exploration companies.

[brianvds]

Brian. Random thought. If you are interested in palaeo zoo stuff and sick of teaching, the oil companies are the place to look. Those tiny little fossilized skeletons that need an expert to identify are of major interest to hydrocarbon exploration companies.

Actually, I love teaching. It just isn't very lucrative. :-)

[Brian]

I cry for my beloved country....

[mdg]

Not only scary, but depressing and frustrating because of the apathy in dealing with the problems.

I have friends who used to teach in public schools and it's as grim as brianvds describes it. Which is why my grandson goes to a private school. It's horrendously expensive, but unfortunately there was no other choice (other than homeschooling which is a whole set of other problems).

[BoogieMonster]

I was chatting to a bunch of people in my age-group (early 30s) over a braai this w/e. And the topic got quite serious.

The whole group (a bunch of married couples included) is childless. The common consensus was that, at least in joburg, it's impossible to have children atm without doing significant financial planning and saving up front. No-one wants to send their child to a public school because of the sad state of education. However the exhorbitant cost of getting and keeping your children in a private school is preventing pretty-much all of us from having kids in the first place.

The current rule seems to be R50k on the day your child is born just to get them on a waiting list for a school. There are waiting lists for NURSERY schools already! After that the costs just get much worse. To our math when your kid hits gr1 you're spending more on school for 1 child than on your house. Maybe your house and car combined.

Some of us are getting a bit nervous about this situation. How much money must we make to be able to give our kids a proper education? And can we make it before it's too late to have kids at all?

[mdg]

Hi BoogieMonster,

You're right about the waiting lists, some of them are ridiculous. They were discussing schools on the radio a couple of weeks ago and a few moms phoned in to say thay had put in applications for some good schools shortly after their babies were born, but were still turned away 

My daughter makes big sacrifices to send my grandson to a private school. His school fees for grade R are R 5000 / month. Then there are the extra fees for sports and other extra curricular activities. She also has to get him up early and leave by 6.30 at the latest to get him to school on time because the school is in Senderwood and we're in Walkerville.
It helps that they live with us and that my husband and I also contirbute when and where we can. We are not well off by any means, but we work together to make sure he gets the best education.

[brianvds]

The whole group (a bunch of married couples included) is childless. The common consensus was that, at least in joburg, it's impossible to have children atm without doing significant financial planning and saving up front.

My brother's kids are in King Edward School in Johannesburg. It's one of the remaining excellent public schools, but the school fees are higher than at the private school where I work. Those fotrmer Model C schools are often quite good, but they are basically semi-private, and often very expensive.

However, education is and really has always been primarily the responsibility of parents. If you arms your children with good manners and a good work ethic, they can make good use of even a mediocre school, where as the kids of uninvolved parents don't fare well even in excellent schools. We have at least as much of a parenting problem in South Africa as we have a problem with our schools.

[beLIEf]

@ Brianvds

I read your replies to my response.. v interesting yes - I didn't quote it here as it's long!

By 'here' I mean SA - I sympathize with you massively!

I didn't know about the political edge to the teacher training here at all! but on further reflection I'm not at all surprised... it's embedded in matric exams as well.

So yeah a few years left here for me as so far life outside of work is bliss - but reality and career prospects set in, I don't fit the required profile to advance in the ranks of school improvements and change facilitation so I will be back off to my little rainy isle before an eternity of mediocrity and propaganda descend on my unpensioned fate!

[Faerie]

Some of us are getting a bit nervous about this situation. How much money must we make to be able to give our kids a proper education? And can we make it before it's too late to have kids at all?

Proper education starts at home, as someone mentioned here as well. A fairly good government school in the suburbs will serve the purpose as well as a private school would.  My boss' daughter goes to Roedean at R93k a year, and she has to take private extra math classes... along with most of her class mates. I seriously doubt whether the actual education is any better, the only main difference is the class sizes and amount of extra curricular offered - and of course - the indoctrination of "status and privilage" which is offered as standard at most of the private schools.

Have your kid if you're that way inclined, you will never have enough money to see you through anyway, but you tend to find a way to offer them what you want to at the end of the day.