Several times before I have made the point that black advancement, and economic growth in general, requires an increase in the stock of cognitive skills of our population.
I say “requires” because no other strategy works when that does not happen. We know full well that no-one can perform certain tasks well, or at all, without the necessary skills, and we know that those tasks need doing if an economy is to function and thrive. Furthermore, the average level of a nation’s skills (as measured by standardised tests of literacy, numeracy and scientific knowhow), is strongly and robustly related to GDP level and long-term growth rates.
We also know that the average level of skills in South Africa is dismal. It is worse than our poorer neighbours and equivalent to the fifth percentile of the UK.
The state of our public education is a disgrace, or in Julius Malema’s words “dysfunctional”. The standard of teaching is terrible; the education department does not give adequate resources to schools and absenteeism is rife among both teachers and pupils. We know we are capable of doing a great deal better than those poorer neighbours.
Thomas Sowell mentioned the existence of a US school for black children which produced extremely superior results at the beginning of the 20th century. The black community’s opposition to its focus on discipline, and the high demands it made on students, resulted in its closure. Sowell insists they made a mistake and I agree.
I had a look at some countries that showed an improvement in the international standardised PISA tests, Peru for example. One thing I noticed was that simply getting students to attend regular classes, and expecting them to learn, is quite effective. Focusing on core subjects also mattered. Sounds like a dilute version of the practices of Sowell’s school.
Modern technology has made it possible to individually maximise the potential of every person. It can do so while sidestepping many political challenges around education and making life more convenient.
In 2008 the Kahn Academy company introduced online standards-aligned instruction, by expert teachers, in a number of subjects ranging from beginner level to early university. Its program is highly effective. I know of one application of the Kahn Academy mathematics courses, to students in Cape Town townships, which produced results better than those seen in private schools.
World’s best teachers
This general idea could be radically extended. We can make available subject matter taught by the world’s best teachers to everyone, via ‘thin clients’ at public venues or their own computers. Students would get individual attention. They would proceed at their own pace, instead of that of a class subject to disruptions and limited by the slowest students. They could go at different paces at different subjects.
The following is an illustration of how it would work.
After a lesson from the world-class teacher, the program will evaluate the student’s performance on the subject matter. If they do not achieve mastery – 100% – the program will identify their personal weakness and provide lessons narrowly focused on those issues. Rinse and repeat the process until the student achieves mastery. Once the student achieves mastery the lessons move on to different or higher-level skills in the same subject.
The program will revisit the material at intervals to reinforce and maximise retention. The level reached in any subject will therefore be a reliable measure of the student’s real skills. We will be confident they have effectively learned the material to the level they have reached. No more nonsense grades and fake qualifications. Each student will maximise their own potential.
No current educational system can deliver that.
Obviously, the state may have to enforce regular attendance, but the system will provide an incentive that makes enforcement easier. That incentive is that students would not get a ‘qualification’ without attending and acquiring skills, as they do now.
Teachers should be available at public venues to ensure discipline, prevent disruptions and bullying, and to be available to help out when someone does not understand the lesson or how to interact with the system.
Some sort of nutritional support could be available at those venues. The education department must effectively prevent cheating via home computers or laptops. The thoroughly digitised system will allow immediate feedback on how effectively the education is working and identify snags. There will no longer be issues around the education department not delivering textbooks or about their quality.
Race, gender or age
Furthermore, AI can turn the world’s best teachers into someone of a different race, gender or age if the student would prefer that. You can even have Barney, or another cartoon figure, teach you.
AI could also translate the lesson into the student’s preferred language, thereby sidestepping the language barrier in primary school. Students would study English separately. Lee Kwan Yew applied home language education, with English on the side, very effectively in Singapore.
The individual nature of classes will introduce flexibility and convenience into attendance times, surely a relief to many a parent. We can give adults access too, after hours if necessary. The department will need to plan for the integration of lab work and social interactions and sports.
Naturally developing such a system will entail a significant investment.
Many of the initial lessons are already available but experts will need to develop assessment methods and the narrowly focused lessons. The state will have to procure big computers, backups, security and privacy systems, as well as the venues and ‘thin clients’, plus install home computer and laptop apps.
I did a rough back-of-the-envelope costing of all this and conservatively I believe the cost to be in the ballpark of the current education budget. Bear in mind that this an initial investment cost. The running and maintenance of the system will cost much less.
Arguably a good thing
The downside is that the teaching profession will be largely replaced. In South Africa that is arguably a good thing – fewer state employees, less absenteeism and union activity, and decent lessons.
The upside for South Africa would be truly enormous – skills, employment, productivity, consistently higher economic growth, personal growth and the dignity of everyone getting equal access to the absolute best education possible. Why not consider something like it?
[Image: Gabriele Malaspina on Unsplash]
The views of the writer are not necessarily the views of the Daily Friend or the IRR.
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