Tuesday, May 18, 2021

How the foundation of Sanatan Dharma was shaken by the invaders.


It’s said, “Opinions are like arseholes everyone has one.”

I go further and say that if you had to look at all the arseholes, they all look different and have a characteristic look with an individuality of their own. It is not necessary that the most beautiful woman will have the best-looking arsehole. Similarly, it’s not necessary to have the best opinions from a highly educated person. 

The objective of my opinion

I  want to stimulate the minds of the followers of ‘Sanatan Vaidik Hindu Dharma’ with a realization that in the last 15000 thousand years, Hinduism has existed with the trials and tribulations of time. The British and the Mogul invaders distorted the views of an average Indian by introducing a hatred for the Hindu scriptures. With my blogs and other writings, it is my sincere effort to make all Indians aware of our great religion.

First, let us understand Hinduism

  • Hinduism is a democratic ideology representing the science of the supreme entity or is an open-minded discipline. It is a discipline that does not use force on its follower. Hinduism is a class in itself in the compatibility of religions around the world. It has evolved with all living things on this planet over the last 12 thousand years.

  • Bhagavad Gita is a poem that describes Hinduism in a nutshell that is nearest to our era or Yuga. Chapter 11 of the Bhagavad Gita stimulates your audio-visual senses to understand the cosmic image of Krishna. Chapter 15, it stimulates your intellect to understand the conscious working of the Universe where Krishna is identified as consciousness; the supreme personality of God Head or Purna Purushottam or grand Self or Brahman in the domain of the cosmos and chapter 17 has a language of consciousness to interconnect. (A the unified field that carries a vibration classified as OM or the langue of the creator.)
  • Understand firstly what Dharma is. Dharma is one’s personal path in life with truth or righteousness, the fulfillment of which leads to the awakening of consciousness.
  • Fear - The word "fear" includes also such states of mind as insecurity, despair, and grief, all of which arise from a realization of oneself as limited and separate from others and which therefore can be dispelled only by realizing oneself as the all.

  • The five Yamas listed by Patañjali in Yogasūtra 2.30 are:

Ahiṃsā (अहिंसा): Nonviolence, non-harming other living beings.

Satya (सत्य): truthfulness, non-falsehood.

Asteya (अस्तेय): non-stealing.

Brahmacharya (ब्रह्मचर्य): chastity, marital fidelity, or sexual restraint.

Aparigraha (अपरिग्रहः): non-avarice, non-possessiveness.

At the beginning of Patanjali’s eight-fold path of yoga lays the Yamas: the moral, ethical, and societal guidelines for the practicing yogi. These guidelines are all expressed in the positive, and thus become emphatic descriptions of how a yogi behaves and relates to her world when truly immersed in the unitive state of yoga. While we may not strive to reach such a pure state ourselves, the Yamas are still highly relevant and valued guides to lead a conscious, honest and ethical life.

 

Patanjali considered the Yamas the great, mighty, and universal vows. He instructs us that they should be practiced on all levels (actions, words, and thoughts) and that are not confined to class, place, time, or concept of duty (YS 2.31).

 Ahimsā is about walking a non-violent path. Non-violence begins with a thought. If we learn to ignore the negative chatter of the mind, we are less likely to harm others with our words or actions. When negative thoughts and feelings arise, who does it hurt? You! Learn to ignore them by having the opposite thoughts and feelings. Ahimsa applies to your āsana practice, too. Avoid the competitive urge to muscle your way through each pose aggressively, pushing yourself to extremes, by meeting resistance with joy and equanimity. Be kind to yourself, take one step at a time, and enjoy the process of gradual transition.

My opinion of Gandhi refers to the excellent western ideology to produce bureaucrats to harvest the seeds they sowed to produce a slave nation. The British Raj only encouraged the economical loot from India by weakening the Hindu beliefs and destroying all the old Hindu systems This continued by having a puppet government of the Nehru dynasty claiming the Gandhian ideology with secularism as a lollypop to rule the millions of confused and enslaved Indians. If not, the British economy would have collapsed overnight because of its dependence on raw materials from India. Many years after the Indian independence the British still depended on Indian raw materials.

Of course, it’s not India but the British who with the fake media made Gandhi great and then the Indira Gandhi government. The British researchers realized that;

  • Hinduism encouraged intellectual people like God and so followed them with blind faith
  • Hindu faith is the strongest as it believes in Dharma and having the freedom of choice many other religions took advantage of it and especially the Europeans.
  • Introduced the Aryan theory and divided the people of India by the color of their skin and claimed that they were also of Aryan descent.
  • To empower a slave was to corrupt them and Gandhi was ideologically corrupt knowing that he was just seeking fame and so was Nehru who wanted to rule. This is when RSS eliminated Gandhi from the riddle.
  • Gandhi was a poor decision-maker and a poor manager and morally corrupt so the oppressors and the capitalist Imperialists took advantage of the situation.

The brilliant plan worked out for the British Raj with Gandhi as a scapegoat.

  • Give nonviolence a place in the minds of the Hindus in India and the blacks in Africa, so that they will not revolt against the oppressors. Only 2 people followed this ideology Martin Luther King Jr in America and Mandela in South Africa and it worked. Yet nonviolence has no place in Hinduism. Gandhi glorified this word with the help of the British media.

  •  Spread hatred for the black skin so that the white-skinned will be considered superior. This comes from the holy bible. All non-christens are slaves and a code of conduct is given in the Bible on how to deal with the slaves. Hindus never had hatred for black skin. Our acceptance comes from Bhagavan Shree Krishna, Again a British ideology to divide and rule on the color of the skin because nearly all dark-skinned people were not christened. It was in South Africa that Gandhi realized the isolation of the Black and white and decided to do something about it rather than fighting the root cause, the invasion of Africa by the Europeans.

       Gandhi also became a victim of the false Aryan theory developed by the British that gave the British the upper hand persuading many Indians that the Indian knowledge was inherited from the white race of Europe and that they were the superior race 

Some “white” Christians have used the Bible to convince themselves that owning slaves is okay and that slaves should obey their “earthly masters.” Regrettably and shamefully, “white” Christians have frequently taken verses of Scripture out of context to justify the most despicable acts. In some cases, it could be argued that these people were not really Christians; they were not really born again but were adhering to a form of Christianity for traditional or national reasons. Nevertheless, we have to concede that there are genuine “white” Christians who have believed the vilest calumnies about the nature of “black” people and have sought support for their disgraceful views from the pages of the Bible. https://answersingenesis.org/bible-questions/doesnt-the-bible-support-slavery/

Please read and educate yourself on the reality of world history.

The Bible identifies different categories of slaves including female Hebrew slaves, male Hebrew slaves, non-Hebrew and hereditary slaves. These were subject to different regulations. This allows me to say the all Christens followed the bible and ruthlessly attacked and destroyed all non-christen populations looting and taking women and children as slaves. The Europeans were and are bankrupt nations.

·         Install fear and hardship for non-christens to empower their wealth. Arjuna was a good example who did not want to fight because of fear. British used this ideology to install fear, divide and rule. The division of labor amongst the population of the Hindus suited the rulers to divide and rule the Indians.

Gandhi was quick to identify the division which was created by the Muslims and Christens and glorified it in the interest of the world. So I say, Gandhi, an opportunist, with the help of the British, was the creator of the caste system in India and the world.

Note; What is caste. ... The root of caste is the Latin castus, which means "chaste" or "pure, separated." The word arrived in English through the Portuguese casta, which means "race" or "lineage," and was first used in the 1700s in reference to Hinduism's system of social stratification.

In Hinduism, the Varna system in Dharma-shastras divides society into four varnas (Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishya and Shudras). Please it is not a caste system what the world sees it as.

·         The British lowered the Hindu religion to the lowest values to create hatred for its followers and it succeeded. First, they destroyed the education system of India (The west made our Swamis a bunch of stooges to spread a false ideology so that they can rule especially in the congress days. Makes me think that Gandhi was only a pawn, there was much more to come with the Congress government brainwashing all Indians to consider the white-skinned British to be the best in a secular democracy. The Aryan theory is a false theory created by the British to separate the Black and the white-skinned Indians. This has trickled into normal families like ours, where our way of the reason is polluted. Think around and see the hatred for the Hindu religion. This was done by speeding the Gandhian philosophy.)

·         The Mughal rule was beneficial to the Europeans as Islam has one leg in the Bible it is from the Quran. This allowed the British to break the backbone of Hinduism not knowing its deep-seated roots.

Christianity and Islam have different scriptures, with Christianity using the Bible and Islam using the Quran, however, Muslims believe that the Gospel was also sent by God. Both texts offer an account of the life and works of Jesus. Hence they are sympathizers of each other but not Hinduism.

  • ·         Most of the Swamis of Hinduism with the help of the ruling government, in their talks promoted, nonviolence, nonattachment, and desirelessness, and encouraged Christianity and Islam in the daily lives of the Hindus. This made the Hindus sit back in a comfort zone and enjoyed the slave rule of the day by celebrating the European or Christen festivals forgetting their Hindu roots. The Hindus of today are ashamed of their religion. Gandhi was one of them who wanted to compromise with other religions hence the followers still worshiped Gandhi to this very day. In that manner, the Hindus will always be a slave and the objectives of the west are achieved.


  •           When the British realized that Subhas Chandra Bose was about to execute his attack on them, they quickly made Gandhi the most famous freedom fighter and boosted his self-pride of Gandhi through the British media, and left hastily by promising the world to Nehru. Nonviolence was to be only practiced on the oppressors but created hatred for the Hindus and the Muslims with violence. Gandhi got carried away with the media limelight and gave in to the Muslims as desired by the British.


  • This has been repeated by the west with Martin Luther King Jr in America and Mandela in South Africa and it worked. The world media still gives this three the highest honor to avoid a revolt of the oppressed with violence.

Why have the whites of the west not practiced nonviolence?

  • ·         There are statues of Gandhi and Mandela around the world just to brainwash the people into believing that they were great freedom fighters and all should follow their ideology at the expense of the freedom which they do not have. Yes, nonviolence is only for the blacks and not for the whites. Nonviolence is now a cult. I say Gandhi and the media with fake news are responsible for this cult.

·         The world only sees Gandhi and Indian history from a perspective of either of a white or of an Upper Caste. That's how information has been spread around the world. The world has been fooled by these white people especially the cunning British who still have their wings spread in the colonized countries. The congress party lead by Indira Gandhi was instrumental in creating disrespect for the Hindus but was thrilled to be called the daughter of the great man. Many people in South Africa still considered Indira Gandhi as the daughter of the freedom fighter.

  •          During my studies in India, in one of the holidays, my maternal uncles just came from East Africa and I spent a week touring the surrounding area. I was very upset to know that during British rule, most of the entrances of the towns and villages had bars serving liquor. This was evidently mastered by the British. The average person was taken in and made an edict. In this way they spent most of their earnings on drinks, taking them deep into poverty. It was a perfect way to make slaves. The revenue collected in the sale went back to the rulers. The British Raj was only interested in taking the cotton away from this area leaving nothing but poverty. The most needed health care and education were never presented to the masses as the loot by the foreigners went on. It was after independence that there was a prohibition of liquor. Old habits die hard and the edicts ruined the families bringing total poverty. It was here the Indian history lessons paid dividends. Numerous invaders in a couple hundred years made a country of milk and honey into slavery and poverty. “Why?” Just for the sake of wealth which could be translated into money in a far-off land. The early form of barter did not provide transferability and divisibility and did not make trading efficient. The colonial rule made the medium of exchange money, to facilitate its popularity. It was prepared to believe that this would assure the people of peace and prosperity. Unfortunately, it was just an illusion. I realized, that by looting a wealthy nation the individual lost their well-being. Having seen the poorest of the poor and the ultra-rich, I was confused with mixed emotions. Having observed people, their attitudes, and lifestyles I came to one conclusion, “Education will improve one’s standard of living.”
  •     When the British left the country, the aim of the British Raj was achieved. The poor education system, destruction of all ancient knowledge and loot the wealth. The Mogul rule developed the slums of India, supported by the British to make slaves. The saddest fact is that the Mogul rulers with the aid of the sword destroyed ancient temples and looted the gold from their safes in the name of religion and not money. As a student of Indian history, I was astonished to note that India never attacked and captured another country or a nation in its existence of 8000 years. The biggest genocide was of the Indians and not of the Jews, nullifying the white man’s claim. British wrote the history books for India in its favor to show superiority and to humiliate the slaved Indians. Gandhi was the greatest opportunist and enjoyed the fame and false praises from the Europeans with a devastated country.
  •       When I returned to South Africa a similar pattern was observed having beer halls in the entrance of the locations where the black people lived. The education system for the blacks was to create slaves and edicts. Insulting names were given to Indians and black South Africans, like Kaffir and Coolie to disrespect their dignity and the world did nothing about it.

Note the British brought in these names from their colonies. 1790, from Arabic kafir "unbeliever, infidel, impious wretch," with a literal sense of "one who does not admit the blessings of God," from kafara "to cover up, conceal, deny, blot out." Technically, "non-Muslim," but in Ottoman times it came to be used almost exclusively for "Christian." Early English missionaries used it as an equivalent of "heathen" to refer to Bantus in South Africa (1792), from which use it came generally to mean "South African black" regardless of ethnicity, and to be a term of abuse since at least 1934.

Coolie; both meanings of “unskilled Asian laborer” are found almost exclusively in historical contexts, suggesting imperialistic exploitation of these workers. But coolie is still current as an insulting term used to refer to a person of Asian descent, especially in South Africa. In India an unskilled labourer or porter hired for low or subsistence wages mostly on train stations are still a common site.


  •          It is only after the Modi government the true history of India’s Independence is brought to the limelight. The question was which phase of our freedom struggle won us Independence? Mahatma Gandhi’s 1942 Quit India movement The INA army launched by Netaji Bose to free India or the Royal Indian Navy Mutiny of 1946? According to the British Prime Minister Clement Attlee, during whose regime India became free, it was the INA and the RIN Mutiny of February 18-23 1946 that made the British realize that their time was up in India.
  •       The Quit India Movement of Gandhi practically died out long before 1947 and there was nothing in the Indian situation at that time, which made it necessary for the British to leave India in a hurry.
  •       The RIN Mutiny was treated as a crisis of the empire by an alarmed British cabinet and Attlee Clement ordered the Royal Navy to put down the revolt.
  •       Mahatma Gandhi criticized the strikers for mutinying without the call of a ‘prepared revolutionary party’ and without the ‘guidance and intervention’ of ‘political leaders of their choice’. This is what the British liked and made him a hero by the theory of nonviolence.

Personal note; Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was a mentor and a hero of my illiterate father. I grew up with many of his teachings and values that inspired our family growing up with the foundation of Sanatan Dharma. Having learned the history of India and as a student of the Bhagavad Gita, my matured mind reasoned some obstacles to Gandhi’s policy of non-violence.

The Hindus were and are great warriors and they always believed in violence to solve a problem when all other means failed. The great Mahabharata war is a notable example of the truth-seeking Hindu. The British studied the violent past of India and feared their destruction, found a pawn in the chess game named Gandhi to be used for their own prosperity and it worked out by installing a Muslim sympathizer Nehru government. The so-called secular government in 74 years made the Hindus of this great nation confused idiot.

Knowing the history of South Africa I admired the fighting spirit of the Zulus and compared it with the warrior tribes (Kshatriyas) of India. Yet again they were destroyed and are lost in the pleasures of the western world.

 



Sunday, February 23, 2020

Read, write and comprehend with skill — the first step to learning.

My FREE SA
Jayram Daya
My Front for Radical Educational Empowerment of South Africans



Read, write and comprehend with skill — the first step to learning. The skills to read with comprehension, write with artistic talent and find out at all times what did they understand is the very first step a child's training in the early years. The parents are the first to introduce these skills and then the preschool and primary years.






             What does the Government need to do for awareness? I would like to see commercial advertisements on TV, Radio, and Posters that incorporate the value of teaching skills from home to school, the most important Reading, witting, understanding, keeping cleanliness and obedience to law and order.
              What parents need to do? Spend quality time with the children by reading and writing with them, inspiring a sense of responsibility of cleanliness, respect for adults, environmental sustainability, law and order and so on.
              What do the learners need to know to be good students? , to develop habits and routines with good values, To be proud of the family, culture and the country. Appreciating that learning is an ongoing process that will never end from the cradle to the grave. Read and write at all times.
              What do the grandparents need to do? Inspire the values that create wealth and hard work for the country and the community. Teach grandchildren gardening, arts like cooking, knitting, and good housekeeping.
              What the political parties and ministers need to show? ANC needs to reply to this question for the upcoming generations of South Africa, having the opportunity to the desition making, in the welfare of South Africa for the 25 years that have gone by
              What the media need to do?  Join the front for the  Radical Educational Empowerment of South Africans and inspire the citizens of South Africa with motivating articles on education and skills development. I would welcome any of the news media to take over my blog. FREE of charge.
Note 39; To support this front please read the articles written to follow, interesting how close we are to reality.
  1.     78% of Grade 4 learners can’t read, but the government wants to teach them coding Staff Writer18 February 2020https: and
  2.  It will soon be compulsory for South African kids to start school at an earlier age – new laws to be tabled this year
Note 40; when the parents and politics are hindering the progress of a child then new laws are to be enforced and I am sure that the law will give punishment to those in default. All must be aware of this law before having a child.



78% of Grade 4 learners can’t read, but the government wants to teach them coding




With 78% of Grade 4 learners not being able to read with meaning, the government should use its resources on improving literacy levels instead of spending money on coding and robotics.
This is the view of Nic Spaull, a senior researcher in the Economics Department at Stellenbosch University.
President Cyril Ramaphosa said in his recent state of the nation address that coding and robotics will be introduced in Grades R to 3 in 200 schools this year.
The Grade R to Grade 3 coding and robotics curriculum has been developed, and the design of the Grade 4 to 9 curriculum is at an advanced stage.
“We will be piloting this curriculum from January 2020 in Grade R to 3 and in Grade 7,” Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga said.
The rollout of the coding and robotics teaching in all schools is expected to happen by 2022, Ramaphosa said.

First reading, then coding

While the plan to introduce coding and robotics in the curriculum was widely welcomed, not everyone thinks it is a good idea.
Speaking to SAFM’s Cathy Mohlahlana, Spaull said it will not be a worthwhile intervention. In fact, he said, it is a mistake.
“I was disappointed that the President did not stick with his focus on early-grade reading,” Spaull said.
He said the previous focus was to ensure that all children would be able to read with meaning by the age of 10.
This initiative was widely accepted as the best way forward, but coding and robotics are now taking centre stage.
“I think it is a publicity stunt, trying to say that South Africa is ready for the fourth industrial revolution and that we are doing big things which sound sexy,” he said.
The reality, he said, is that we have 78% of Grade 4 learners who can’t read.
He added that you cannot teach a child to code when they can’t read and do basic Mathematics.
“When we focus on coding and robotics it means that we take away time and resources from reading and Mathematics,” he said.

No capacity to implement both

While many people believe that schools can teach coding and improve reading at the same time, Spaull said research shows that there is no capacity to achieve both goals.
“The capacity which the government has to implement new programmes means they can only do a small number of things well,” he said.
“If you ask them to do 10 or 20 things well, they are not able to do it.”
If, however, the government’s resources are only focused on early reading, early Mathematics and teacher development, the results will be much better.
“The problem is that we keep piling on these nice-to-haves, but it is a mistake to think we can do a lot of things well.”



Note 40; It will soon be compulsory for South African kids to start school at an earlier age – new laws to be tabled this year


Basic Education minister Angie Motshekga says the department will table a bill this year that will make two schooling years before Grade 1 compulsory.
The minister said this when she participated in a debate on the State of the Nation Address (SONA) in the National Assembly on Tuesday.
President Cyril Ramaphosa said when tabling SONA that the investment the country makes now in Early Childhood Development (ECD) and early school learning will yield great economic benefits in the next two decades and beyond.
“We are in the process of declaring the two years prior to Grade 1 compulsory. The Basic Education Amendment Bill, which pronounces on this, will be tabled in Parliament this year,” she said.
Motshekga said the Ministries of Social Development and Basic Education are at an advanced stage in moving the Early Childhood Development function from the Department of Social Development to the Department of Basic Education, with transitional arrangements already determined.
Under the guidance of the Office of the Chief State Law Advisors, two main proclamations have been drafted. One is a national proclamation to be signed by the President, and the other is a provincial proclamation to be signed by Premiers from each province.
“We are in the process of finalising the National Framework for ECD, which we will release for broad consultations early in the 2020/21 financial year.
“Guided by the Government Technical Advisory Centre (GTAC), we are determining the financial and human resource implications of an integrated ECD programme at local, provincial and national levels.
“We are in the process of conducting a readiness assessment of the DBE [Department of Basic Education] readiness to receive and effectively deliver the ECD function,” said Motshekga.
Skilling learners for the future
The Minister said, meanwhile, that the department was making progress in preparing young people for the Fourth Industrial Revolution and to ensure that they are equipped with skills for future jobs.
This comes against the backdrop of a report from the World Economic Forum, which stated that an estimated 60% of the current jobs will disappear in the next 10 years and that new skills will be required to function effectively in the future.
“It is for this reason that we need to ensure that every South African child is equipped with skills, knowledge and competencies required to function effectively in a changing world, during the era of the 4th Industrial Revolution and beyond.
“The department has completed the development of the Coding and Robotics Curriculum for Grades R – 9 with the assistance of experts comprising university lecturers, labour, industry experts, our partners in civil society, and education experts within the sector.
“This exciting curriculum will equip learners with digital skills required for future jobs, and to function effectively in a changing world, and will teach every South African child about artificial intelligence, virtual reality, 3D printing and advanced manufacturing,” said Motshekga.
She said the Coding and Robotics Curriculum is being piloted in Grades R – 3.
“Our plan is to fully implement this curriculum in all Foundation Phase schools by 2022.”

Why SA colleges urgently need curriculum reform


SA needs to improve colleges’ funding and infrastructure to make them the first choice for vocational skills training, writes Stanley Ncobela
Now that registrations for the new academic year are done, the institutions of higher learning continue to face growing challenges – from the shortage of on campus student accommodation to scrambling to keep up with the large number of applications.
Some hopefuls’ dreams were shattered because of limited spaces or they didn’t meet the admission requirements.
The most catastrophic challenge in higher education has been the wave of student protests that have swept across universities.
These protests, coupled with the criminal vandalism of university and public properties and the disruption of academic activities, require capable government and effective campus management.
Dealing proactively with the challenges confronting students and adopting comprehensive approaches to violence is the only way to go.
While we continue to witness the chaos and ghastly mayhem that put the higher education sector at a precarious crossroads, we must also acknowledge the challenges faced by the technical and vocational education and training (TVET) colleges.
We should try to understand how the college landscape in this country is recapitalised and restructured to improve its image with programmes and a qualifications mix that meet the needs of the job market.
Perhaps, we need to think deeply about how the colleges’ curriculums should respond to the job market needs and what measures should be put in place to mitigate barriers on the curriculum responsiveness to the increasingly competitive labour market.
Five years after the publication of the department of higher education and training’s White Paper for Post-School Education and Training, there is little tangible progress to review and rationalise the entire scope of vocational training programmes and qualifications.
That there have been problems of implementation is clear, but the reasons for this deserve closer examination.
THOUGH ACCESS TO THE TVET PROGRAMMES IS RELATIVELY AFFORDABLE, WITH LOWER FEES AND OTHER CHARGES BECAUSE OF THE CONCESSIONS AND EXEMPTIONS FOR LOW INCOME GROUPS, THESE COLLEGES ARE STILL PERCEIVED AS INSTITUTIONS OF LAST RESORT.
The slow and uncertain pace of policy implementation points to a more fundamental problem of the cumulative deficits of years of under-investment and a failure to commit the financial resources needed to deliver on the promises of the white paper.
There is consensus that, to effectively achieve strategic policy objectives of the white paper on the TVET colleges sector, government needs to rethink many of its current approaches on the delivery of vocational and occupational skills.
This is crucial in order for us to respond to the large numbers of unemployed youths, particularly those who fall in the “neither in the labour force nor in the education or training” category and to the sluggish economic growth and development.
The gaps between colleges and universities are substantially higher in terms of quality of provision, investment and funding.
These widening gaps are a clear sign that the college terrain is still lagging in many respects as it faces crippling budget shortfalls.
It also appears to predominantly operate in a separate system within the broad higher education sector.
The TVET college sector was not yet developed along as clear a path as the university sector has.
Understanding of the best vocational structure has shifted over time and all attempts to ensure sufficient artisans and technically trained students with modern and high-tech academic mainstream programmes are moving at a snail’s pace.
Most matriculants who jostled in snaking queues in a desperate attempt to access quality higher education and training, still view the TVET colleges as a less prestigious career option compared to a university education.
This is one of the reasons South Africa has very few people with vocational skills compared with other developing countries.
Though access to the TVET programmes is relatively affordable, with lower fees and other charges because of the concessions and exemptions for low income groups, these colleges are still perceived as institutions of last resort.
The wide range of academic programmes and the qualifications mix that are poorly articulated – some of which have already fallen far short of quality measures – are not necessarily matched with standards of provision, hampering student mobility.
This leads to high levels of inefficiency.
With the emergence of a new skills revolution, the structures and arrangements needed will require sustained investment on work-oriented programmes that meet industry standards and effective policy implementation in the TVET colleges.
This will necessitate more realistic views on appropriate professional lecturer training programmes to improve the quality of throughput rates, teaching and learning.
An efficient and appropriate salary structure for the TVET lecturers should be considered as well as the strengthening of governance and management in the college system.
Injecting more investment will elevate physical and technological infrastructure while plugging the funding gaps.
This will demonstrate our unwavering commitments to the long-term growth and expansion of the college sector.
The TVET colleges and government will need to engage with employers, not only to build pragmatic relationships, but also to intensify true participation as key stakeholders in the quest to bring the new kinds of vocational and occupational programmes required by economy.
We need instructional programmes to replace the National Accredited Technical Education diploma (Nated) subject offerings as they are no longer relevant.
We also need to ensure that training levies are effectively utilised.
This will help us develop a vibrant, responsible and responsive public TVET college sector to meet current and future skills needs.
Widening participation and the expansion of the colleges sector will need to be underpinned by economies of scale and a sustainable drive for quality and efficiency.
Developing a college landscape to become globally competitive may not be an easy task.
It requires the involvement of experts, government and all key stakeholders.
Industries should also be included to ensure quality, credibility and relevance of offerings, standards of provision and outcomes.
To build strong, inclusive and responsive TVET colleges as institutions of choice, new ways need to be formulated with the department of higher education for:
  • Increasing the pass rate from 40% to at least 50% while also transfiguring the entire national certificate (vocational) courses and Nated programme with more adequate, effective and new-fangled kinds of pre- and post-matric courses;
  • Developing appropriate pedagogy that would academically and occupationally smooth the pathways into world of work;
  • Providing a national diploma prior to or without seeking the 18-month in-service training as currently required. Doing so would make life much easier for students to join the labour force;
  • Developing post-matric qualifications to have at least 360 credits, which would automatically take three years of full-time study. I think such a move would improve the status of the TVET colleges and also provide students with a pathway for furthering their postgraduate studies;
  • Dismantling academic barriers and barricades of college exit routes, whether to higher learning or the workforce; and
  • Developing vocational qualifications that give general eligibility for polytechnic and higher education studies.
This is long overdue.
Note; I may have used copyright images and articles without prior permission. If required I will give credit to the one that needs its copyright rules to be obeyed on the identified items. If not I thankyou