Teachers must go back to school for 4IR, says Ramaphosa

Ramaphosa delivered the keynote address at the annual basic education sector lekgotla in Kempton Park on Thursday.

Experts and key players in education gathered to address key challenges facing the sector.

Joined by the minister of Basic Education Angie Motshekga, Ramaphosa told delegates that teachers would have to go back to school to learn the new skills needed for developing the sector.

"All teachers need to go back to school to be taught the latest, how to teach reading methodologies. We must train our teachers thoroughly.

"The underlying driver of all these industrial revolutions was and remains education. Education is at the core of what enabled all these industrial revolutions to lead to the development of humankind."

Meanwhile, Ramaphosa also reiterated the need for government prioritise numeracy and literacy skills, particularly in the foundation schooling phase.

"We need to encourage South Africans to take on reading in a much more vigorous way. That is because the first real process in reading has to start with the teacher, the teacher is the one who must be encouraging the reading process."

The president applauded the department and sector for their historic 81.3% matric pass rate achievement, adding that it shows how much the education sector has improved.

"The impressive 2019 matric rate pass is in line with the recent local and international studies that indicate that our system of basic education is indeed on the rise.

He added: "If you look at the progress we are making on an ongoing basis and we compare with what is happening in other countries, we can definitely say that 'indeed South Africa is on the rise and we must rise with it and not pull it down'."

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