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THERE GOES MY ROSY IDEA OF AN ‘EDUCATED PERSON’

By Macford Sibandze - Guest Writer | 2021-04-14

How things change!

Who would have thought that there shall come a time, in our life time, where we would have thousand teachers and nurses rotting at home? I mean qualified, employable, (teachers/nurses) with diplomas and degrees, sitting at home because they cannot be absorbed through employment.

Currently, that’s the obtaining situation, if you may ask me. It is sad! So sad indeed! Gone are the days when teaching and nursing were career abundant courses where you were 100 per cent sure that on completion of a certificate, diploma or degree, posts would be literally calling for you.

Once upon a time, graduates were spoiled for choice in these professions.

The two, teaching and nursing, were prestigious professions highly respected in the community.

A proud parent would boast in the market place, church or community meetings that umtfwanakhe lucucudvu lwathishela or simomondiya semhlengikazi! (Nurses were associated with beauty-and vele bekutitjifiri looking fab in their uniforms - one would not mind being sick).

PARENTS

Parents would encourage their children kutsi batsatse (marry) bo thishela nabo nesi! Because they were assured of a better life with a salary every month. Whether it was meagre or adequate, was not a point of discussion.

It didn’t matter at all...all that mattered was that these professions would be a game changer for the family! Oh My God! Do I sound 80s, 90s, because this is a fairy tale today which sounds like the gimmick of Harry Porter! To the 2000s - those born in 2000s upwards ngatsi ngiteka inganekwane - a fictional story with fictional characters.

It is like this world never - ever - existed at all! I remember in 2017, 2018, 2019, when I was doing motivational talks to high schools around the country, I would ask learners what would be their intended professions on completion of higher learning.

Truly, truly I say to you, none of them chose teaching.

At least a certain fraction vouched for nursing.

But not a single one out of 20 schools I went to - rural or urban - chose teaching! Guess what, I conducted the lessons in front of their teachers. But the learners were brave enough to voice out their opinion on the profession their mentors chose.

Iyabon’ingane kwasho Vusi Ximba in one of his songs. Some learners got an opportunity to spite their teachers.

In one rural area known for the dagga industry, learners were heard saying kuncono kuyolima, my brother angabaholela bonkhe labothishela kuphindze kusale neshintji! Yaa! I later leant that most teachers were getting loans from students whose family were loaded through kulima...you get me mosi!

If children, young as they are, bravely and publicly give this once noble profession a red card it’s a cause for concern! I would not leave it hanging and I asked them why they were giving this profession a vote of no confidence. With energy and youthful zeal they screamed,”Kute imali, kute umsebenti, bahleti ekhaya with their certificates, etc. I am saying it for the last time iyabon’ingane.

As a sitting (or standing-whatever) Mp, daily I am confronted with issues of teachers who completed, in as long time as 2018, but still jobless.

They are so depressed and in despair - some even hustle for odd jobs to make ends meet.

They have become cleaners, baby sitters, maids, hairdressers, etc.

Eish! Ngisho tifundziswa mine who did Sociology. Inyanisi! Many have become pawns to fetish and bogus pastors/prophets who lure them with empty spiritual victories. I have heard of a farting prophet (Umsutelangubo - ignore my pun) from Limpompo whom ‘God’ (kuyadlalwa) had instructed to fart (asutele) in people’s mouth to give them riches! Eish 21 century, the most stupid century in history. Shame on you!

DESPERADO

With frustrations of being jobless in the teaching profession, I won’t be shocked when these educated people who did the psychological theories of BK Skinner queue for this madness.

They are desperate and in DESPERADO you can do the unthinkable! Batsi loluhlanya (farting prophet) is coming to Eswatini next month. Watch the space as the gullible lazy Christians fork out their hard earned money for miracles.

Shockingly, even Jesus was a carpenter; he didn’t pray for furniture, he made it with his hands. But this generation of Christians would pray for trees/woods to be turned into chairs, sofas, desks, etc. Futsi! I heard that one businessman (pastor in 21st century language) charges E500 a day to ‘bless’ you. His target is 100 people a day which totals up to E50 000 a day. Oh I love this man bekunene! Of course like I love an undiluted concoction of Gin.

Naturally, I love innovation but hhayi kabi this is fraud unless the results have a time line and are tangible.

For example, if I need a job for teaching, I pay E500 and get employed the following day. Uma kungenteki ngiyayilandza yami imali with interest of course.

That should be the deal with deal changers and deal breakers - deliverables! But ke ngubani longabasola labantfu because desperate times call for desperate measures. Eish, others are playing the waiting game and hope against hope, hoping that by some magic and miracle, their names shall be called from the register of the masters if you know what I mean.

Now I digress and who can blame me as I am member of the 21st century, the most confused century in history, so ordinarily the fruit cannot differ from the tree.

PLAN

On a serious note, is it a question of planning that we produce more than we can consume. If these posts are no longer in demand why the supply? But as far I am concerned and that’s a layman point of view, there shall never be a time in history when teachers and nurses are not in demand. All thats needs to be done is to produce according to the number that will be needed. Children are born and they need schools. We are sick and we need nurses. But there should be proper planning and that’s a layman talking.

CRITICAL SKILL ASSESSMENT

On a bigger scale of things we need to have a critical skill assessment committee to look at the relevance of courses on offer. We have to look on how they, can be absorbed and their marketability.

For 30 years now, we have been singing a nice piano song of vocational skills but it’s like the song has lost its chords. For instance, do we support our vocational institutions as we are supposed to? Really, can VOCTIM take a mirror and look at itself proudly in the face and say this is what I came to do all the way from German? Is it impressed on its reflection?

Was it intended for what it currently offers or the train was derailed along the way from Frankfurt to Bremersdorp? I digress again. Like I said don’t blame it on me, blame it on the 21st century, the generation of miracles. I am lazy to think, lazy to work and lazy to offer my opinion.

I attend spiritual services seven times a week. I don’t plan my life and future. I am waiting for a farting prophet from Limpompo to bless me using a butty gaseous storm. I digress again!

But hey please hire these teachers and nurses! If educated people roam the streets like loafers what shall we say to the children about education? I hope I don’t digress this time around! IYABON’INGANE!

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