Abstract
D.Ed. (Media Science)
"If there is one master lesson we have learnt from experience, it is that
When you have big problems and little time and·money to solve them,
something has to be done first and done properly" (Hawes, 1979:18).
It is historically significant to note that in South Africa the primary
schooling of black South Africans has neither been done "first", in the
sense of it having a clear priority, nor has it been done "properly" in
terms of delivery, access, relevance and quality. Ironically, it has
taken a long period for there to be any recognition that within the
schooling system primary education is the foundation on which everything
else rests; or that at least a primary school education is a human right
which is fundamental to the future lives of pupils.
This history of neglect, inferiority and inequality of basic resources has
cost South Africa dearly, not only in human terms in the frustrations and
wastage of young lives and in adding to the heritage of bitterness, but
also in straightforward economic terms. Only in comparatively recent
years has even the rhetoric of this stage of educational development begun
to accept such concepts as the right of all children to education, of
compulsory education, and of equality of access and equal learning
opportunities, including equal standards of education.
If one thing is true in South Africa today, it is that, a land of new
opportunities is being forged on the anvil of social change - and that the
change process is creating an urgent need for a different level of skills,
for a new breed of person whose training allows an enlightened approach to
the issues of the day. The future will continue to demand an education
system which prepares young people to understand themselves and human
interaction. Primary school education should prepare pupils to make the
most of such opportunities by securing a place in the future dispensation.
South Africa is a Third World country as far as most of its educational
technology, especially in the field of computers, is concerned. Computers
could increase the educational level of all pupils, especially in mathematics
and languages...