The perennial power disruptions euphemistically referred to as load-shedding, are a threat to SA’s prospects for socio-economic recovery which warrants a speedy and sustainable solution to the country’s electricity crisis.
Load-shedding impacts negatively on the education sector among other sectors and may leave a permanent dent on the country’s education progress. The reliable supply of electricity is at the heart of the country navigating its way through the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR). The drive towards the digital era is severely derailed by the intermittent power interruptions occasioned by Eskom’s inadequate power generation capacity. With the Covid-19 pandemic also exerting a crippling impact on education, the need for digital learning has become more pronounced.
Internet connectivity has become a necessity and not a luxury to enable learners to participate in digitally enabled blended learning and distance learning. This reality has disadvantaged learners from poor households with no internet access and will thus heighten the education disparities between learners from different socio-economic backgrounds.
The success rates of learners will be negatively impacted by such a scenario. The writing of exams is also severely affected by power outages. This is because subjects such as Computer Applications Technology (CAT) and Information Technology (IT) require power to be written. Earlier this year, the department of education announced the introduction of two new subjects to the curriculum in the form of coding and robotics, aimed at guiding and preparing learners to solve problems, think critically, work collaboratively and creatively, and function in a digital and information-driven world. It is a fact that modern education depends on power and the power crisis will hamper SA’s progress in terms of technology in education.
In lamenting this deplorable state of affairs, Dr Felicity Coughlan, director of The Independent Institute of Education, avers that, “To the extent that the power crisis impacts teaching and learning every day, and to the extent that it limits our ability to fully engage in digitally enabled educational development, the electricity supply is having an impact on the educational advancement of South Africans.”
The long-term impact of this situation will be more severe for those learners who are from poor backgrounds and will entrench socio-economic inequalities between learners. The struggle towards the elimination of poverty will also be thwarted. For its part, the DBE has seemingly capitulated to the anomalous reality if the words of spokesperson, Elijah Mhlanga, are anything to go by.
“Eskom has explained to us the same thing they have explained to the members of the public. There is nothing more we can do. For the past 10 years, we have been communicating with Eskom. We always have them as part of the preparation stakeholder grouping to talk about the impact of load-shedding on our pupils,” he stated with reference to matric exams preparations.
In a nutshell, the problems of Eskom can be traced to its mismanagement, corruption and incompetence by successive ANC cadres, particularly during the ruinous tenure of Jacob Zuma. It was through the wanton looting to the benefit of the Guptas which led to the non-completion of power stations Kusile and Medupi, that Eskom found itself in its current untenable state.
According to political and economic analyst, JP Landman, it is not only about the looting and stealing, “Eskom can no longer cover its cost of capital and is heavily reliant on state subsidies of R23bn per year for the next ten years. Even if every cent at Eskom is spent wisely and prudently, it cannot escape the utility’s death spiral.”
It is for this reason that some analysts have called for a national state of disaster be declared for the Eskom crisis so that it can receive the same meticulous attention afforded the Covid-19 pandemic with regular updates and the works.
For learners studying for their exams, candles become a lifeline, thanks to the excesses of the ANC, which was recently christened by DA leader, John Steenhuisen as "Another Night with Candles". In a chapter on state capture, from the book, On the Brink, Financial Mail editor Rob Rose makes the observation that, “Eskom’s inefficiencies and cost overruns brought load-shedding, excessive tariff hikes and supply constraints, which have significantly retarded growth and investment. There are few worse things the country could have done to damage its own economic potential than failing to prevent a shortage of electricity.”
To equip South African learners with skills to contribute meaningfully and successfully in a rapidly changing society, a sustainable solution to the Eskom impasse should be found. This should call for a multi-sectoral approach comprising the government, Eskom, community structures and business to chart a way forward out of the current morass.
The renewal of the much-needed culture of payment, the repayment of Eskom’s astronomical debt and the opening up of the energy space to allow more independent power producers to get in on the act, should be some issues the forum should be seized with. For the renewal of the culture of payment, realistic and affordable tariffs that would be sufficiently acceptable to all parties would have to be negotiated.
This would go a long way towards averting a catastrophe that could plunge our country into literal and figurative darkness with our children deprived of the opportunity to participate in the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
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