15 minute read
EDUCATION
EARLY FOUNDATIONS
ANÉL LEWIS reports on how investment into early childhood development offers high returns for all involved
FAST FACT
More than 1.1 million children between the ages of three and fi ve do not attend any form of ECD programme.
Source: South African Early Childhood Development Review (2019)
Most of the cognitive development a child needs to become an adult who can contribute meaningfully to the economy occurs during the fi rst fi ve years. Yet, in South Africa, the Read Educational Trust estimates that fewer than 20 per cent of children in this age group have access to formal preschool education.
Education and socioeconomic development (SED) consultant Thandile Ntshwanti explains that children are creative by nature and fi nd ways to play even if they’re living in communities where resources are scarce. “But just because children can make Paul Miller a plan is no justifi cation for us not investing in meaningful resources for early childhood development (ECD) centres,” she explains. “We reportedly develop 85 per cent of our brains by the time we turn fi ve, with the brain developing at its fastest from birth to two. This tells me how critical it is to expose children to what they need to stimulate that level of growth.”
Yet StatsSA says that close to 3.4 million South African children under the age of six have no access to any form of ECD programmes, and many who do, attend unregistered centres with poor resources and facilities. “The chasm between the vulnerable versus the affl uent in our country will be exacerbated if (these) key factors aren’t addressed by government, the private sector, education institutions and society,” says Silas Pillay, director of academics at The Love Trust. Pillay adds that students with preschool experience in most cases demonstrate higher scores on literacy, vocabulary, mathematics or quantitative.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Paul Miller, CEO of Cipla South Africa, says that an emphasis on children from a young age can lead to years of opportunity and growth for the economy as well. Research by Professor James Heckmann, an American expert in the economics of human development, suggests that compared with spending on primary or secondary education, ECD investment in disadvantaged communities offers the highest return for a country – estimated at 10 per cent annually – through better outcomes in education, health, sociability, economic productivity and reduced crime. This is supported by a discussion document on early childhood development in South Africa by nonprofi t organisations Ilifa Labantwana and Kago Ya Bana, where it’s noted that for every rand invested in quality ECD, the economy gets at least R10 back.
IMPROVED PRODUCTIVITY
ECD also helps create productive citizens, says Taylor Kwong, CSI and marketing manager for Vuma. “Laying this groundwork improves children’s ability to enter school ready to learn, stay in school longer, reduce grade repetition and empower them to achieve education levels that set them up for success.” Vuma is the connectivity partner and sponsor for L.U.C.C.A. School, a special needs school for children with multiple disabilities. “Intervention at primary school level is usually too late; this could be one of the leading factors for the country’s high drop-out levels,” says Miller.
Taylor Kwong
FORMALISING EARLY CHILDHOOD LEARNING
While corporates are keen to support registered or formal early childhood development programmes, the real need lies in communities where ECD opportunities are almost nonexistent, or where creches and playgroups are run by people not versed in early childhood education, says Ntshwanti. “The majority
“WE REPORTEDLY DEVELOP 85 PER CENT OF OUR BRAINS BY THE TIME WE TURN FIVE, WITH THE BRAIN DEVELOPING AT ITS FASTEST FROM BIRTH TO TWO.” – Thandile Ntshwanti
DID YOU KNOW?
At least two-thirds of ECD programmes in South Africa are not registered
Source: SmartStart
of spaces that support our children are not registered the way we want them to be. This is where we often fi nd shortcomings, and is where we need support from the corporate sector,” says Ntshwanti.
PROVIDING THE TOOLS
Public-private interventions provide fi nance and infrastructure so that these facilities can be run as sustainable businesses that contribute to the development of children, says Miller. The Cipla Foundation helps ECDs to become sustainable by providing centres in underdeveloped communities with infrastructure and teacher support. “These are not just simply spaces where children are kept for the day, they also offer the mental stimulation, daily nutrition, responsive care, safety and the security children need to thrive in the fi rst 1 000 days of their lives.”
THE SHIFT TO ECD SUPPORT
“With a network of organisations committed to holistic education and care of preprimary children – including nutrition, psychosocial and remedial support – we believe we can reduce poverty and social inequality,” says Pillay. Ntshwanti says corporate South Africa has become more cognisant of the value of ECD, broadening its support beyond Grade 12, maths and science. “Ultimately, we will have a country that is self-sustaining because we are pulling from all angles – government, universities, NGOS and corporates.”
HUMAN RIGHTS
IS A MORAL IMPERATIVE
Human rights, and especially social justice, are fundamental to Cummins Inc. the world’s largest independent diesel and natural gas engine maker. THIERRY PIMI, VICE PRESIDENT and MANAGING DIRECTOR, and SBU GULE, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR and ASSISTANT GENERAL COUNSEL, Cummins Africa Middle East, share what, in many ways, makes Cummins stand out in the field when it comes to human rights issues
Often in the past, Cummins has forgone business opportunities in certain countries if those were not aligned to the company’s values.
“During the days of apartheid, South Africa was one of the most advanced economies in the world, but our company chose to exit this market in protest against the brutal regime and practice of apartheid. We only came back to South Africa in the late 1990s, when the country had achieved freedom. And, then we started ramping up investment in the country,” says Thierry Pimi.
“Today, we have no less than 700 employees in South Africa, which is our African head office and our gateway to the rest of the continent.”
The company has nearly 60 000 employees throughout the world, but adds that “In our own home in America, in the 50s and the 60s, when Black were not considered full citizens and did not have voting rights, Cummins in the Midwest had already developed management training programmes to integrate Black graduates and prepare them for leadership roles in the company.
“One of our legendary CEOs helped to raise funds, through the network of churches that he belonged to, for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. who organised the 1963 March on Washington.
“More recently, after the George Floyd killing in America in 2020, our current leadership created what we call the CARE Programme, Cummins Advocacy for Racial Equity. We are investing to advocate for legislation and for communities across America to have more equitable justice, and for less police violence against Black people.
Thierry Pimi
“Also, two of our five core values speak to this social justice: they are the values of caring, and of diversity and inclusion.”
COMMITTED TO THE upliftment of the disadvantaged
Sbu Gule adds that part of his responsibility in the company is corporate social responsibility and there are many things that the company is doing to help advance underprivileged communities.
For instance, we empower women and intentionally employ female talent, but we also focus on education. As we speak, I am in KwaZulu-Natal where I am visiting Ohlange High School, which happens to be my alma mater, and was the first school founded by a Black person in South Africa in 1901. That person was John L Dube, the first president of the ANC. We are assessing how we can improve the conditions for learners because the school has many disadvantaged learners.”
Pimi adds that education is important, not only for leading people out of poverty, but “we also believe that there is a vast need in a lot of communities across Africa, especially the disadvantaged communities where we could do better.
“About three years ago, we launched our Technical Education for Communities (TEC) programme in South Africa. This is a programme that Cummins runs in partnership with Komatsu, a company we do business with in South Africa. We jointly fund the programme, we design the curriculum in partnership with one of the vocational colleges, and we make sure that when the students graduate, they are ready for the job market.
“We designed a curriculum that equips them over the three-to-four-year programme with market-ready skills, and we provide funding for this,” explains Pimi.
“We also have an apprentice programme that consists of four years of intensive in-house training. We select candidates for this programme from the students who graduate from the existing colleges. These students graduate as Cummins certified technicians.
THE ENVIRONMENT IS ONE OF THE THREE CORE PILLARS OF CUMMINS’ CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY STRATEGY. THESE PILLARS ARE EDUCATION, ENVIRONMENT AND EQUALITY OF OPPORTUNITY.
CUMMINS MISSION, VISION AND VALUES
Why We Exist: Our Mission Making people’s lives better by powering a more prosperous world.
What We Want To Accomplish: Our Vision Innovating for our customers to power their success.
How We Will Do It: Our Values INTEGRITY: Doing what you say you will do and doing what is right. DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION: Valuing and including our differences in decision-making is our competitive advantage. CARING: Demonstrating awareness and consideration for the wellbeing of others. EXCELLENCE: Always delivering superior results. TEAMWORK: Collaborating across teams, functions, businesses and borders to deliver the best work.
“Finally, we have a programme for physically challenged individuals because of our core value of diversity and inclusion. We believe that your physical disability should not keep you on the sidelines of society. We hire people with disabilities and create programmes to help them. We create roles that help give them the dignity of working and providing for their families.”
TOP-DOWN LEADERSHIP CULTURE
Gule adds that, internally, Cummins has several programmes, including ones in leadership. “We have had programmes in building success and global leadership, which are meant to help our people get training in several facets of leadership so that they can be ready to move on to another level. We take the training of our people very seriously.”
Pimi believes that inculcating a culture of respect and equality starts with leadership. “Leadership is a privilege and comes with responsibility. It is incumbent upon the leader to live up to the values of Cummins and create an environment that enables everyone to reach their full potential.
“This includes things like living our core values of teamwork, innovation and dependability. We are always at the forefront of driving new products while making sure that the customer can rely on our products. We encourage people to be innovative. We believe the best solutions come from listening to diverse points of view and this goes beyond just physical diversity. We also include other aspects of diversity, such as sexual orientation and religious beliefs. In a nutshell, it is all embedded in our leadership culture, and we drive this from the top down. Our leaders are accountable for driving this culture.”
ENVIRONMENTAL FOCUS
Pimi says that the company believes in respecting the environment. “We have a Destination Zero strategy, which means that, as one of the leading manufacturers of diesel and natural gas products, we also want to be the world’s leading company in decarbonisation.
“In our Destination Zero strategy, we are developing a whole host of products, ranging from hybrid electric platform battery solutions to hydrogen technologies for mobility application and power generation, so we are investing in a full suite of products that are zero-emissions or near zero-emissions for the future.
“We are also investing in volunteerism and partnership to encourage our community to save the environment and reduce the footprint of internal combustion engines on the environment. We have launched Cummins Water Works, which is a global strategic programme to strengthen the community through sustainable water and addressing the global water crisis.”
Gule adds that the environment is one of the three pillars of Cummins’ corporate responsibilities strategy, which also includes education and equality of opportunities.
“We support (transformation and human rights) because we have a caring culture, it is part of our values, and it is a moral imperative.” – SBU GULE
COMMITTED TO TRANSFORMATION
Pimi believes that human rights should be deeply rooted in the company’s values. “We are more than 100 years old and committed to the transformation of society, and we work with many partners on this.”
Gule adds that, if there are companies that do not subscribe to human rights, then Cummins will not be prepared to do business with them. “It is important that we start somewhere. With regards to transformation and human rights, we see that it can have economic benefi ts, but that is not the main reason we support it. We support it because we have a caring culture, it is part of our values, and it is something that is a moral imperative.”
➔ Scan this QR code to go directly to the company website www.cummins.com
For more information: www.cummins.com
BREAK THE BIAS, DISMANTLE PATRIARCHY
We must fi ght for a world free from discrimination, male domination, violence and intolerance, writes PHINAH KODISANG, CEO, Soul City Institute for Social Justice
Systemic patriarchy has created a world where there is an interplay between poverty, patriarchy, racism and hetero normativity, resulting in black women and LGBTIQA+ people living in poverty and being most at risk for gender-based violence (GBV) and other inhuman and violent crimes. Severe inequality in access to basic services across different demographic segments of the population (with women bearing the brunt of poor or nonexistent services); GBV; inequitable access to healthcare; and poor health outcomes, including in relation to sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), continue to defi ne the lives of black women in South Africa. We have observed recently on social media some of the more subtle social symptoms of patriarchy where sex is referred to in terms such as, “hit it,” kill it,” “smash it,” denoting infl icting physical injury on women in the name of sexual pleasure. Patriarchy teaches men and women to think that the metaphoric destruction of the female body is the goal of good sex.
CONFRONT BIAS, COMBAT DISCRIMINATION, CELEBRATE DIFFERENCE
This year’s International Women’s Day (8 March) theme challenges everyone to confront bias. It forces us to explore the world from bell hook’s perspective of recreating a world free of stereotypes and discrimination where we value and celebrate difference and diversity; a world that is equitable and inclusive; a world where we can all be who we are; a world of peace and possibility where we end racism, class elitism, imperialism; and a world where females and males can create a community of fully selfactualised females and males, realising our dreams of freedom and justice and living the truth that we are all “created equal.”
March is also human rights month where South Africans are encouraged to foster greater social cohesion, nation-building and a shared
Phinah Kodisang
national identity, combating scourges such as racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and all related intolerances, as well as gender-based violence and femicide, which are undermining our human rights culture.
Like bell hooks, the Soul City Institute for Social Justice (SCI) believes in the recreation of a world that is inclusive and nonsexist. The SCI recognises that the realities and experiences of young women in all their diversities are shaped by patriarchy, the system of male authority that legitimises the power and oppression of women through political, social, cultural and religious institutions, manifesting in cross-cutting oppression, including gender, race and class. SCI subscribes to an approach that is bold and able to shake things up to break the bias, thus, our call to action is to dismantle patriarchy.
The notion of “equally created” that bell hooks refers to is one challenged by patriarchy
and upheld through culture and religion, perpetuating and entrenching unequal power relations, which results in domination, oppression, and discrimination based on gender. It is only by challenging these systems of oppression and exploitation that we can begin to remove bias and allow young women and girls and gender-nonconforming persons to enjoy their rights to dignity and wellbeing.
HELPING YOUNG WOMXN TO DEVELOP BEYOND THE BIAS
As a self-identifying intersectional feminist organisation, SCI seeks to work with young womxn from a foundation of recognising the diversity of this group and the intersectionality, which defi nes their lives. Our primary focus is to work with young womxn and girls (ages 10–35 years) to develop and grow as feminist activists and leaders committed to strengthening movements and advancing the broader agenda for the rights and wellbeing of young womxn. We work with men and boys as a secondary focus to promote gender equality and the development of feminist allies.
We believe that a world free of domination, where females and males and gender-nonconforming persons are not alike or even always equal, but where a vision of mutuality shapes our interactions, is possible, and we call on everyone to support our call to remove bias and dismantle patriarchy. Throughout the month, we will host webinars looking at tools and strategies that can be employed to achieve this.
➔ Scan this QR code to go directly to the company website www.soulcity.org.za
For more information:
+27 (11) 771 7911 | +27 (84) 6292316 daisy@soulcity.org.za www.soulcity.org.za
