I didn’t give much thought to the state of our education system beyond it being in a ‘shambles’ until we had to make a decision on schooling for our kids. Then it became a major thing. Everything.


If Richard Branson says that he’s “proof that entrepreneurs don’t necessarily need higher-education degrees”, one of the world’s most famous entrepreneurs, what do we need from education institutions? Perhaps the bigger question is, why did the education system fail someone like Mr. Branson and by implication, millions of others?

The basis of tradition is the antithesis of innovation.

Tradition holds very little substance in a rapidly evolving world. The basis of tradition is the antithesis of innovation. There’s a place for tradition, just not in our
education system. According to Salman Khan, founder of Khan Academy, a global not-for-profit providing free world-class education, our current education model is outdated. “That was fine for the Industrial Revolution. But now, we still have the same education model. The structure of the workforce is fundamentally changing because of automation, AI, and those technologies. You won’t need as much physical labor. You won’t even need this kind of white-collar information processing filling up these skyscrapers right now. All of that’s going to be automated”.


In South Africa, we’re in the midst of a jobs massacre. Our unemployment
statistics in the first quarter of 2019 rose above 27% and show no signs of
a decrease. On the face of it, this is closely linked to our sluggish economic
growth but lurking behind is substandard education, poor skills and incorrect
focus. Every government administration since 1994 has promised jobs. President Cyril Ramaphosa, in his State of the Nation address on 20 June 2019, listed “economic transformation and job creation” as the top priority (of seven) of his administration.   

Are more jobs really the answer?

I’m not naïve in thinking that everyone can be an entrepreneur overnight. But analysts and trendsetters all point to the fluidity of the global economy with
automation and AI leapfrogging all expectations to obliterate jobs. In some
instances, the disruption is in effect.  In a 2018 article titled 11 Industries Being Disrupted By AI, the author lists agriculture, energy and mining, healthcare, manufacturing and retail as some of the sectors that will be transformed by technology and mechanisation. These are some of the sectors that are positioned as delivering the jobs utopia in South Africa.


This doesn’t paint a bright picture for our local economy as retrenchment announcements are commonplace. Being expelled from the ‘cocoon’ of employment into a job’s abyss is usually the catalyst to get individuals thinking of starting a business. Changing one’s mindset from an employer to a business owner or employer is a seismic shift that, as Branson alludes to, has little to do with your educational background or even your last job title.


In the words of Branson, “The first thing I look for when hiring CEOs at our Virgin
businesses is personality. Most people get hung up on qualifications, but I
only look at those after everything else. If somebody has five degrees and
nothing but the best grades, it doesn’t necessarily mean that she or he is the
right person for the job. Great grades count for nothing if they aren’t
partnered with broad experience and a winning character”. He also lists
passion as a winning factor.


Another key indicator of business success today is that failure must be a given. Contrary to what some of us were taught, failing must be embraced, actually expected, on one’s entrepreneurship journey.  A 50-year-old who has been retrenched unexpectedly and decides to use his or her pension or lifesavings to fund a new business venture, doing it for the first time, is unlikely to appreciate the value of ‘failing forward’.

But there is hope. There is always hope.

South Africa, and indeed Africa, is not short on creativity or passion. Global
citizens regularly infuse our unique culture, sights and sounds, languages,
rhythms and food in their inspiration and aspiration. This excites me as I see
the new cohort of educators and entrepreneurs taking up arms to create a new
dawn for the education of our children. One that is uniquely African, aimed at
equipping our children for a future that, even though no-one has sight of, will
adequately equip them with a strong educational foundation and the skills and
tenacity to provide solutions to the challenges ahead.


Our children can no longer be educated for jobs.