APPENDIX FOUR
Workshop Report

Broadcasting Interventions in the field of Adult and Youth Education

Date: 1^st December 1998
Venue: SABC Radio Park
Time: 9:30 am - 4:30pm

Organizations/Institutions Represented:

- SAIDE (Jenny Glennie, Neil Butcher, Nick Roberts, Merlyn Van Voore)
- SABC Education (Nicola Galombik, Siven Maslamoney, Shamima Vawda, Sam Makhuba)
- SABC Radio (David Moloto)
- Workers Higher Education Project - Joint Enrichment Trust (Phindi Sigodi)
- Soul City (Savera Kallidien)
- Independent Examinations Board (David Adler)
- Ulwazi Radio (George Lekorotsoana)
- Adult Educators and Trainers Association, Free State (Nahayaze Tladi)
- Adult Education Centre at the University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg (John Aitchinson, Romy Fotheringham)
- Natal Technikon, Education Department (John Gardner)
- Centre for Educational Technology and Distance Education, National Department of Education (Vis Naidoo)
Apologies: Independent Broadcasting Authority; DITSELA; UCT Adult Education Department.

Input One (SAIDE)

Members of the SAIDE research team, made the following inputs:

1. Mapping the Terrain of Adult and Youth Education
2. Key issues in Educational Broadcasting
3. Some International Examples

The first of these inputs offered a description of the field of adult education and youth development in South Africa, and how it has evolved in the past decade. Reference was made to key policy developments lie the ABET Directorate’s Multi-Year Plan, and the National Youth Policy. In addition, some key issues surrounding provision and access were identified. The following are some of the contributions made by workshop participants.

Mr. David Adler from the IEB emphasized that it was important to bear in mind that adults in the ABET sector may be put into two broad categories, namely employed and unemployed. Subsequently, he argued that we need to ask ourselves whether we tell the same message to both groups. We also need to ask the question as to whether education is simply about preparing people for jobs’.

John Aitchison, from the Adult Education Centre at the University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg pointed out that there was more unemployment amongst people who have secondary education than people who have had little or no education. For some participants, like Phindi Sigodi, from the Workers Higher Education Project (JET), one of the challenges facing those working in the ABET sector is how to ensure that recognition of people’s prior learning becomes a reality.

The input on international examples provided instances of where broadcasting is used as an integral part of curriculum delivery for structured and accredited courses; or as a forum for specialized information needs for niche audiences (like the elderly); social action campaigns; advocacy and motivation to get people to pursue further education and training opportunities.

Some of the questions raised regarded use of technologies. Some participants indicated that it is important to consider what the role of other technologies in television and radio broadcasting should be and what other technologies one can work with.

Nicola Galombik, head of SABC Television Education, emphasized that we need to be clear about the difference between a national public broadcaster, like the SABC, and community radio/TV stations. In the first instance, the former has access to a larger audience and to more resources (financially and otherwise). A national public broadcaster by definition is accountable to the public; therefore what it does and how is crucial.

Input Two: current interventions and strategies: Constraints and opportunities (SABC-Television)

Siven Maslamoney from SABC Education made this input. He pointed out that current undertakings by SABC-TV are geared towards addressing specific social issues, whether for niche or for popular audiences. Examples of these are:

- Khululeka - Human Rights / Voter education
- LRA - Buang
- Health - Bophelo
- Take Five - aimed at youth, and perceived as some form of ‘supplementary’ education.

In addition to these, there is a thirteen-part prime-time drama series, Yizo Yizo, which will be aired from January to April 1999. This series has been produced in partnership with the Department of Education, to support the Culture of Learning and Teaching (COLTS). Partnerships have been formed with Coca-Cola (100 000 magazines to be distributed to high schools); and The Teacher (will take responsibility for producing four teacher guides).

Yizo Yizo is modelled on a ‘drama’-type programme and the intention is not to teach specific skills, but rather to raise debate and promote discussion of the issues involved in teaching and learning in schools.

SABC-TV will also be broadcasting the Learning Zone (BBC) sometime in 1999. Other plans for 1999 include extend existing work with a focus on farmers; ABET; teachers; and entrepreneurs.

Constraints (for educational broadcasting)

- Money/cost
- The medium itself - people watch television chiefly for entertainment reasons
- Available audience
- Need to take cognisance of the reality that it is a commercial environment in so far as the SABC sells air-time

Opportunities

- Money
- Institutional base
- Education is the top audience aspiration
- Content provider/distributor
- Eleven million viewers

Strategic Spectrums
Siven identified the following strategic spectrums, which a public broadcaster has to bear in mind when planning for and deciding upon a broadcasting intervention in the educational arena.

 

Niche		Popular
Community/Home Viewing		Institutional Partnerships
Informal		Structured
Multi-Media		One-Medium
Full-ABET Spectrum		Ffocuse level
Support		Lead/Catalyst
Distribution		Interactive

 

Input 3: SABC-Radio Current Interventions and Strategies

- SABC-Radio currently broadcasts in ten different languages; each programme is replicated ten times.
- The current radio series are: ECD; youth/vocational; COLTS campaign; educator development; science/technology; curriculum support for Matric; ABET; and health/environment.
Plans for 1999 include a focus on:
- human rights
- agriculture
- justice
- finance/commerce
- civic education

SABC-Radio has partnerships with the department of culture, arts, science, technology; provincial education departments; NEDLAC; the NBI and Provincial NYCs.

Plenary Discussion: How can broadcasting support educational activities and opportunities in this spectrum?

- By promoting a model of skills-development [that is, by addressing the HOW part].
- Broadcasting should focus on life-skills broadly not just the ‘formal’ system.
- Need to put broadcasting into the context of recent national developments such as the National Youth Policy; the job summit; and the ABET multi-year plan.
- Need to distinguish between a supporting role and a catalyst or leading role.
- Have to identify the gap where things are not happening.
- Good marketing and publicity are needed for any broadcasting strategies in this area.
- Consider the possibility of attaching the broadcasting intervention to qualification and accreditation.
- How effective are we in encouraging educators to use TV/Radio as an educational resource?
- Need to bear in mind that broadcasting in this spectrum is not designed to attract and audience.
- Should not be ad hoc, but structured and part of accreditation.
- Need to build a relationship with the ‘users’ through community organizations, the youth commission.

After this plenary discussion groups were asked to discuss the following:
1.What are the priority areas? Where should the focus be?
2.What elements need to be in place for the above to be a success?

Group 1

What are the priority areas? Where should the focus be?
• Addressing unemployment issues, by linking entrepreneurship to tourism
• Youth/ community service - in this area useful skills are:
– Para-legal
– Environmental awareness
– Mechanical/technical issues
– Science, technology, numeracy, literacy

What elements need to be in place?
- Partnerships at different levels
- Practitioners network
- Accreditation and how it first into the NQF
- Print support
- Co-ordinated multi-media strategy
- Use broadcasting as a ‘hook’ to get into formal situations

Group 2

What are the priority areas? Where should the focus be?
- Identify the gap between education and training
- Focus on a structured learning pathway for a niche audience- e.g. farmers
- (this could be linked to an ABET level course dealing with, for example agricultural technology)
- Middle-management ( which may be linked to Damelin courses, it could also be linked to a popular soap - like ‘Isidingo’)
- Educator support

What elements need to be in place?
- Effective marketing
- Imaginative, creative producers
- Good, relevant, suitable materials
- There has to be a relationship with an educational provider
- Different partnerships - public sector, private sector, community
- Financial and human resources
- Proper lead-in times approximately 12 months
- Effective channels of communication and co-ordination
- Need the necessary administrative infrastructure
- Accountability
- Commitment to evaluation, monitoring, quality assurance
- Regional sensitivity
- Income-streams (student fees)
- Sustainability
- Auditing, who is where and what are they doing

Group 2 went on to use agriculture as an example of one of the key strategy areas for the SABC, and suggested that a broadcasting intervention in this sector would need to involve the following players:
- CNA and other distributors, petrol shops, post-office, ster-kinekor, numetro
- Provincial government department
- Publishers
- NGOs
- Farmers’ unions and individual farmers
- Cooperatives
- Agricultural extension office (international and local)
- Universities and other institutions like Fort Hare, George (?)
- Commercial providers
- Funding organizations

Additional Comments

- The broadcasting initiative for ABET should consider the possibility of exploring the Department of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology’s ‘Cultural Industry Growth Strategy’. Siven to pass on the relevant documents and to facilitate a meeting with the relevant people.
- Talk to the National Youth Commission (NYC) about the possibility of a Youth Service.
- Another way to think about the ABET initiative is to think about broadcasting as a social service. A combination of the idea on volunteers in social action broadcasting could serve audiences well. This type of broadcasting offers an information facility to large audiences, and this facility could offer a range of information - paralegal, job appointments, health, etc.