The Common Good.

This morning I was listening to a report on NPR whilst drinking my first eye-opening cup of coffee of the day. It was a profile on the current education crisis in South Africa, and was exploring the reasons why a fairytale democracy established fourteen years ago was producing five hundred thousand high school graduates a year who could barely read, and whose only real skills were fit for menial labor.

They interviewed principals who expressed frustration with falling-down buildings, a huge lack of supplies and materials, and the enormous cost of feeding so many children every day.

Feeding?

This should not surprise me, but once again I was reminded, in no uncertain terms, of the impact of a dearth of social services, poverty, and hunger on the children of the poor. A principal explained that children would only attend school if they were fed, as there was no food at home. Their other motivations for learning were clearly absent. He justified the school's policy by saying that no child can possibly learn on an empty stomach. As true as this may be, it struck me that these children seemed hopeless, having no faith in a better future with an education.

In the apartheid days, almost all the education resources were directed to the white population with american-like schools with irrigated sports fields, tennis courts, large swimming pools, well educated and motivated teachers, and almost all of it was free. School fees were paid, and crisp, quality uniforms purchased at large expense by parents, but everything else was practically assumed to be the right of every young white child. Books, pencils, pens, paper, folders, classroom equipment, auditorium soundsystems, flood lights, stage lights, microphones and film projectors. All were a given.

In contrast, the far fewer black schools also had uniform requirements, but kids paid for their own supplies and equipment beyond the absolute rudimentary, and kicked balls on dusty lots and concrete. No pools, courts, irrigation and lights. Fifteen percent of the population had almost all of the resources.

Well, fourteen years ago this all changed. Different new education systems and models were tried. Most failed. People were unhappy. The privileged white population typically responded negatively to the loss of all this privilege. The black population was predictably optimistic and hopeful that public education would improve drastically for them. Each family, black or white, wanted more for their children.

And then South Africa began spending a massive part of its budget on education. Money was pumped into the system at an alarming rate. In 1994, the government spent a total of almost R32 billion on education. In 2006, this had increased to R92 billion, which is almost 18% of total government spending. Today, 5% of the national GDP is spent on education.

So -- where is all the money?

Or rather, where is the tangible proof that all this money spent has given the vast majority of South Africans a better education or at least, an opportunity to do so?
Why doesn't NPR speak of South Africa's bright new future and success with education?
We should be brimming with hope, not so?

Perhaps it has something to with the residual culture of haves and have-nots.
The haves hang onto what they have, strive to have as more as possible, and don't share with anyone. The have-nots struggle to get the little they do have, seem to have less and less all the time no matter what they do, and hate the haves. No-one shares.
There is no common good.

There is no unity and a common community. The haves have their own communities that are exclusive and preserved, and the have-nots also band together for security, and sharing of limited resources. But the preservation of self is supreme. For individuals, rich and poor, and government competent, or not.

When we first arrived in this country, I was astounded to learn that a massive 65.6 million people volunteered at least 50 hours a year in 2005. These numbers have been growing steadily, and today more than one third of the adults over the age of 18 in the United States volunteers at least five hours a month in their communities.

Regular people, old and young, big and small, foreign born or not, English, Hispanic, European, Southern, Midwestern, urban, chic, homely, friendly, cranky, educated or not, rich, poor and in between, volunteer their time and services. They are in schools, hospitals, public places and services, parks, libraries, facilities for victims, the poor, addicts, and the hapless.

They do whatever it is they can. Complicated, clever things, and simple things like guiding confused, upset people in the hospitals.

They see this city, county and state as theirs. All of it. The good and the bad. Their health systems, public places, security and services. They do not distinguish between parks and public places for haves and have-nots. They believe everyone in this country has a right to these things, and more astonishingly, everyone helps. Americans are some of the busiest, most industrious people in the world, and yet all these people find the time to help out.

It didn't take me long to buy into this social contract, and for six years I have volunteered for various things and organizations.
I have spent many hours at schools and have learned that my time has been well spent helping my own children get a much better education, and knowing for a fact that I have impacted the future and thinking of a lost soul in first grade who persevered with English, and together we finally read our first book from cover to cover.
One poor child learned to read because someone else's mother stepped in when his own could not - the folk who believe in the common good help out when the ones who should be there for their children are putting food on the table so that these kids are fed before school.
Everyone wins.

The notion of the common good could save the kids of South Africa.
The man on the street of all colors would demand results from a government who is still fending for itself first and foremost.
The haves and have-nots would need to preserve their environments, upgrade them and get rid of bad elements and people who harm their resources. They would be emotionally invested in their world, towns and provinces. Everyone should be angry when a store-front is broken, a park vandalized and things stolen from public places and facilities. These things should belong to all and everyone should care.
But so far, this is not happening.

There is much blame, and little ownership.

This fairytale country has yet to have a happy ending.