TRIPLE E TRAINING HOLDINGS

Even as South Africa has become more sensitive to the value of cultural diversity, the importance of English language literacy has increased. More than ever, experts emphasize in order to participate in South African culture and commerce, people must learn to read.

As in all post modern industrialized nations, television has become the primary tool for South African acculturation. As producers make television more closely resemble our computer screens, more text accompanies the sound and images. Viewers must learn to read in order to enjoy all of television’s benefits. Trends in cell phone use also indicate how South Africans must learn to read: people now more frequently use text messages than voicemail.

Educational advancement always has been the nation’s primary tool for upward social mobility. As jobs become more sophisticated, an applicant’s command of English frequently determines whether or not he or she gets a job.

Although many of this country’s disadvantaged adults feel ashamed to admit it; they cannot read or they cannot read proficiently. Many employers complain new employees cannot read their training materials while some have begun offering literacy classes for associates who want to advance. As South Africa becomes more inclusive, its entire people must share the benefits of education and sophisticated literacy. And, as the internet becomes South Africa’s most powerful commercial tool, literacy takes on added importance in order for widespread access to adult literacy classes, which is one of the nation’s highest priorities.

Experts recommend that every disadvantaged South African should become bilingual, perfecting his or her language of origin. Thus, they recommend new, effective adult literacy classes.

Although the media have not explored the topic, economists frequently tie South African economic stagnation to adult illiteracy among the country’s disadvantaged groups. Continuing illiteracy among South Africa’s minorities threatens the nation’s continued economic development because it depends on people’s command of language.

Although South Africa boasts a high literacy rate, which is one of the highest in the industrialized world, the disadvantaged minorities lag behind their European counterparts by a significant margin. Naturally, their lack of English language proficiency limits their educational achievement and reliable studies indicate that the majority of bilingual South Africans remain illiterate in both their primary languages and English.

In the same way that South Africa rose above its bitter racial divisions in the 1990’s, it now must rise above its educational divisions in the new millennium. The nation now must take aggressive steps to eliminate illiteracy.

oday’s university students, tomorrow’s entrepreneurs as well as professionals and educators must learn an African Language. Analysis of South African economics and politics proves the unavoidable conclusion that all South Africans must join in common enterprise to get rid of poverty and disease in order to sustain the economic growth. Therefore, the country’s emerging leaders must learn an African language.

High among the world’s most promising countries for agricultural development and restoration of the family farm, South Africa may become a major hub of international commerce; however, pioneers and entrepreneurs on the new South African frontier must learn an African language in order to cultivate the native’s respect and trust.

Ethnic division, poverty, and disease have slowed South Africa’s development. Education will allow South Africans to defeat their limitations, but educators must make their tools available to all South Africans. Those educators of the next generation will benefit the most from being able to learn an African language.

Especially in a depressed world economy, increasing South African workers’ productivity becomes more urgent. In general, increases in productivity depend upon advances in workers’ English literacy. Sophisticated job training, the key to increased productivity and profit, certainly depends upon sophisticated English literacy. As more large multi-national corporations train their workers with online curricula, South African workers must have sufficient English literacy to learn and apply skills, techniques, and values delivered via the internet. The nation’s sustained economic development depends on its promotion of English literacy.

Similarly, in order to properly distribute the benefits of sustained economic growth, South Africa must continue developing its value for ethnic and cultural diversity. The nation must find courage to promote the literature of the ethnic experience in South Africa, making powerful writing style more accessible to wider audiences. We cannot strengthen this country without advances in English literacy.

One of the things that frustrate a manager is the communication problems with the workplace. Even if we all agree that English ought to remain the South African language of business and professional conversation; nonetheless, the facts of everyday life say that managers must learn Xhosa. Workers understand the authority vested in a manager’s title, but they will respect and willingly follow the leader who takes initiative to communicate with his workers in Xhosa.

The leader who develops proficiency in Xhosa proves to his workers that he joins them in common grounds. Investing time and effort in learning Xhosa, a leader proves his respect for his workers’ culture even as he initiates them into his own. In addition, learning Xhosa makes the manager and his team more efficient because they understand his instructions and expectations.

Meaningful conversation between workers and managers benefits confidence, efficiency, productivity while promoting trust and respect. When workplace “culture” thrives on the strength of shared values and effective communication, earnings and profits dramatically increase. On the other hand, when workers feel separated from their work and their leaders, both the work and the bottom line suffer. When workers enroll in and complete adult education classes, they build literacy and numeracy skills, which allow them to “own” their work. Understanding procedures and processes, anticipating steps in completing a task, workers invest in the quality of their work. Adult education classes build workers’ command of spoken and written English so that they communicate more efficiently and effectively with their managers. Adult education classes develop workers’ math and problem solving skills so that they require less guidance.

Managers sometimes talk about “getting everyone on the same page.” Adult education classes do that—literally.

History very clearly shows, in all the world’s industrialized nations as workers become better educated, they enjoy upward social mobility. Education always has been the tool for rising above poverty, disease, and misery. A family’s value for continuing education inspires the children to continue in school all the way through university. As each generation of a family becomes better educated, the whole family advances together.

Workers enrolled in adult education move up in the workplace while setting very powerful examples for their families. As adult education builds their skill with English, mathematics, and money management, workers advance on the job and they are able to provide well for their families. Simply as a realistic matter, a worker who speaks and reads English, who calculates quickly and accurately, and who understands the company’s values and expectations is far more valuable to the company than the worker who simply shows up and just does his job.

In the southwestern United States, where managers speak English and workers frequently speak only Spanish, managers gain workers’ trust and loyalty when they become fluent in Spanish. In Quebec, Canada, where leaders speak English and workers typically speak French, leaders gain their employees’ respect and teams become more productive when leaders learn French. In South Africa, we reasonably can expect the same result: When managers and leaders learn Zulu through Zulu classes communicating clearly and effectively with their workers, confidence and productivity dramatically will improve.

In bilingual countries, people begin to understand that workers’ native language is their language of familiarity and English represents the language of power for workers. When a leader gives up the language of power, adopting the language of familiarity, he shows respect and understanding for the workers’ condition. Confidence soars and workers feel more ownership in their work. Taking Zulu classes provides huge psychological and financial benefits for managers.

Workers speak Zulu. Managers do not speak Zulu. Problems arise. When a manager wants to implement a new procedure, how does he communicate the details if he has not taken time to learn to speak Zulu? When a manager wants to discipline an employee for violating one of the company’s rules or ignoring the safety standards, how does he communicate the importance of compliance if he does not speak Zulu? How does a leader motivate his tired workers to greater achievement if he cannot communicate with them in language they understand? How does a leader congratulate and reward his workers when he cannot make his praise understood? In the very worst case, how can a manager make certain his employees are loyal and motivated when he has not taken initiative to learn to speak Zulu? In order to build a solid, productive, motivated workforce, managers should learn to speak Zulu.