TRIPLE E TRAINING HOLDINGS

The challenge of providing Adult Basic Education programs in the rural parts of South Africa should not be underestimated. Bad roads and lack of infrastructure can cause even the most dedicated educator to lose hope. However the commitment of government and business has seen Adult Basic Education programs roll out in even the most remote parts of South Africa, making a lasting difference to even the rural poor. As the world becomes even more complex the basic skills needed to deal with life in the 21st century are being made available to all South African’s even those in remote areas.

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.

When two equally intelligent, experienced, reliable employees compete for the same position, gaining power, reputation, and a higher salary, the one who has taken initiative to learn English writing probably will win the promotion.

Many business leaders readily admit that originality and initiative help workers advance, but the ability to express ideas clearly in English writing truly distinguishes an employee. Although English writing is slightly more difficult than spoken English, modern technology and constant practice help second language learners quickly build skill with English writing.

In addition, experienced teachers readily point out that second language learners need not suffer as they learn English writing. Nothing has more reflective influence on English writing than reading; therefore, reading wonderful and intelligent books creates the most influential impact on language acquisition. The mastery of English writing ultimately empowers once disadvantaged South Africans to create a literature all their own.

Speakers of the ten official South African languages other than English compete at a disadvantage in the workplace because English remains South Africa’s language of power. Learning business English levels the playing field for South African workers who want to advance up the corporate ladder to supervisor and management positions. Neither as complicated nor as simple as old-fashioned British schoolboy English, business English emphasizes simple, direct communication. Business English stresses getting directly to the point and making the point forcefully. It is the language of training manuals, instructions, work lists, and messages; not the language of contracts and legal documents. Business English focuses on clear communication of who does what, how and why. Moreover, developing their command of business English, determined South Africans can rise above their histories of disadvantage to important and powerful positions in their companies.

In most industrialized nations, divisions among social classes show not only in wide disparities between incomes, but also in significant differences between levels of education. And, in most industrialized nations, increases in educational achievement yield gains in income and social standing. In South Africa, an education gap threatens the nation’s bold experiment in multi-cultural democracy. While the education gap between privileged and disadvantaged citizens persists, South Africa cannot reach its full economic and political potential.

Studies show the education gap poses two significant threats to social equality: Disadvantaged South Africans do not advance as far in school as their more prosperous classmates. And disadvantaged South Africans do not study the same curriculum as their more privileged classmates. Each time the curriculum branches, disadvantaged students outnumber their more prosperous classmates in the lower branches by 5-to-1. After twelve years, disadvantaged students learn far less and a far different subject matter.

Among South African adults, the rate of HIV cases advancing to AIDS has stabilized since 2005; among young adults, the rate actually has declined as AIDS clinics dramatically have increased access to effective treatments. Although public health officials recognize a few encouraging signs; nonetheless, the HIV/AIDS epidemic continues to ravage South Africa and all of Africa.

The World Health Organization only recently began studying the number of adults who claim “comprehensive AIDS awareness,” so experts lack sufficient data to draw a conclusion about South African AIDS awareness. But if safe sex practices indicate young adults’ AIDS awareness, South African public health officials have cause for alarm. Among young men aged 18 to 24, only a small portion regularly practice safe sex and only 16% of young women in that age group take precautions against HIV/AIDS. Educators and public health officials must increase their efforts to promote AIDS awareness among South Africans.