On Gaza and the conflict

Quoting the Economist print edition (8 Jan 09):

WITH luck, the destructive two-week battle between Israel and Hamas may soon draw to an end. But how long before the century-long war between Arabs and Jews in Palestine follows suit? It is hard to believe that this will happen any time soon.

There is little debate that the 100 year war will still be continuing for a long while ahead. I have to admit it's somewhat disheartening reading the BBC Gaza news and commentary - about the lives lost and the prospects of Gaza going forward.

I think it's time for people to stop adopting staunch positions and reflect on their attitudes and the consequences those attitudes have. I echo the sentiments in the Gaza Haiku verse completely - debating on who is right and who is wrong will lead us into another few decades of getting nowhere. A progressive move towards a lasting peace requires maturity and understanding from both sides.

The education crisis in South Africa

After the debacle of the matric results in South Africa this year, it is not surprising that both employers and tertiary institutions lack faith in government statistics on school leavers. It appears that although the pass rate has remained largely the same, the quality of graduates have decreased tremendously over the last 5 years.

If the South African department of education spent more time focusing on the core issues facing the youth in this country, and less time trying to 'normalise' the pass rate statistics, everyone would be better off. I've made a Naledi Pandor cartoon covering popular sentiment in South Africa over her effectiveness in her current role and the apparent success of outcome-based education - do check it out and drop your comments!

Let's hope 2009 is better!

Happy New Year one and all.. things are off to a good start with lots of changes on both the work and personal fronts for me. I'll be travelling a fair bit this year which I am really looking forward to.

Hope the festive Christmas season was a good one for you too and that you've all returned safely from your trips if you did not stay at home.