Education doesn’t fail at school first

But somewhere between the speeches and the statistics, a quieter truth kept standing up, clearing its throat, and refusing to sit down.

Education doesn’t fail at school first. It fails long before the bell rings; it fails when children don’t have the wider social support that they need. A child who feels unsafe, unseen or unsupported does not suddenly become motivated because a timetable insists it’s time for maths. Before learning becomes academic, it’s emotional.

President Cyril Ramaphosa, delivering the keynote address, described education as “the engine of development”. And engines, we know, don’t break down because of one bad trip. They fail slowly, over time, when the basics are neglected. No journey runs smoothly if the bolts were never tightened to begin with.

A child cannot focus on fractions while trying to survive bullying.

Discipline cannot thrive where anxiety has already moved in and unpacked its bags.

Excellence is difficult to demand from someone who feels invisible.

As the President warned, “when children disengage emotionally, the cost is carried by the entire education system.” Academic disengagement, then, is rarely rebellion. It’s usually survival, dressed in slightly more polite clothing.

The impact of fatherlessness

As the conversation deepened, attention shifted to parents. And then, inevitably, to fathers. A difficult truth was stated plainly: absence at home continues to undermine progress at school.

This was not blame.

It was observation, honest, unvarnished and probably uncomfortable if you had been hoping it wouldn’t be said aloud.

You can build the fanciest education system imaginable, but a child who returns each day to emotional absence brings that weight straight into the classroom. “Unless we get it right at the outset,” President Ramaphosa cautioned, “learners spend the rest of their school careers trying to catch up”. 

Education does not begin at school.

It begins at home.

It starts with routines that feel ordinary, until you realise they are creating safety. With conversations that seem insignificant, until you notice they are shaping confidence. 

Amplifying children's perspectives on fatherhood

Heartlines’ Livhuwani Maphorogo presented from the Heartlines' children's research report on the state of fatherhood in South Africa, with statistics that left little room for denial and even less room for pretending we weren’t all watching quietly.

The shift in the room was noticeable.

After her presentation, fathers moved toward the Fathers Matter stand, not in search of pamphlets, but real conversation. Some arrived carrying regret, others curiosity, many a quiet resolve to do better. When I invited them to join the Fathers Matter WhatsApp Coach family, the response was telling. This was not another programme. It was a place to belong, a space where guidance is gentle, reminders are consistent, and perfection is politely optional.

Building a future

Positive influences at home help to improve children’s educational outcomes and can encourage them to pursue subjects like maths and science. 

Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Professor Blade Nzimande, shared how adopting a primary school and supporting it with maths and science resources enabled learners to compete in a coding and robotics competition. Not because they were unusually gifted, but because someone showed up early enough to make a difference. Presence and intention matter more than perfection, and maybe more than fancy spreadsheets.

When Minister of Basic Education Siviwe Gwarube also referred to mathematics as a gateway subject, it landed like a blinking warning sign: “Pay attention, adults. Children notice everything.” 

Our children are watching. How we show up for them can have a huge influence on their future, and our shared future as a country.