Fit For Purpose Education Reclaiming The Soul Of Our Nation
By Dr Reuel J. Khoza I 6 September 2025
Opening Salutation
Honourable guests, esteemed colleagues, educators, graduates, and fellow citizens,
I stand before you not merely to speak, but to summon a collective reckoning - a moment to reflect on the soul of our nation and the scaffolding upon which its future must be built: education. Not education as a mechanical process, but as a moral and intellectual pilgrimage. Not education as a credentialing system, but as a crucible for character, conscience, and civic renewal.
“Wisdom is like a baobab tree; no one individual can embrace it.” Akan Proverb
Let us, together, embrace the vastness of wisdom required to rebuild our nation.
Historical Anchoring: Plato, Socrates, and Mandela
Let us begin where all great societies begin - with philosophy.
Plato, in his Republic, envisioned education as the architect of justice. He taught that the purpose of learning was not to fill minds as if they were data vessels, but to shape souls. Socrates, his mentor, practiced maieutics - the art of midwifing truth from within. He believed that the unexamined life was not worth living, and that education must awaken the moral imagination.
Centuries later, Nelson Mandela echoed this ethos:
“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”
For Mandela, education was liberation. It was the antidote to apartheid’s dehumanization and the engine of democratic dignity.
“A child who is not embraced by the village will burn it down to feel its warmth.” African Proverb
Let us embrace our youth through education before they are consumed by despair and crushed by the ravages of unemployment.
Educated vs Learned: A Crisis of Substance
Today, we face a paradox. Our institutions produce educated graduates, but not always guardians of the public good. We have become adept at educating, but not always at enlightening.
There is a distinction - profound and urgent - between being educated and being learned. An educated person typically possesses knowledge acquired through formal schooling, while a learned person has a deeper, broader understanding of a subject, often gained through self-study, experience, and lifelong pursuit of knowledge.
- The educated may possess degrees, but the learned possess discernment.
- The educated may recite facts, but the learned interrogate truth.
- The educated may seek employment, but the learned seek purpose.
“The fool speaks, the wise man listens.” Ethiopian Proverb
Let us teach our youth not only to speak, but to listen - to wisdom, to conscience, to community.
Knowledge vs Knowledgability: Beyond Accumulation
In our pursuit of knowledge, we must not mistake accumulation for transformation.
Knowledge is static. Knowledgability is dynamic. It is the ability to apply, adapt, and ethically engage with complexity.
A fit-for-purpose education system must foster epistemic agility - the capacity to navigate ambiguity with moral clarity.
“Knowledge is like a garden: if it is not cultivated, it cannot be harvested.” Guinean Proverb
Let us cultivate knowledgeability, not just collect credentials.
The Syllabus: Foundation or Straitjacket?
The syllabus must be more than a checklist - it must be a compass.
It must be:
- Contextual, rooted in African realities and global relevance.
- Transformative, designed to foster critical thinking and civic engagement.
- Inclusive, reflecting diverse voices, histories, and futures.
“Until the lion learns to write, every story will glorify the hunter.” Zimbabwean Proverb
Let our syllabi empower the lion - the African child - to write their own story.
Ethics and Integrity: The Moral Spine of Education
Corruption is not merely a political failure - it is an educational failure. Germane ethical education should render moral rearmament redundant.
When ethics are optional, integrity becomes negotiable. When character is sidelined, corruption becomes systemic.
We must embed ethics not as a module, but as a moral spine across disciplines. We must cultivate integrity not through instruction alone, but through mentorship, storytelling, and example.
“If the elders leave you a legacy of dignity, you do not need to leave them an inheritance of riches.” Ghanaian Proverb
Let us leave our children the legacy of ethical education - more precious than gold.
The Intelligentsia: Custodians of Vision and Efficacy
South Africa’s intelligentsia must reclaim its moral voice.
We must become:
- Architects of incorruptibility, modeling integrity in public and private life.
- Champions of self-sufficiency, fostering innovation and enterprise.
- Stewards of visionary citizenship, where pride is rooted in contribution, not consumption.
“When there is no enemy within, the enemies outside cannot hurt you.” African Proverb
Let our intelligentsia rid the nation of internal decay - so we may stand unshaken before external storms which inevitably wreak havoc to our dignified nationhood.
Closing Invocation
Plato once said: “This City is what it is because our citizens are what they are.”
Mandela reminded us: “It is through education that the daughter of a peasant can become a doctor, that the son of a mineworker can become the head of the mine.”
“Rain does not fall on one roof alone.” Cameroonian Proverb
The challenges we face are shared. So too must be the solutions we forge.
Let us reimagine education not as a pipeline, but as a pilgrimage - toward justice, wisdom, and national renewal and development.
Let us educate not only for employment, but for enlightenment entrepreneurship. Not only for success, but for societal significance. Not only for today, but for generations yet unborn.
Let us build a South Africa where education is not a privilege, but a promise—a promise of dignity, of democracy, and of destiny.
I thank you.