Fishing communities in South Africa’s Western Cape are being disadvantaged in respect of access to adult education, vocational education and training provision. Despite relative prosperity in the region, the level of educational provision remains highly uneven. These communities face geographical and socio-political exclusion and are disadvantaged due to their employment largely being in the informal sector.

Formal schooling generally receives more funding than adult education and training. The Education For All (EFA) goals have become equated with formal schooling, typically at the primary level. The South African Government has implemented a national Adult Basic Education and Training (ABET) programme and established the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) to integrate education and training.

Yet, adult literacy and skills or vocational education and training (VET) have been sidelined in practice, both politically and financially. Internationally and in South Africa, training is not prioritised for the informal micro- and small- enterprise (MSE) sector – within which most local small-scale fishing and related activities fall.

This study, from the University of Edinburgh, in the UK, examines access to adult education and VET provision in fishing settlements in the Western Cape, using the sustainable livelihoods approach as an analytical tool. Researchers gathered data using participant observation and interviews with fishworkers, other local people, public and private VET providers, government officials, non-governmental and community-based organisational staff, and local leaders, as well as secondary sources including census data.

Among the findings, the paper reports that:

• Several institutional factors are slowing adult education and training in reducing poverty in South Africa: for example the Department of Labour’s reliance on private VET providers, which include unreliable or unaccountable providers.
• Fishing allocation has been influenced by the international Individual Transferable Quota (ITQ) system - fishing rights in South Africa are allocated as quotas, favouring larger, more established companies.
• New national regulations have been crippling for small-scale local-level fishing and detrimental to the sustainability of the resources – such as the allocation of quotas for one species at a time (some fishers can catch their annual quota in less than three days).
• The quota application process also discourages fishers from working in other sectors (many undertake seasonal work to feed their families).   
• ABET classes tend to follow the formal schooling method and do not value, and are not linked to, fishers’ real-life experiences.
• ABET class completion rates in the area are very low. ABET and literacy provision are not meeting the needs of fishing communities.

The paper draws several conclusions:

• Rural areas are not being adequately served by public and private adult educational and VET provision. They are losing out in the drive for international competitiveness. Gaps in provision are exaggerated by the implementation of imported international models like the NQF.
• International donor efforts have been adversely affected by too little attention being paid to local and national structures and processes that influence access to education.
• National marine resource allocation issues and local and national institutions are also affecting progress, including detrimental effects on livelihoods and a lack of responsiveness of ABET and VET provision to the changing policies.
• To address equity issues, there is a need to look beyond narrow views of education and training towards a more cross-sectoral analysis. Adult education and training provision needs to take a more equity- and poverty-oriented approach.

Source(s):
‘Educating and Training out of Poverty? Adult Provision and the Informal Sector in Fishing Communities, South Africa’, International Journal of Educational Development 27, pages 446-457, by Carolyn Petersen, 2007
‘Small-Scale Fisheries Reform: Expectations, Hopes and Dreams of ‘a Better Life for All’’, Marine Policy 30, pages 51–59, by M Isaacs, 2006
‘Education and Skills for Development in South Africa: Reflection on the Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative for South Africa’, International Journal of Educational Development 27 (4), pages 421-434, by S McGrath and S Akoojee, 2007

Funded by: The Economic and Social Research Council

id21 Research Highlight: 27 April 2008

Further Information:
Carolyn Petersen
Centre of African Studies
University of Edinburgh
21 George Square
Edinburgh EH8 9LD
UK

Tel: +44 131 6503878
Fax: +44 131 6506535
Contact the contributor: Petersen.Carolyn@gmail.com

Centre of African Stuides, University of Edinburgh, UK

Other related links:
id21 insights 65 - 'The importance of fisheries for development'

'The problems caused by HIV/AIDS within fishing communities'

'Helping fisherfolk in Africa to support responsible fisheries'