It all begins in the classroom

Framing it with stories of Frederick William Sanderson, the remarkable 19th century headmaster of Oundle School in the UK, Daily Maverick’s Mandy de Waal has written an interesting take on the research from Harvard and Columbia which shows the influence teachers have on pupils’ lives and future living standards. Again, this has to focus South Africa’s attention on the poor quality of its teachers, and the failures of the training system to ensure that good educators make it into our schools.