A MENTALITY THAT NEEDS TO CHANGE

THE world we exist in today commands education, not simply for the purpose of employment alone, but also to navigate and cope through the times that we live in. It is in fact crucial for one to get educated, in order to sharpen their thinking and problem solving skills. The reason that the informal market is able to get away with so many unfair practices is because we are a nation that does not value education, in fact, more often you will find a majority of the poor taking pride in being uneducated.

Proclaim

You will be standing at a queue at the bank and without even attempting someone will proudly proclaim “ngicela ungentele shem sisi, mine angifundzanga” you will go to a self-service centre and you will find so many emaSwati – young ones at most – demanding for the smallest assistance with services in the stance of “angitati mine letintfo leti, mine angifundzanga.’’ They will hassle securities at gate, hassle the receptionist at their job, hassle the lady at a call centre, all for services accessible to them at the brim of common sense and the willingness to learn.

A part of evolving is embracing technology and embracing the world is become digital and everything is at the tip of our hands. Your laptop volume is not working and two YouTube videos will help you figure out the problem, however, the majority will stomp their way to the Information Technology (IT) department or to the guys that fix phones to solve something as small as the keyboard being locked. With zero attempts, the resolution is always ‘sengimdzala mine, letintfo leti angitati’ and unfortunately, to survive and grow in this community, one must change this mentality.

Majority

This has become the song of the majority, the same majority that feels excluded from opportunities when they fail to portray critical thinking and problem solving skills. This is why for many jobs, you find that employees choose to employ foreigners, because of their mentality that as EmaSwati, we are unwilling to learn and want jobs that fix our expectations. We do not want to learn how to use Google forms, or how to reboot a computer, we do not want to learn how to check our own bank balances, we do not want to learn how to use internet banking or how to reset a phone. We are unwilling to try anything, because ‘angifundzanga’ and as a result miss out on so many opportunities.

Some jobs simply need us to apply ourselves and challenge ourselves to learning new things and understanding that we are in a fast tech world and so the unwilling are left behind. We exist in a world where the elderly can count money, read the Bible and remember all the church notices, but draw the line at buying their own electricity or withdrawing their own money at the automated teller machine (ATM) – this is a problem. It is a problem because it proves that senior citizens are intelligent and capable, they are not dim or unable – they are just unwilling and selective in their learning and capabilities.

It is exasperating to learn that we constantly complain and argue against the unfair margins of the labour market and want things to change in favour of the individuals that make up the labour force. It is a brilliant idea at surface level, because it addresses the reality that the poor majority does not have the opportunity to present themselves and therefore, stay unemployed and stuck in being a part of the majority. However, we do not zoom in on the issues that make it hard for the majority to be hired.

The modern world has YouTube, Google and many free platforms where you can learn any skill at the click of a finger and we do not utilise this. In fact, many have acquired skills such as crocheting, catering, baking, fixing cars, cellphone management etc., all from social cites and make an income from these skills, which goes to show that we are in trouble as a country. We are in trouble because in a country with limited opportunities, we add to the problem by failing to move with the times. We are unwilling to learn and are comfortable with not educating ourselves. The idea that education is limited to a formal system is a part of the problem.

Many emaSwati do not have a ‘try and fail’ mentality, most problems must be solved for us – ours is to complain until the economy somehow fixes itself. There is unemployment, we are angry and hurt, but still unwilling to try anything that places us in a better position. Be it through informal learning, taking our time to attend free community lessons on Agriculture and farming, going on YouTube to teach ourselves to be self-sufficient in all areas and not limit it only to employment in order to improve our thinking and problem solving skills. This is modelling yourself to exist fluidly in a 4th Industrial world.

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