Minister Siviwe Gwarube misses the mark with Mi Desk Global initiative

by Nomonde Simelane

The Department of Basic Education (DoBE) along with Minister Siviwe Gwarube have found themselves in hot water as citizens call them out for their latest Mi Desk Global initiative, claiming that the idea did not land in the intended way.

Similarly to the Health Department’s scooter ambulance saga in the Eastern Cape, South Africans have called the DoBE out for not having their thinking caps fully on when making the decision to launch the Mi Desk Global initiative that sees young learners from disadvantaged homes and families having to carry around foldable desks to and from school everyday.

Via her social media platforms, minister Siviwe Gwarube announced that courtesy of a generous donation from the popular food franchise McDonald’s, she handed over some Mi Desks to grade 1 pupils who attend St Paul’s Primary   School in Bo  Kaap. According to the minister, these wheelie bags transform into a fully functioning desk and chair for learners to use both at school and at home.

This announcement has garnered a significant amount of backlash from citizens across the country, who have noted the thoughtlessness and impracticality of this concept. According to these users, this initiative fails to address the core issues, which is that the department has consistently failed to provide adequate resources for learners from disadvantaged homes, and would rather cover the gaping wound with a mere plaster.

Furthermore, these users highlight the immorality of using young learners as walking advertisements for big corporations such as Mc Donald’s and HollywoodBets.

Other concerned parents and citizens have inquired why building new desks and chairs that will remain in the classroom was no a viable alternative solution for the department. To them, this confirms their suspicions and accusations, that this initiative, and many others by the government are merely performative instead of effective as a significant percentage of these learners already face challenges like having to walk long distances to and from school. The added weight of the desk and chair only serve as an inconvenience to these learners, users say.

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