For many years formal institutions and the educational methods associated with them have been framed as the key that unlocks grand opportunities for anyone who wants to be a self-sufficient adult. And with South Africa’s unemployment rate sitting at 27.7%, a certain level of formal education is a must. However the lesson that so often goes untaught, in several theoretically heavy university courses, is how to successfully transition into the world as a critical and independent thinker, with creative problem solving abilities. Without this high school students and graduates battle to present themselves as multidimensional individuals.
Other times, the inability to transition comfortably is due to the vicious cycle of needing work experience in order to qualify for entry level positions, yet not being able to acquire that experience because companies will not hire inexperienced applicants. According to Professor Jonathan Jansen, there is a gap between what university qualifications say and what graduates can actually do in the real world – this leads one to question whether the need for experience is a direct reflection of a degree/diploma’s inability to achieve employability requirements.
The growing number of graduates holding up signs begging for work at any given intersection is a clear indication that there needs to be an innovative and continued effort to change the way in which education and employability are framed, and the relationship between the two.
As a response to the lack of work readiness, and the call for decolonised curricula and teaching methods, could alternative education be the bridge that carries students effectively into their careers?
I spoke to artist, renowned teacher and founder of Putter School, Andrew Putter about the importance of spaces that offer students a holistic view of their studies and the chance to develop business-ready skills.
Inspired by teachers who encouraged him to learn on his own terms and informed by his catchphrase “Do What You Want”, Andrew’s award-winning teaching has launched some of South Africa’s most highly acclaimed professional creatives.
What sparked the launch of Putter school?
Putter School has grown out of many years of working with creative teenagers. I’ve been at it for about 30 years now. Putter School is where I have the freedom to do exactly what I think is right as a teacher.
Although creativity is increasingly valued, it’s actually in global decline. According to one careful study, we are much less creative today than we were 30 years ago. Today, we’re brainwashed by big businesses into consuming more TV, games, clothing and stuff – rather than make our own culture. I’m passionate about how we learn to make our own world, rather than just pay exploitative multi-national corporations to consume the world they make for us.
Tell us a bit about the programme and its approach to teaching and learning.
Putter School is a place for creative teenagers to do what they want. People in the group are encouraged to develop their own project ideas, and usually work on many short creative projects over the year. They come together once a week, for at least a year – but often for much longer than that.
Projects include animation, illustration, painting, graphic design, clothing design, sculpture, 3D design, photography, embroidery, filmmaking… It’s very open-ended.
I don’t teach much in the traditional sense of standing in front of the group and downloading stuff into their heads or telling them what to do. It’s not about me knowing things that others in the group don’t know. It’s much more a case of us all learning simultaneously, and sharing with each other what we discover. I learn as much from people in the group as they do from me. It’s a great environment to be in.
Today’s teenagers can find any information about ANYTHING on the net. I’m interested in helping people become self-educating, so my role is to encourage, support, affirm, suggest, inspire, connect, facilitate.
But fundamentally, Putter School is about developing the habit ofmaking things. The ability to make – to be creative – is highly sought-after in today’s world, yet so few people have had the opportunity to learn how to do it. Learning this complex habit takes time and regular application, but it’s fun to learn, and it radically empowers people.
Putter School can be described as an alternative education institution. What is alternative education?
Perhaps it’s good to be careful with the word “alternative.” For example, you could have a teacher in a very conservative “mainstream” school who does amazing, progressive work with her students – just as you could have a dull, disinterested teacher working in an “alternative” school. The more I think about it, the more uncomfortable I am with the word “alternative.” Maybe it’s a word that raises too many questions?
Why is alternative education necessary?
For me, education is about taking a risk – a risk that your learning activities will turn you into a different person. What’s the point of learning if you don’t change? So one of the deep questions for all of us is: what sort of person do we want to become? What do we want? And what kinds of education do we need to become more like that. And of course these are questions we don’t only ask ourselves once. The answers change over time every time.
How does it contribute to the students work readiness?
Again, we have to be a bit careful with the idea of work-readiness. I’m all for education that liberates us to flourish in the world. And, heaven knows, so much education actually prevents people – especially many people of colour – from even just surviving. But at the same time so much of the work that’s available in the world today is exploitative and alienating, and increases the damage we do to one another and to the world. So having work ready skills is the first step – skills like being self-motivated, punctual, good at communicating, able to generate one’s own project ideas, etc. But that’s not enough. We also need to learn how to stand in the shoes of others, to identify and minimize whatever causes harm to those around us, and to invent new forms of work that are better for us all. These are all things creative people do: analyze, imagine, experiment, invent…
As an educator, what are your thoughts on the call for a decolonised educational system?
It’s an exhilarating, profoundly necessary project. To give you an example from my own life, the curriculum I learnt as a young art student at university in the 1980s was entirely centered on the art history of Europe and the USA. And sure, some pretty cool stuff happened there. But when I see the wealth of creative history from our continent – uncovered by someone like OkwuiEnwezor in his brilliant, inspiring project called The Short Century – the one-sidedness of my art education leaves me feeling short-changed.
How would a decolonised educational system in South Africa impact the creative industry both locally and globally?
At the very least, it would mean that the South African creative industries would be MUCH less white. And I don’t mean tokenistic window dressing. I’m talking about the transformation of ownership of businesses. I’m talking about the voices and ideas of Africans and other people of colour coming to expression, and being key voices in imagining our futures.
Africa is the creative continent par excellence. As Ntone Edjabe of Chimurenga says, you can’t teach an African person to be creative – Africans are already creative. For most Africans, day-to-day survival depends on being creative. Imagine that creativity filling the whole world, enriching it, changing it from the roots up. That’s something worth trying to make happen.
For more on Putter School visit www.putterschool.com or follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.