UMRABULO POLITICAL EDUCATION SERIES

INTRODUCTION

This series is aimed at branches of the ANC; to provide regional and branch political education officers with basic materials to run a political education programme for ANC members and branch leadership. The aim of education in the movement is to empower members to become active contributors in the process of change. Internal education helps members understand and contribute to the work of the organisation. Community education communicates information or campaign messages and can be used to empower, mobilise and organise people.

Education programmes can help the branch to:

• introduce new members to ANC policies and programmes;
• help members to understand the causes of the problems they face, so that they can take part in deciding how the organisation should deal with the problems;
• teach members skills that will make it possible for them to contribute to the branch programme;
• enable members to participate in the democratic process of debate and decision- making; and
• develop a clear understanding among members of the theory that guides the organisation (e.g. political or economic theory).

In the broader community, education programmes can be used to:

• communicate information to people about their rights - for example farmworkers and evictions;
• involve people in learning about and discussing processes that affect them - for example a housing development;
• involve people in debates around national issues such as crime or jobs;
• raise awareness about an issue or campaign the branch is involved in - for example HIV/AIDS;
• teach people concrete skills like literacy or brick-making; and
• mobilise people to become involved in action - for example training clinic volunteers.

There are many different types of education and training programmes, such as workshops or seminars on a specific issue, ongoing programmes with the same people like a literacy class or study group and short educational slots during branch meetings. Political education and training should be built into all the work of the organisation.

Education as part of your branch work

Political education officers and BEC members need to see all the things that happen in the branch as opportunity to educate and empower members. It is easier for members to learn while they prepare for actions or campaigns -they learn while doing the work and also while they analyse and evaluate the impact of what was done.

All leaders need to understand the importance of education in the branch. They must feel that they are responsible for educating members and plan activities so that members learn from the process. The following process can also assist in educating members:

Programme of action: Start by developing a Programme of Action for the year. This programme tells you what branch priorities are and what major campaigns and other work members will do. This is a process where members will discuss and sometimes argue about what the organisation must do (strategic priorities) and then develop an action plan.

Action plans: The second step deals with plans of the organisation for that particular year. Throughout the year we plan the day-to-day work the branch must carry out, we decide exactly what we want to achieve, what we have to do and when and who will do it. It involves working out how the action relates to the programme of action, an analysis of the strengths and weaknesses at this time, a discussion of possible things to do, selecting the best action and planning it in detail. Training workshops should be organised to make sure members have the skills to implement plans.

Action and Struggle: In this phase we put plans into practice. Out of concrete action, we discover new challenges and new conditions, which we have to take into account when we plan the programme of action for the next year. Local action must involve ordinary members because it will provide them with more opportunities to learn than an action that they watch our leaders carry out. For example, going door to door and collecting signatures can teach members about how the ANC is seen by the public and how to answer questions, which requires a practical understanding of policies of the organisation.

Analysing and evaluating: This is the most important part of organisational work, in terms of education. It is about doing the analysis and evaluating the impact of the action of an organisation, the people we want to reach and the situation as a whole. This will assist in future planning so that we avoid the mistakes committed in the previous action. If we do thorough evaluation, we sharpen our understanding of how the ANC works, what strategies work or do not work under what conditions, and how to take work forward.

Educational events: The branch also needs to have an education programme, which is separate from the programme of action. This education programme can be a series of workshops or educational inputs as part of branch meetings, seminars or study groups. The education programme must be based on and closely related to the strategic priorities of the branch.

It must also deal with current concerns and issues that come up and help members to understand the causes of the issue, the ANC's response to it and how it affects the organisation's strategic priorities.

The first part of the UMRABULO POLITICAL EDUCATION Series will focus on helping to deepen members understanding of the Economy. This is a task which was identified at the National General Council in July 2000, when the NGC resolved that we must deepen economic literacy among all ANC members.

We hope that political education officers will find this series useful, and we look forward to hearing from you.

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