A group of grade R pupils have lit up social media with their knowledge of SA’s cabinet ministers.
Lwazi Pakade tweeted the video of nine preschoolers on Tuesday and it has already been retweeted over 400 times. The kids are from Elijah Mgijima Primary School in Alice in the Eastern Cape.
A recitation of Cabinet ministers and their positions by Grade R pupils ðŸ‘ðŸ½ðŸ‘ðŸ½ðŸ‘ðŸ½
Kuyafundiswa kwezinye iz’kolo 🙌🾠pic.twitter.com/2GFiIUcDT7
— Phaks Photh’inja (@LwaziPakade) July 25, 2017
In the video the children are seen reciting the names as an action rhyme, with a movement to match each of the cabinet positions. When they mention Malusi Gigaba and his position as finance minister, they rub their hands together signifying money, for police minister Fikile Mbalula they make guns with their hands.
At one point their teacher asks them what the social grant they receive from government should be used for. They respond “school fees, uniform and lunchâ€.
The cuteness got a lot of attention online but also got some criticism. Some said they should rather learn songs about mathematics or parts of the body. Another said the action rhyme was a form of indoctrination. And yet another went as far as saying this “type of education that creates social grant beneficiaries.â€
Reciting cabinets ministers is the nonsensical thing ever, we use to recite timetables and body parts.
— Mvumeni_89 (@mvumenimzimela) July 25, 2017
This is the type of education that creates social grant beneficiaries. Why would a minister b imprtnt to a child!? Train them young maybe!?
— Carlo Tito (@CarloTito_) July 25, 2017
But we thought it was great to see kids reciting the names of powerful decision-makers in our country. Representation matters and this action rhyme also has an aspirational element to it; these ministers have names similar to theirs. It shows kids that one day they could be a cop, or even the top cop, a doctor, or even the minister of health, a politician, or better yet, the president of the whole country.
And let’s be honest, these kids probably know more ministers’ names than most of us.
This is great. The know more ministers then I do. Let’s change curriculum now to include our history.
— Siyabonga (@TitiSiyabonga) July 25, 2017
why are yall just Debbie Downers kodwa:pray: allow the younglings to shiiiiine in all their cuteness :sun_with_face:
— Thembelihle Ncayiyan (@blac_bad_boujee) July 25, 2017
Politics aside, these kids are the cutest. Can we get an “Aaw!�
How many cabinet ministers can YOU name? Take our quiz here.