I was lucky enough to have teachers who were passionate about educating kids. They were dedicated to their jobs, and committed to giving us the best possible start in life.

But if you're in school today, you'd be lucky to have just one teacher like that. 

What happened? There are many reasons for the situation we now find ourselves in. One of them is that government is simply not making teaching a desirable enough profession to attract the best and the brightest young minds.

Even someone who really loves the idea of teaching may decide to pursue another career, because they want to earn the sort of salary that would allow them to take care of their families and live a relatively comfortable life. 

And who can blame them? Not everyone is selfless enough to sacrifice a proper income for the sake of educating the next generation. I know I'm not.

But most of the blame for the current education crisis has to go to the unions, I'm sorry to say. Yes, unions can do good, but I'm afraid our education unions have long ago lost the plot. 

Time and again they pursue policies and make decisions which can only have a negative impact on the quality of our kids' education and the profession of teaching as a whole.

How many times do we hear about kids having to sit in classes by themselves while the teachers are off partying at some union meeting?

How many weeks of schooling have been forever lost to these kids because their teachers decided to go on one of the many strikes that never yield any results anyway?

When it was announced a few days ago that schools will start offering classes in Mandarin next year, the South African Democratic Teachers' Union (Sadtu) condemned the move.

Back when the idea was first raised, the union called it a new form of colonisation and "the worst form of imperialism". What a load of nonsense! Maybe they should consult the closest school library and look up the meaning of colonisation and imperialism. And to think these guys are in charge of teaching the next generation! It's enough to make me reach for the nearest bottle of whiskey.

They should just be honest and admit that the real reason for not wanting Mandarin to be introduced at schools is laziness. It all just seems like too much work, something they seem to be allergic to. What if this decision means that they may have to attend some training or spend more than two hours each school day actually teaching? The thought is too terrible to contemplate.

It's a good thing that schools will be offering Mandarin. China will one day be the biggest economy in the world, and having citizens who can speak the language can only benefit us in the long run.

What I'm going to say next is going to sound harsh, but it is the truth. If you are so selfish that you are willing to destroy the futures of the kids you are supposed to be educating, all for some insignificant personal gain or out of pure laziness, you are a bad person and shouldn't be a teacher. 

Go do some other job where your lack of integrity and compassion won't mess up hundreds of kids' futures and the future of the country.

Now before any of you think that I'm saying all teachers are bad, let me assure you that I'm not. Despite the unions' best efforts, we still have committed, dedicated and hard-working teachers out there, one who will ignore silly instructions and who will never compromise the quality of their work. 

To them I say: You are true heroes, and I take my hat off to you!

Do you agree with what I said? Or do I have it all wrong? Let me know by sending an e-mail to [email protected].

Until next time, salani kahle!

This article first appeared in the Sunday Sun.