It reaffirmed my long-held belief that education was the enemy of prejudice. These were men and women of science, and science had no room for racism.

India has probably lost its position to China as the world's workshop. At the same time it has the power to be ahead of China when it comes to knowledge. Not that the Chinese are far behind. They will get there. But our challenge is to invest sufficiently in education.

The privilege of a university education is a great one; the more widely it is extended the better for any country.

On the first day of school, my teacher, Miss Mdingane, gave each of us an English name and said that from thenceforth that was the name we would answer to in school. This was the custom among Africans in those days and was undoubtedly due to the British bias of our education.

It is not beyond our power to create a world in which all children have access to a good education. Those who do not believe this have small imaginations.

The power of education extends beyond the development of skills we need for economic success. It can contribute to nation-building and reconciliation.