Colonialism
Throughout
its history, South Africa was colonized and/or taken over by several different
groups and empires. From the Great British Empire, to the African Zulu tribe;
the rich land of South Africa had many wars fought over it. It was first
colonized by the Dutch in 1652, and then taken over by the British in 1795. In
1810 the Zulu Empire grew, and slowly gained territory in the South African
region. Although there were other native tribes already settled in South
African territory, none of them were strong enough to face any European power
except for the Zulu; who eventually fought against the British Empire in the
Anglo-Zulu War in 1879. Nevertheless the European powers (especially the
British Empire) were much further developed; and in the Anglo-Zulu War of 1879,
the British Empire used fire weapons against Zulu spears and wooden shields.
All of which led to an easy victory for the European side. This made Britain
consolidate itself as the colonizing power of South Africa, which explains the
belief of white superiority raised at the beginning of the 20th century.
Zulu tribe
The colonization of South Africa by European Powers led to the belief that white people were the superior race. This racist ideology is what created laws and rules such as the Bantu Education Act of 1953. The Bantu Education Act restated that whites were superior and more important than black students. The white children were considered to be more important and were raised and educated to have better jobs than blacks. Unfortunately this is still the situation today. Although the times of Mandela reinforced that all people were equal, and that blacks and whites have equal rights; there still is racial inequality in jobs in South Africa. According to CCTV Global Business, the average monthly pay in South Africa is more than four times more for whites than it is for blacks. This fact demonstrates that even though the situation in South Africa regarding equal rights is improving, it will take much longer to see changes on a full scale. As civil rights activist, Dale McKinley states: “you can’t erase two or three hundred years of colonialism in a few decades, it’s impossible” (CCTV Global Business).
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| Classroom of Black Students after Bantu Education Act |
Education
The Merriam Webster provides us with three definitions for the term education. But when we think about the word and it’s history in
South Africa, the term ‘education’ cannot be limited to those definitions.
After doing careful research, it is unprincipled to discuss the legacy of schooling
without discussing the colonial and apartheid era of education in the Rainbow
Nation. The significance of education during these eras is crucial to
understanding South Africa’s education system today.
During Apartheid,
blacks (African, Coloured and Indian) were separated from white students. The
overall design of schools during this era was racially imbalanced. White
students benefited from resources that were not accessible to black students
such as trained teachers and textbooks. The purpose of this “treatment” was to
keep blacks out of the school system. After the 1994 election, it was the goal
of the new democratic government to promote racial equity in all sectors of
society but for the purposes of this blog we will limit our findings solely to
the educational system. In 1996, South Africa’s new constitution officially stated,“everyone is equal before the law and has the right to equal protection andbenefit of the law.” . So, what should we expect the schools to look like today? Do we still see distinctive
characteristics of Apartheid in the South African schools?
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| Public School in South Africa |
Have and the Have not’s
80% of South African children are being failed an education simply because of their geogrpahical location. The children living in the townships and rural areas are not being allowed into schools because of their family's social economic status. The other 20% has the
access and opportunity to quality education. Dr. Mkhize, a lecturer and social
activist believes we can fix the inequality issues by dealing with the problem of the majority. She suggests we change
the structural problem of the schooling systems by investing money and time to rebuilding
the public schools that are serving the 80%. It is an injustice to children’s
rights to be ostracized from schools that are to serve all children no matter
their race or social class. While the blacks must compete for a seat at the
table, the top 20% has the opportunity to choose what institutions their
children will attend. So what does this
mean? The top 20% can send their children to the well-resourced and funded
schools whereas the bottom 80% cannot.
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| Two Unequal Systems |
Schooling structure
Grade R-12 (Pre
primary --> Primary --> Secondary ---> Tertiary or vocational)
The first years
of schooling are typically spent on learning to read and write but students in
lower grade levels are not receiving the foundational skills necessary for higher-grade
levels such as secondary and tertiary education. Due to the lack of literacy education in primary school, dropout rates are specifically high in grades 11 and 12.
The dropout rate can be linked to a
variety of educational, social and economical factors but it is also a result of poor teacher training. The teachers who receive high quality training are placed in the private sector. The private sector consists mainly of the 20%. Poor matric performance can also be linked to weak learning during primary school years. Even after 20 years, math and science skills are
not fully developed within the (impoverished public) schools. "The Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS 2003) tested grade 8 students in 50 countries in maths and science. Of the 50 countries that participated, including 6 African countries, South Africa came last."
Lack of Cultural Diversity in School
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| Leader of the Pretoria High School for Girls Protest against discriminatory policies |
The
girls seen in the video below are protesting at Pretoria High School for Girls
due to the discriminatory polices written in their school’s code of conduct. It
highlighted that students are to have their hair tied back neatly in a ponytail,
if long enough and it must be conservative with their uniform. These policies
force the black and colored students to conform to the standards of the white
culture that has been imposed on them through these rules (which students are
mandated to comply with) or face consequences such as being pulled out of
classroom or suspension. The protest is a clear reflection of racial discrimination, women’s rights and the injustices that take place within some of the schools in South Africa. We see that the systems being designed are not
created for those who are being served, stripping them of their own culture and
human being. This is an injustice to their educational rights.
This is an interview article and audio of a former student that voices her heartfelt concerns of these rules that are hindering black students to be themselves. If
one does not comply with the rules of the school they face the consequences of
missing out on their education for the day.
Curriculum
The first post-apartheid curriculum was proposed in 2005.
The curriculum of 2005 was a reflection of constructivism and progressivism
where students were allowed to be active participants and teachers were able to
facilitate. During this time, the country was unsure of the content to be
taught in history. The new South Africa was interested in moving forward;
therefore it was important for a curriculum to embody the vision of a booming
nation. Today, there is a wide range of topics being taught in the schools such
as mathematics, English/home languages, Science, Technology, Life orientation,
Life skills, Agriculture, History, etc.
Language
It is also important to note that there are 11 official languages
spoken in South Africa. Majority of the South African population speaks isiZulu
but many of the schools are taught in either English or Afrikaans. In some
secondary schools, English is a required language that every learner must take.
How might this be problematic? Considering majority of the South African
population speaks Zulu. Nearly a quarter of the populations speaks Zulu, Afrikaans speakers at 13.3% and English at 8.2%. For some students, the language being taught is not the students' home language. This creates a barrier to their learning and how they are able to obtain, maintain and apply their information. Imagine, your native language being Zulu but your
class instruction is in English and homework materials are to be written in
English. How might this affect the learner’s academic performance? Mother
tongue language based education could be a solution to improving student
performance. There is disconnect between the students and teachers in the
classroom due to the language gap. The teacher can teach the content but can
the students understand it? It is important to consider that fact that language
is a powerful tool in education.
Disability Deprived
"An estimated half-a-million children with disabilities have been shut out of South Africa’s education system,....". The video below talks about the injustice that children with disabilities face when trying to enter the schools.
"An estimated half-a-million children with disabilities have been shut out of South Africa’s education system,....". The video below talks about the injustice that children with disabilities face when trying to enter the schools.
If Nelson Mandela were alive today what do you think his thoughts would be in regards to this current educational system? How far do you think South Africa has come in terms of racial equality?
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| "Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world" Nelson Mandela |
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