Meaning of a uniform
“SEVEN ways to change mind-sets” (DD, October 19) is disappointing from a man of Jonathan Jansen’s unquestionable intellect and experience in education.
Would those who condemn Pietermaritzburg High School for its stance on political activity in school uniform feel the same way if they had been white boys advertising, say, Freedom Front Plus?
Freedom of expression includes the freedom of people you may not like to express opinions you may find abhorrent. Party political activity of any sort is universally disallowed when in uniform.
This doesn’t only apply to schools but extends to all of those in uniform. The Code of Conduct for Uniformed Members of the SANDF, for example, explicitly states “I will not harm or advance the interests of any political party”. I knew a police sergeant who was fired prior to the 1994 elections because he canvassed for the DA while wearing his police uniform.
When you wear a uniform, everything you say or do (or are perceived to say or do) is taken as representing the entity whose uniform you are wearing. The restriction is particularly relevant to schools because education began as the role of the church. This is the origin of academic robes because scholars wore the simple clothing of the clergy, symbolising humility and the unity of humanity.
Politics is not humble and is patently divisive. Worldwide, it is a time-honoured tradition that churches, temples or other places of worship are places of contemplation and of refuge. These are still important roles of educational institutions.
The problems Prof Jansen highlights are not political. They are economic problems, caused by social problems, caused by lack of moral compass. At malfunctioning township schools with striking teachers and at universities where students burn, riot and destroy, we have excellent examples of what happens when party politics is allowed into places of education. Young people are inherently energetic and prone to enthusiastically doing things that “seemed like a good idea at the time”.
This is why they are at school, where they can learn and develop into responsible adults who, hopefully, will not repeat the mistakes of preceding generations. — Dave Rankin, Cambridge