Education under fire
AS WE CELEBRATE the 23rd anniversary that ushered in the historic democratic era in South Africa, there is a need for some critical reflection on how we have deviated from the ideals of social justice, equality, non-racialism, morality, ubuntu and honesty.
In 1994, SA’s peaceful democratic elections were extolled internationally.
Now, as we head toward pariah and junk status, nationwide marches are planned against the president of the country and ruling party as corruption has become the norm and permeates all facets of South African society.
Few in the ruling ANC government are untainted. In a captured state, those masquerading as champions of the poor and disadvantaged have become pawns and puppets as power brokers pull the strings in the leafy northern suburbs of Johannesburg.
As the political temperature increases, South Africans will be subjected to a lot of hot air from the usual vocal and non-vocal orifices from those who aspire to higher office, and the challenge is to decide whom to believe.
Add fake news and the activities of Bell Pottinger etc, employed by the puppeteers at Saxonwold, and the equation gets more complicated as fact and fiction are blurred.
A case in point would be the recent public utterances of Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, whose presidential ambitions have been endorsed by the ANC youth and women’s leagues.
Addressing the ANCYL at DUT recently, she correctly pointed out: “An uneducated population is a recipe for disaster; therefore education is important, because it is the quickest equaliser against poverty and we can’t deal with poverty if the people are not skilled… It’s not only to develop ourselves and our communities, it’s to develop our economy and deal with unemployment and poverty.
“We cannot justify any child that’s denied education or skills on the basis of poverty or lack of money.”
Of course, she could have illustrated this by referring to the present president (and her ex) – if he were educated, would he have made the same mistakes?
A sound education system trains students to be independent, critical thinkers, who would then raise questions when things go wrong, speak truth to power and hold those responsible, accountable.
However, Dlamini Zuma does not want such a high quality education system, which is only available in former Model C and private schools.
She argued that in these institutions and some universities the kids “are actually taught against the ANC… It’s not surprising that kids will think the ANC is corrupt… the ANC is useless, because this is what they are fed at school”.
She does not present any evidence to support this assertion.
(This can be compared to Zuma’s criticism of “clever blacks”: “Even some Africans, who become too clever, take a position, they become the most eloquent in criticising themselves about their own traditions and everything.”)
Significantly, Basic Education Minister Motshekga responded: “The Department does not allow for a teaching and learning environment where individuals or organisations are misrepresented and/or ridiculed… It must be stressed that where such isolated incidents have taken place, these do not arise as a result of a defined norm or practice of a particular school, nor a dictate from the (curriculum).”
Jonathan Jansen responded on Facebook: “So former Model C schools are being whacked for allegedly teaching about corruption in the ruling party. Show me ONE member of Parliament who plans to take their children out of these unpatriotic schools. Just ONE.”
Tim Gordon, national chief executive of the Governing Body Foundation, said that the allegations that schools were anti-ANC were “completely uncalled for… Her comments were irresponsible and it is not fair to take a broad swipe at schools. Not to mention that it’s not true… There is no policy approach at schools to teach such things.
“Possibly in some forums, such as debate teams and life orientation, politics will come up, but there is no directive that politics be taught in such a manner.”
Dlamini Zuma’s views can be compared to the Escola Sem Partido (School without Party) movement in Brazil, established in 2004 to stop “ideological indoctrination” in schools. Similarly, the movement has yet to provide evidence of such indoctrination.
There was concern that there could be a “violation of the teachers’ freedom of expression and a policing of the school environment that would compromise the free flow of ideas”.
In India an attempt is being made to obliterate securlarist ‘misrepresentations’ in textbooks.
Dictate
Education expert Professor Ruksana Osman, from the University of the Witwatersrand, similarly cautioned the state should not dictate the school curriculum, especially on the basis of political party affiliation: “The state should not meddle in what is taught in schools, especially when we see ourselves as a democracy.
“The job of schools is to ensure children learn to live with all and respect the rights and views of all.
“The role of teachers is to encourage students to have a multiplicity of views and for students to make choices from this multiplicity of views and ideas.
“Schools cannot be places where government intervenes along party lines. This will be detrimental to our young democracy and to our children who represent our future.
“Government involvement in what is taught in classrooms and how it’s taught is dangerous.”
If the ANC were indeed committed to combating corruption, then it would have no hesitation in supporting the inclusion of this topic prominently in the school curriculum.
Dlamini Zuma wants to dictate education content from a party-political position, similar to the Christian National Education agenda of the Broederbond under apartheid.
Post-2019, the verdict may well be that we were better off with her ex.