IEB education perpetuates segregation in South Africa

Like Orania, the Independent Examination Board (IEB) education stands out like a sore thumb.

In his book, I Write What I like, Steve Biko defines racism as “a discrimination by a group against another for purposes of subjugation or maintaining subjugation”.

I always argue that racism can’t be a stand-alone word, racism should always have an adjective, such as white racism – much in the same fashion as saying Golf GTI.

White racism, like car models, change all the time. With cars every now and then there is a new release with modifications that make it perform better on the road than the previous model.

We may fear to say it, but white people try all they can to modify, decorate and make white racism more sophisticated to make it seem legal and acceptable in society.

They include a few blacks and discriminate against the majority of blacks in establishments such as schools. They teach these few blacks how to defend white privilege. Institutionalised white racism always favours white racists and pleases the few Uncle Toms.

The IEB schools, with their top resources, are for privileged pupils. Most of these kids are whites. The fees at these schools are more expensive than at the universities. These schools bar most black children because they don’t have money to access such education.

Education is a commodity and it seems it will be like this for the next 350 years and beyond if a drastic step is not taken.

I think it is very important that we debate white racism embedded in institutions so that we never find ourselves going back to the bantu education period where there were two-tier education systems, one for blacks and the other for whites.

The system in place perpetuates white racism and legalises discrimination. It must be transformed in order for it to be inclusive. It must reflect the unity of South African society, not further divide us. Why do we have two examinations boards in the first place? The IEB in education is more like Orania in South Africa.

The education planners who are the grandchildren of Cecil John Rhodes will never like this unsweetened truth, as the status quo favours their white racism.

Uncle Toms and house niggers won’t like it too because they think they have arrived. This kind of an arrangement is a further perpetuation of discrimination because the children who go to these schools are taught, whether directly or indirectly, that they are superior to the ones who write National Senior Certificate exams. Is that not systematic discrimination? It is legalised discrimination that further perpetuates white racism supported by the elite politicians who send their children to such establishments.

It will be difficult to overhaul the system as long as these politicians benefit from the status quo.

Why do we have different school systems whereas we have the same education at institutions of higher learning? These exams are the symbol of a highly divided South Africa and if we don’t act now, this will work against us in the future. Our government must manage this situation before it gets out of hand.

I support Gauteng education MEC Panyaza Lesufi in his endeavour to fix what is wrong.