History may be made compulsory in all SA schools

Education department says in performance plan that the subject is an ’emerging priority’

THE Department of Basic Education is set to draft a policy to make history a compulsory subject at all South African schools.

The announcement of “norms and standards for uniform implementation” of the subject is the first step to introduce history to all grades.

The department recently released its annual performance plan, indicating history as an “emerging priority”.

Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga stated in the annual performance plan that a country that chooses to hide its heritage and history from its children runs the risk of them repeating mistakes of the past.

Only 22% of the 532 860 candidates who wrote matric last year took history as a subject, and 86.3% of those achieved 30% and higher in the exam.

Education MECs have welcomed the plan, saying that it should become an “examinable” subject so that pupils treat it seriously.

Gauteng education MEC Panyaza Lesufi said the province was 100% behind the initiative and had even indicated to Motshekga that it would volunteer to be a pilot for the rollout.

Lesufi said: “When you look at our national days, the significance of those days is deteriorating and the only way to restore the dignity of those days is for our children to understand history.

“Children in Zambia beat our children hands down when it comes to the history of South Africa. It’s a shame.”

The MEC had just returned from a trip to Cuba and was “amazed” at the level of political understanding displayed by Cuban children.

He said it would be a challenge to choose who would have to rewrite the history books. “But this challenge is nothing compared to the price of ignorance. A country that does not know its history does not know its identity.”

North West education MEC Wendy Matsemela said teenagers had no knowledge about struggle icons Moses Kotane and JB Marks who were recently reburied in the province. “Children don’t know the significance of February 11, the day Nelson Mandela was released from prison.”

She said she was very embarrassed after meeting a 25year-old woman who did not know anything about Paul Kruger — although she was from Pretoria.

Matsemela said she was equally embarrassed to see contestants from other countries on Big Brother Africa relating “a better story” on Mandela than the South African contestant.

“History includes our monuments and statues and I think it will just broaden the scope of learners in our school,” she said.

Deputy Minister of Basic Education Enver Surty said re- search had shown history to be an important subject to promote social cohesion and the value of diversity by demonstrating the contributions of different race, ethnic and religious groups to the liberation struggle.

“Evidence from the Sri Lankan Education Ministry’s Social Cohesion Programme indicated that history as a compulsory examinable subject contributed to the promotion of a multi-ethnic and multi-religious Sri Lankan identity.”

Meanwhile, the department has also approved Mandarin as an elective subject to be included in next’s year curriculum.

Currently, pupils have to take two languages — one home language and a second additional language as an examination subject.

The Department of Basic Education’s director-general for curriculums, Mathanzima Mweli, said Mandarin would offer opportunities abroad.

Other language choices included in the curriculum currently include German, Serbian, Latin, Portuguese, Spanish, Tamil and Urdu.

Mandarin, like these languages, would not be compulsory.

‘‘If there is big demand for a certain language then the department will consider paying for the teacher,” Mweli said.

He said that already some embassies have offered to assist — in the case of German, for example, teachers were being paid by the German embassy. — Additional reporting by Monica Laganparsad

It would be a challenge to choose who rewrites the history books