South Africa:
Ten Years of Education
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The grave of Bantu Steven Biko
Eastern Cape Province
Patience is not just a virtue, it is an imperative. This is particularly true when trying to rebuild a country that had suffered nearly 50 years of neglect.
Education is one of the most controversial aspects of the Apartheid system. The Bantu Education Act of 1953 set a goal to teach Africans enough to function as laborers and servants, but not too much to encourage higher, critical thought.
The South African government soon learned that you cannot suppress intelligence. In the early 1970s, some of Black South Africa's most brilliant minds began to express what became known as "Black Consciousness". The center of the informal movement was the politically volatile Eastern Cape Province, the region which produced leaders like Nelson Mandela, Govan Mbeki, and Robert Sobukwe.
People like Bantu Steven Biko discussed the Apartheid system in philosophical, social, and economic contexts; contexts supposedly beyond the capacity of "primitive" Africans. Biko's writings attacked both White and Black leaders for their complacency in a system which he believed was inherently flawed.
Such free thought was unacceptable to the South African government. Steve Biko died in detention in 1977 of brain damage after suffering a severe head injury. The government tried to cover up the injury, suggesting he died from a hunger strike. Intense local and international media pressure forced an inquiry which determined Biko had died of brain damage received during a scuffle while in detention. The judge found nobody responsible for the incident.
Lunch break at Mgwali Village (Eastern Cape Province)
Biko became a martyr, a symbol of the suppression of free thought by a brutal regime. Education and access to it would continue to be a source of contention during the Apartheid era, coming to a boiling point during the Soweto Uprisings in 1976 (see culture, pt. 1).
Education remains a problem in the new South Africa, but the new era has brought opportunities long denied to the majority of the population. South Africa's private schools (now open to all who can afford them) remain comparable to similar schools in the U.S. and U.K. Scholarships are available, but these schools are inaccessible to most of the population.
The South African Schools Act of 1996 established guidelines for both public and private schools. It also established government subsidies and a fee schedule for parents (there are also conditions for fee waivers). Many South Africans receive this public education, but it is not available in most rural areas (where the need is often greatest).
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The Chris Hani School in Langa Township
There are also a number of independent, non-profit schools active within the townships. These transitional schools prepare the townships poorest children for entry into the public school system.
The Chris Hani School in Cape Town's Langa Township (named after a local activist) is one such school. As an independent school, it receives no help from the government, relying on donations to make ends meet.
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Affirming children's rights at the Chris Hani SchooOne
donation was a series of cargo containers (the large kind used in freight
shipping) which were converted into classrooms. The photo above is inside
one of the containers. Each of these has a small door, a window,
and about 25 kids. The quarters are tight, but the teachers (all
volunteer) maintain orderly classrooms.
An unfortunate reality for independent schools like this in South Africa is the lack of funding for even the most basic of necessities. Many schools now work with tour agencies, singing and dancing for small groups of tourists once or twice a week. This is a necessary evil, as these tourists donate the money and supplies which allow the schools to operate.
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A field trip to the Nelson Mandela Museum in Umtata
Despite these efforts, education remains a major challenge to South Africa's future. Decades of neglect and an unexpected urban migration in the late 1990s confounded most attempts to restore order to an educational system in need of drastic changes. A comprehensive 2001 nationwide audit of Early Childhood Education (ages 0-7 years) revealed woeful inadequacies in terms of enrollment, access to materials, and teacher training.
Economic growth and a strong currency in the past few years has freed up badly needed resources. The next decade will prove crucial in solving this important problem.
Adult education faces challenges of its own in the new South Africa. Many African adults between the ages of 30 and 40 have little or no formal education. In addition to the substandard Bantu Education Act, these individuals were also victims of the most violent years of the struggle against Apartheid. Students and teaches alike boycotted schools in protest of the system. Those who demonstrated leadership skills were often detained and tortured.
As a result, many adults find themselves both unemployed and unemployable. It is a bitter irony that South Africa suffers an unemployment rate of nearly 37% (2001 est.), yet there is a critical shortage of skilled labor in most industries. A number of skills development and job training projects have appeared to address this need, but there remains much work to do. Again, resources are limited, but continued economic growth should create more opportunities for all.
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