Thoughts on a Sunday Afternoon

I’ve had this idea in my mind for months on end. I’ve woken up with it, had meals with it, slept over it, and taken showers with it. It has been bearing significantly on my mind. I have toyed with it in the same manner a cat would antagonise a mouse it has caught. I have deliberated it, searching the depth and breadth of my being, trying to make meaning of it. All this I have done in the hope that I will gain some insight, clarity or at least a leap in the correct direction.

One Sunday afternoon, at the University of Fort Hare (where I am a student), I found myself in deep thought on the subject of freedom. It was then that I decided to engage the subject by means of penning it on paper (the luxury of my own PC I am yet to enjoy).

Walking from my residence on a hot early-Autumn afternoon, intending to finally dispel these thoughts of freedom and its costs on paper, I found myself turning towards the Freedom Square. Freedom Square at the University of Fort Hare is a dedication to past Fort Hare students who have made a significant contribution for the emancipation of Africans. To get to the Freedom Square, from the direction I was coming from, meant my being channeled through Robert Sobukwe Walk. The symbolism of my being channeled through Robert Sobukwe Walk to get to Freedom Square struck me significantly. Was there some irony in it? Take a moment to reflect.

At the Freedom Square there is a fountain whose sound as it pumps the water through its pipes beckons to you in the most beguiling fashion. It is not surprising that I found myself seated under the shade of thatch and evergreens, a few paces from the fountain and feeling relaxed or at ease, so as to let my thoughts flow synchronised with the rhythm of the water flow. Naturally, Zamajobe Sithole’s Ndawo Yami echoed in my head. The orchestra of birds, the rustling of leaves, and the occasional distant sound of human voices made this a truly African symphony.

My thoughts drifted like a feather being tossed by gusts of wind to where the winds dictated. The likes of Robert Sobukwe, Nelson Mandela, Z.K. Matthews, Martin Thembisile Hani (aka Chris), and Robert Mugabe had all been here, possibly pondering the same as me: Freedom was not free, Freedom is not free.

South Africa Needs a Make-over!

In order for us, as South Africans, to be a truly cohesive society we need to come to an understanding of who we are as Black and White people(I don't intend to leave out other racial categories here but for the purposes of this post I'm mentioning only these 2).This I say because I feel that there are a lot of unsaid things or hidden sentiments when it comes to the colour issue.

Without giving you a history lesson, many of the misconceptions that are formed about both Black and White races contribute towards the 'sustained divisions' between Blacks and Whites. I'll mention the most obvious 'sustained division':

When one goes to Home Affairs to apply for document, say an ID document, you are required to state your 'race' as either Black, White, Indian, Coloured, etc. If we are to promote a cohesive society, that does not discriminate on the basis of colour, etc; we need to find new ways in which we see and identify ourselves. The much needed 'South African identity' needs to be shaped beyond ways that look at skin colour. After all, there is only one race - the human race!

In Search of a People's Education

In order for us to have an education system that serves young people in preparing them for the world of work, a system that helps them in identifying their strengths, and one that makes them aware that they are part of the solutions to the many challenges we face as a country, we need to think a little deeper about the education crisis we find ourselves in. (I am taking for granted that the crisis is evident).

The above is based on the assumption that our education system is not working, or put differently, our education system is not yet yielding the results we hope to see. Having said that, I am fully aware of the government's initiatives in addressing the crisis in education and commend their efforts (with some reluctance I might add).

My point of departure is on the language policy (I should be saying the lack of a language policy) and the ramifications that it has on the poor results that we continue to see. The Annual National Assessment (ANAs) scores released early on this year paint a gloomy picture of our education system and its achievements. At the core of these results is not the poor training of our teaching personnel as some say, or the lack of resources in our disadvantaged schools, or the lack of intervention on the part of the Department of Basic Education. While the afore-mentioned have their merit, it is the language question that is at the core of this debate as far I am concerned.

Many of our learners are taught in a language that is not their mother tongue. This puts them at a greatly disadvantaged position where they first have to decode what has been put to them in a second language into their mother tongue so as to understand what is expected of them. The learners’ conceptualization of curriculum content is thwarted, especially those learners whose mother tongue is not English or Afrikaans because these are the languages of learning and teaching (LOLT) from Grades 4 – 12.

The analysis of the ANAs reveal that the bulk of the learners who took this test battled with language barriers. The ANAs were conducted in English yet we have 11 official languages. It seems to me that our Education officials are of the opinion that proficiency in English spells doing well in school. I am confident that this view is proving to be narrow-minded and more people are coming to this realization.

The common tests that are set for the various grades are in either English or Afrikaans. Schools are usually left to translate these tests into an African language so as to give their learners a chance at passing them. The picture is no different when one looks at Grades 4-12, where the medium of instruction is English. The youth of '76 played their part in addressing this, though back then we had a different regime. However, it appears that not much has changed since then in as far as the medium of instruction is concerned.

Unless we get this sorted, our future is gloomy!