Writing Tl1e Book on Education in South Mrica

Winter I994 Writing tl1e Book on Education in South Mrica F A COUNTRY'S education system I reflects the intende:d structure of its society, then one need only examine schooling in South Africa over the past four decades to understand apartheid. That is the working College Repeals premise of 24 students· cum-authors at its Policy on Haverford who, in early Investments in December, received putb South Africa lisher's edits to their first Following a recent meeting ofits draft of a book on the board ofmanagers , Haverford history, politics and College announced that it is future of education in repealing its policy ofbanning South Africa. investment in companies with Their book contains operations in South Africa. historical analysis and However, it will continue to overview, but sticks to its prohibit investments in corpora tions who never subscribed to assertion that to under Black South African children listen to a lesson outside the tin shack that is their schooL {above) Churches provide an option to some in South the Sullivan Principles until a stand South Africa's Africa: private, integrated schools such as this one in johannesburg. {below) new government there develops evolving education policy a set ofits own principles. is to glimpse the country's future. Students Second-year student Tanya Earls, of The Sullivan Principles Cambridge, Mass., drew on family connec utilized a range of primary sources to were a voluntary code ofcon write the last section of the book, focusing tions to research her chapter on the con duct in South Africa by which on current education reform efforts and temporary crisis in South African educa corporations pledged to pay policy debate among leaders of the African tion. Earls' parents have long been involved black and white workers equal National Congress and the ruling white in the anti-apartheid movement and have wages, integrate the workplace National Party. friends in theANC who provided them and work for social change. The book is the students' final project with proposals on education policy. Thecollegejlntbanned for a class on South Africa entitled "Roots The book opens with an overview of investment ofendowment fonds of Conflict - Prospects for black education in South Africa before in companies who were not sig Reconciliation," that was offered for the 1954, written in part by sophomore Alex nators ofthe Sullivan Principles first time this past fall at Haverford. The Bauer of Brooksidle, N.J., who explains in r98r. In r985 Haverford set a two-year deadline for its com course was team-taught by Steven Roy that in the 19th century, most schools for plete divestment ofall securities black South Africans were run by mission Goodman, a Philadelphia human rights ofcompan ies doing business in lawyer who worked on civil rights and aries. In the first half of the 2oth century, South Africa unless substantial education projects at dhe University of the black South Africans established their own progress was made to eliminate Western Cape's commlllnity law center in Langa Township, South Africa, helped schools and colleges, which they operated apartheid. At that time the col South Africa; and David Berger, a labor write a chapter on government proposals until the white government passed the lege had investments in approxi specialist for the National Labor Relations from 1987 to the present. He believes that Bantu Education Act of 1954 taking con mately 27 signatory companies, Board and president of the Education recent proposals to localize control and trol of the schools. representing over $9 million of Fund for Southern Africa, which supports funding of schools in each community "Our chapter sets the foundations for the school's assets. The college South African political exiles studying in would ensure that education in impover what was to come," Bauer says. also ceased dealing with any the United States. ished black communities remains inade Subsequent chapt,ers examine government banks which were making loans Both visiting lecturers saw "a tremen quate at best. education policy and its opposition to the private sector in South Africa by the summer ofr987. dous need for an unbiased perspective on "For me, this research has meant con through the 1960s:, '7os and '8os, with the The recommendation to the contemporary crisis in South African fronting apartheid-thinkers in action," final chapters detaLiling the current educa continue prohibiting investment education and the events leading up to ir." Mgobozi says. "These policy documents tion crisis and proposed solutions. in non-signatory companies as The student authors wrote 12 chapters are real - I was molded by those policies. Bauer has beeJrl corresponding about part ofthe new policy was made in pairs and just received edits to their first Every day at Haverford, I have to unlearn the book project with close friends John by a student during a recent draft from a university press which is con what I was told by an education system Gerhart, head of the Ford Foundation in campus forum on South Africa. sidering the book for publication. Their that trained us for subservient positions. I South Africa, and his wife, Gail, a noted The board ofmanagers ' sources include unpublished party docu have a hard time being objective." scholar and author of books on South Committee on Investments and ments, conference reports and proposals One of rwo black South African stu Africa. Bauer notes, "What we hear in this Social Responsibility, consisting obtained through the Hon. Lindiwe dents attending Haverford, Mgobozi was country about South Africa is very ofstudents, faculty, administra Mabuza, ANC chief representative to the an organizer of the Langa Youth watered-down. We are working on tors and board members, also United States, and the Hon. Joe Stauch, Movement at his school and learned to informing other people. This is a way that recommended continued moni toring ofthe situation in that South African Consul General, both of read and write English from his mother, liberal arts students in America can con country. whom visited the class .. Goodman and who wo rked as a domestic. Mgobozi tribute to the situation." Berger also he! ped them gain access to speaks of a "lost generation" of young Copies of the book will be sent to the government documents and South African black South Africans who have not South African Consulate General, the newspapers. received schooling because of exile or boy African National Congress and the United Third-year student Idris Mgobozi of cotts. States Department of State. Pagel HAVERF O RD NEWSLETTER z:s past fall, squash became a varsity sport at Haverford Men's tennis coach AI Dillon coaches both the men's and women's squash teams, which are Class D. Their sea son is a winter one, Physics professor Lyle Roelofi explains computational science to his audience. (above & below} with individual championships at the end ofFebruary. Lyle Roelofs Named to Computational Science Professorship HIRTY YEARS AGO, STUDENTS IN ing mathematics, biology, psychology, com physical laws and the real world of the lab The teams have T a Haverford College physics class puter science and chemistry, have been inte oratory. The pendulum program, which fired a .22 at a weight suspended from a grating computers into their instruction and smdents learn to write themselves, is one played tough sched string, and from the amplitude of the research activities for several years now. example of this, while Roelofs' own ules, mostly against swing induced in this ballistic pendulum Roelofs has been particularly active and suc research is another. higher-ranked determined the speed of the bullet. cessful in the field of computational science, Roelofs researches the behavior of creating and atoms at the surface of metals, focusing on squads, including publishing the spontaneous rearrangements that take Williams, the numerous com place in the outermost layer. He uses the University of puter programs, graphical capabilities of the computer to aid Pennsylvania and many of which in visualizing the possible ways in which are in use at: the atoms might move and interact. Large Navy. There are IJ other inscim scale programs then permit assessment of men and II women oons. how much energy is required for particular squashers. This past fall, atomic movements in order to determine Roelofs was which actually occur on particular surfaces. named the first Having a moving, manipulable exam holder of the ple builds intuition for students too, Haverford Roelofs explains. By observing what hap College Profes pens as they change the variables in a com sorship in puter experiment, students begin to think Computational like scientists, gaining insights that help Science. A $2 them formulate and test theories. million gifr by Third, computational science is an anonymous becoming its own mode of scientific inves Today, Professor Lyle Roelofs' junior donor endowed the professorship and an tigation, especially, Roelofs says, to investi level physics class watches a pendulum equipment fund in computational science, gate problems that are intractable by either swinging on one half of a computer in conjunction with the college's ongoing theorizing or experimentation. One such screen as a rotating arrow indicates the $75 million campaign to increase endow area is studies of neural networks, which force pushing the pendulum from side to ment and support for its academic pro model the capabilities of the human brain side. On the other half of the screen, the grams, scholarships and educational for memory and reasoning. computer graphs the pendulum's motion resources. ''All three are important in computa as it swings. The students manipulate the The professorship was conferred in a tional science," Roelofs states, "and all level and frequency of the force and luncheon ceremony on December 4, fol three are happening at Haverford." observe its effect on the pendulum, both lowed by Roelofs inaugural lecture in Computer exercises and programs are used visually and mathematically.

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