The Black Sash, Vol. 4, No. 5, Special Edition
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Aluka is a not-for-profit initiative dedicated to creating and preserving a digital archive of materials about and from the developing world. For more information about Aluka, please see http://www.aluka.org/. Page 1 of 50 Alternative title The Black SashThe Black Sash Author/Creator The Black Sash (Cape Town) Contributor Berman, Desiree Publisher The Black Sash (Cape Town) Date 1960-09-00 - 1960-11-00 Resource type Journals (Periodicals) Language English Subject Coverage (spatial) South Africa Coverage (temporal) 1960 Source Digital Imaging South Africa (DISA) Relation The Black Sash (1956-1969); continued by Sash (1969-1994) Rights By kind permission of Black Sash. Format extent 48 page(s) (length/size) Page 2 of 50 EDUCATIONforISOLATIONSPECIAL ISSUE OF 'THE BLACK SASH/DIE SWART SERP'Registered at the G.P.O. as a newspaper Price 2/-Sept.-Nov. 1960 Vol. IV No. 5 Page 3 of 50 Parents . .YOU SHOULD(1) Read the text-books for history andsocial studies, and draw your child'sattention to passages that are open toquestion.(2) Join your school's Parent/TeacherAssociation, and take an active interestin it. Raise queries about any attemptto indoctrinate children.(3) See that you vote for the candidatesmost likely to represent sound educa-tional principles on your SchoolCommittee, and on the School Boardin your area.(4) Join the Freedom in Education move-ment in Pietermaritzburg (Secretary:Dr. D. M. Brodie, 137 Roberts Road,Pietermaritzburg), the Natal EducationVigilance Committee (Secretary: Mr.J. L. Castledon, Langford Road,Westville, Durban), The EducationLeague (Opvoedingsbond), P.O. Box6475, Johannesburg, The Home andSchool Council, 90 Market Street,Johannesburg.(5) Read educational journals-keep upto date.(6) Write letters of protest to the Presswhen necessary, and make your opposi-tion known to the authorities throughpersonal representation or throughyour Member of Parliament.(7) Encourage your child to read widelyoutside the curriculum. Page 4 of 50 OUR AIMSThe Black Sash is non-party politicaland undenominational and its objects are:-(i) To conduct propaganda, enlist supportand aid for the observance of:-(a) Political morality and (he prin-ciples of Parliamentary democracywithin the union of South Africa:(b) Civil rights and liberties.(ii) The political education and enlighten-ment of citizens of South Africa. andoilier persons.(iii) The doing of all such things and thecarrying out of all such activities asma, further the objects of theOrganisation.THE BLACK SASHDIE SWART SERP Page 5 of 50 "No other passion is so fatal to the pursuit of truth(is fanatical partisanship. Wherever it exists, whetherit takes the form of religious intolerance or ferociouspatriotism, there is an atrophy of science, learning andall the humane arts."-Dean Inge. Page 6 of 50 SEPARATION IN SCHOOLS-corrtirttccdrunner of the United Party) Afrikaners belonged.With coalition in 1933, however, all members whobelonged to the newly-formed United Party resigned,and since then the Br oederbond has been nothingbut the underground pressure group of the National-ist Party.In 1935, General Hertzog, speaking for threehours at Smithfield in the Orange Frce State, fullyexposed the Broederbond, which had become im-placable in its determination to eradicate from publiclife in South Africa all English-speaking people, andnon-Nationalist Afrikaners, using encroachment inthe field of education as a means to this end.General Hertzog pointed out that one-third of themembers of the Broederbond already consisted ofteachers, saying:"There are few torsns or villages in the cottrttr)rrlrcre the ~roederbond ~ras not already estab-lished cells of fisc to six members, ith at lca.sttn~o teachers belonging to each and .,hose dut~it is to spread Brnederhond propaganda. Shouldit he allowed drat teachers ho are paid by the.State should abuse tire privilege of contact withthe children of the country by dissc?rzbiatin~'-"",-making political prop",Urrcla?..For the RepublicSo well did Broederbond machinations succeed,and so true were General Hertzog's predictions, thateight years later, during the secret Silver JubileeConference of the Broederbond in Bloemfontcinin 1943, a Free State school inspector declared:'.The Afrikaans tcachers will shoss theAfrikartcrdonr what a porscr they possess in theirTeacher..' Associations to build it p the cottntry.s~.otrth for the future republic. I know of rtcrmore potent instrurnertt. They h", dl, the childrcrrfor five or more hour, each day for five daysin cads t-ek, while this contact continues in,broken ill hostels and hoarding schools for longperiods. A nation is born by having its youthin:prcgnatcd a! school irt the traditions, customs,nav.r and ttltirrtate dcstirty of its People."In the notorious Broederbond-sponsored C.N.E.pamphlet Prof. Van Rooy said:"Our schools must not only he moth". ton"ar.schools, they tnust he Christian and Nationalschools ill the truest sert.sc of the word; theymast he Places ".here our children cart be steepedit, the Christian National spiritual 'kultnar' stnlfof our (Boer) people."The Mac/, sash. .Srplcrrrhrr, P)6() 10In 1943 the United Party fought the Provincialand General Elections on the language mediumprinciple, with the avowed intention of makingbilingual medium schools, to be attended by both]n~a , uagc groups, the ideal for South Africa. TheBrocderbond, scriously alarmed at this grave threatto their sectional ambitions, immediately launcheda nation-wide protest, and worked out a detailedscheme to sabotage any effort made by the Govern-ment-with a mandate from the biggest majorityany government has ever had in South Africa-toimplement its plans.But when the Transvaal and Cape ProvincialCouncils announced their plans for introducingbilingual medium, the most vehement oppositioncame from English school principals. Gleefully theBroederbond circularised its cells to take it easy:"The Rooineks arc sabotaging the United Partyplans for us."HypocrisyToday the Broederbond is unwittingly abetted byEnglish-speaking educationists who are content aslong as they can retain their separate Englishmedium schools, and by Provincial Councils likethat in Natal, which deliberately accede to requestsfor separate medium schools.The English-speaking parents of South Africapresented the Broederbond with its most powerfulweapon. Let them now try to repair the harmby uniting to demand that all new schools-in Natalat all events, which still has parental option-bemade bilingual medium schools to be attended byboth English and Afrikaans- speaking children. Allthe smarmy talk of clerics and Nationalist-Broeder-bond politicians about creating goodwill betweenthe two language groups, "building bridges" and soon, is pure hypocrisy so long as they continue todo everything in their power to keep the two groupsapart. People learn to co-operate by co-operating,not by talking about it!Separation Disastrousto attempt by rigid legislation toseparate the children into different schools isdisastrous. The authorities claim that in spiteof separation the children are well-disposedto one another But this is not always borneout by experience."-T. !. Haarhoff, "Why not be Friends?"laic Srvart .Scrp, Scptcnrhcr 196() Page 7 of 50 GUIDANCE and RACE STUDIES"]'caching should alst, he nationalist, the child to become an heir toand tvorlhy carrier-nn of the national culture."Article 3, Christian National Education.By MAVIS WARRENTWO new compulsor~ subje 's "Guidance"an' "Race Studies' were cinttroduced intoall Trans vaal High Schools when a neweducation policy was adopted by the Pro-vince in 1957. In this article the suggestedsyllabuses and recommended text books forbt ctso h subje are examined.According to the Transvaal Education Depart-ment, Guidance or Counselling "is that aspect ofthe systematic educational process whereby the indi-vidual pupil may be helped, either by group orindividual counselling, to discover his own poten-tialities, and to plan a way of life which will enrichhis experience and enable him to play his part inour democratic society. The ultimate aim is to guidethe pupils that they may take their places in oursocio-economic society when they leave school."Ideological PolicyThere is no objection in principle to Guidance,which could be of great value in this country asit is in Canada and the United States. But in ourpresent South African setting it is important toknow by whom and in which direction pupils areto be guided.Ain indica gical policy behind thcnce ~ tion of the ideoloGuida eric, occurred in a departmental coursefor Guidance teachers in October, 1958. HereChristian National Education was advocated in thenarrowest sense, in particular, in a lecture by Prof.P. J. Coertze on