The Black Sash, Vol. 4, No. 5, Special Edition
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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 "The Origin and Development ofthe Traditional and Legal South African Point ofView on Race Relations."The concept of the "volk" is defined as a supra-organic creation of God within which complete uni-formity of culture and outlook is to be expected."The pattern of race relations in South Africaforms part of the culture pattern of the Afrikanervolk." Hence, not to conform to Nationalist raceideology is to be an element foreign to the volk.Liberal humanism and the view on race of churchesother than the Dutch Reformed Churches. are singledThe Black Sash, Septcnrhcr, 1960 11out for castigation as un-South African intrusions.Following this address, the Head of the GuidanceService moved and commended an unopposed motionfrom the chair that "no matter how importantfactors such as training and experience may be fortc I ,h guidance teachers, the most importa t stil i ,that he/she be a person of Christian National out-look."As the Guidance teachers will have unrivalledpower to influence the outlook of pupils compelledto take this subject, no parent should be unawareof the opportunity afforded for prying and politicalindoctrination.ModificationsAlready such concern has been caused that im-portant modifications have been made to thesyllabus,- that provisions which enabled the Headof the Psychological and Guidance Service to by-pass the authority of the school principal no longerapply. It is now laid down that departmentalofficials from outside the school may only adviseand not control. A clause obliging Guidance teachersto divulge all information collected about pupilsand their home background has been deleted, andonly non-confidential information may be obtained.through the school principal.Grounds for disquiet still exist, however. Noattempt has been made to amend c . a lyinga lause PtStan S 6, 7, 8 and - Fo dard 10, which ead,. Rac,Relations: Whites and non-Whites, according tothe legal and traditional South African point ofview-how to promote this tradition." The legalview on race relations is obviously that involvedin the race legislation of the past ten years andis therefore the apartheid view of the NationalistParty and Government. To call this the "traditional"South African view implies that there are no othertraditions, or that if there are, they are not trulySouth African. That this is the interpretation in-tended appears in the first two text books publishedin Afrikaans by the Voortrekkerpers: "Voorligtingvir Std. VI-Ken Jousclf" and "Voorligting vir Std.VII-Beplatr jorr Plck" by Mr. L. C. Bekker, Head
Page 8 of 50 GUIDANCE-continuedof the Psychological and Counselling Services of theTransvaal Education Department, and Dr. G. J.Potgieter, principal of the Pretoria Afrikaans Boys'High School.Afrikaner Nationalism of an exclusive kind isadvocated repeatedly. The English-speaking are byimplication excluded from the select body of theVolk, and their language branded as "the languageof the conqueror" (Std. VII, page 109). In a chapteron race relations (Std. VI) this blatant untruth isstated: "In some countries where Whites settled, they=int rmarried with the non-Whites and ard population originated. In South Africa thisdid not happen."No MixingIn the same chapter, support is lent to the bulkof apartheid legislation. "Although our forefatherssce vin the time of Ian van Riebeeck had been indaily contact with the non-White inhabitants, therewas virtually no inter-marrying. Our forefathersbelieved, and we still believe today, that God him-self made the diversity of peoples on earth. It istherefore bad for White and non-Whites to inter-marry . . . . '"It has become the traditional standpoint thatalthough White and non-White share a commonfatherland, there should be no mixing of races, andthat there should be no eating, drinking and visitingtogether. This viewpoint is also set down in variouslaws. Inter-racial residence and intermarriage arcnot only a disgrace, but are also forbidden by law."It is, however, not only the skin of the WhiteSouth African that differs from that of the non-White. The White stands on a much higher planeof civilization and is more developed. Whites mustso live, learn and work that we shall not sink tothe cultural level of the non-Whites. Only thuscan the government of our country remain in thehands of the Whites" (pp. 30-31).In the Std. VII text-book, there is a sectionheaded "Trade Unions" in which the Industrial Con-ciliation Act and Job Reservation are commendedas follows: "Before the Industrial Conciliation Actof 1956 came into operation, mixed trade unionswere the rule in South Africa. Communism infiltratedinto certain trade unions and later secretaries andleaders were 'named' as Communists, thereby puttingtheir activities under control. In these trade unionswhich had Whites and non-Whites, social mixing attheir meetings was =ha on. They ate and dranktogether. Sometimes d parties together. TheIndustrial Conciliation Act of 1956 put an end tomany of these wrong things. Henceforth no mixedThe Biuck Sash. Septenrhcr. 1961) 12Narrowness in Outlook` . . . It seems a pity that if 'guidance' isso important for university and collegestudents, the new subject in schools is soorientated that it can only lead to narrownessin outlook and circumscription of the spirit."---Editorial in Tratisvaal EducationalNews, April, 1959.trade unions may be established. The existing mixedt. er d , unions must split into separate branches forW te a n his nd on- "' - 23).0ne of the m~st irn(pportant advantages that theIndustrial Conciliation Act holds for the Whiteworker is job reservation. Equal pay for equalwork, which sounds fine if one does not think aboutit, meant that the Whites had to support themselveswith the same wages as the non-Whites were paid.Such a thing was impossible for most Whites, seeingthat the non-Whites' way of life requires less moneythan that of the Whites. Non-Whites were employedon an equal footing with Whites. The result wasthat the Whites had to give up their work andmore non-Whites took their places. The IndustrialConciliation Act now operates here. Henceforthwork will be able to be divided up for each racialgroup so that the one does not oust the other" (p. 24).BrainwashingA careful study of the syllabus and text-booksreveals signs of systematic "brainwashing," i.e. theapplication of psychological principles which couldbe of the greatest assistance to anyone seeking tomould character and outlook to a desired pattern.The text-books abound in little homilies on obedi-ence to authority of all kinds and adherence tosets of rules. These are usually followed by lists ofquestions probing the personality, morals andmanners of pupils, similar lists being given in thesyllabus also. Pupils are to assess themselves andaward themselves marks, each one's answers thenbeing checked by a fellow pupil.The Guidance syllabus also advocates the keepingof a daily, even half-hourly time-table on howpupils spend their time (teachers to check on theaccuracy of the information!) and the collection ofanecdotes about pupils by other pupils. The uncer-tainty, anxiety and guilt which such a procedurecan be expected to induce, is precisely the frameof mind most suitable to a would-be brainwasher,for whom it is then a relatively simple matter to,,orientate personality and implant his own view.particularly in the context in which the pupil withlie $N'ltrt Serp, Seplcmhcr 1960
Page 9 of 50 "In accordance with tradition No. 10,573 (Bis), as amended, students arepermitted tomake fires in the centre of a room, Dhlamini - but NOT WITH MATCHES!"non-conforming parents is an outcast from thegroup and therefore in a state of semi -isolation (acontext by no means rare in Afrikaans mediumschools in the Transvaal). How far this is actuallyapplied, or with what degree of awareness of whatis being done, it is impossible to say. It is notnecessary, however, for those applying the techniquesto know what they are doing. All that is necessaryis that they should set out to impart governmentideology and follow departmental instructions.The Black Sash, September. 1160 13Race StudiesThe Nationalist Afrikaner view on race is notconfined to Guidance, but underlies the other Com-pulsory subject of "Race Studies," an innovationparallel to "Rassenkunde" in the education of NaziGermany. The introduction to the syllabus statesthat the aim is to "guide" pupils "so that they may-Continued overleafDie Sn~ar( Serp, Seplember 1960
Page 10 of 50 RACE STUDIES-nrtlirtrrcdbecome adapted to fast changing developments inlife and world affairs in general." From the actualcontents of the syllabus, however, the real aim seemsto be adaption. not to "the winds of change," butto government enactment, in the sphere of race. Itis stated that "the subject must be approached,ec ely 11 cbj tiv b t the ma1c,ial lected and:rrrangcd with a pronounced bias, which must inevit-ably imprint on the minds of pupils the idea ofthe different races as separate and distinct ratherthan economically inter-dependent and united bytheir common humanity.The emphasis is almost entirely on the rural andthe primitive tribalism of the Bushmen, Hottentotsand Bantu. The only sections of the syllabus devotedto the urban African reads as follows:---"(1) Administration and control:(?) Native locations and Native towns:(3) Compounds and hostels and bachelorNatives;(4) Problems: housing, indolence, juvenilecrime, other forms of crime and thedeterioration of tribal authority."The assumption is clearly that, detached front hisprimitive culture, the African is automaticallydebased. There is nothing to indicate that tribalism.however long its history, is a temporary stage ofdevelopment which the people of Africa are rapidlyout-growing in favour of new and better ways oflife.Care for the BantuTheir incorporation into Western industrialisedsociety is dealt with under the heading "Adminis-tration and Care for the Bantu." "Arrangements"are made for "separation, reserves and guardianship"on the one hand, and for "employment of theBantu by the Europcan." Types of employment arc"agriculture. mining, industries and servants," all ofwhich is subject to benign "control." The assump-tion here is obviously that the servitude of theBantu is something imposed for his own benefitfor which he must be grateful.The course enos with a section headed "TheTraditional Standpoint with Respect to the Controland Administration of Non-Europeans (Historical):(a) Separate development; (b) Guardianship: Theduty and calling of the European." This is a clearindication that the di n d cti e I"' 'oVe is "Pecteculcate the -in that he hite man has beenp,a, c by o n . 'hecd d in South Africa as guardia f .Black, and that the only way he can carry out hisduty is by apartheid. All syllabuses arc theoretically"SuggeSled." yet the teacher is told that "clear, sys-7-he Marl, .Sash, .Sr/rrrnrher, 196() 14tematic schemes of work compiled in accordancewith the proposed syllabus will be required."On c has only to follow such a syllabus faithfully.according to the prescribed order (as an amendmentadvises). to indoctrinate according to the official~icw.The bias of the syllabus is reinforced by theollicially approved text-books of which there are twoseries, one published by tile Voortrekkerpers andthe other by the Nasionale Boekhandel Beperk.There is little to choose between the two sets.although the latter is preferred by most Englisl~medium schools, probably because the Englishtranslation is less stilted and more grammaticalthan in the other.Attitude RevealedThe attitude of the writers of "Race Studies forStandards VI, VII and VIII" (Nasionalepcrs) isrevealed in this passage: "The Bantu had a splendidwy ivi v Ovn _ea of I ng of their cry beforc hcy rcame into contact with the culture of the Whites.In the cities and towns they have lost much oftheir old delightful way of living, but fortunatelymuch of this has been preserved in their tribalreserves." (Standard VI, p. 78.) Yet regarding this"splendid way of living" the insulting generalisationis made that "the ideal of every Bantu man . . . isto have more than one wife." (Standard VII, p. 35.)The Indian community is assumed to be anti-African; for example, it is stated that "one of theways that the Indians have concentrated on in orderto escape the Bantu danger is sending their childrento schools in large numbers so that they may qualifythemselves for other and better work." (StandardVII, p. 166.)Under "Attempts to Repatriate Indians": "Repat-riation means the return of foreigners to their home-land" (Standard VII, p. 168). The inference is there-fore that South African Indians arc not SouthAfricans but foreigners.Anti-Indian prejudice on the part of Europeansis treated sympathetically and is said to be "under-standable" (Standard VII. p. 169).- - Contittucd on ircr,, 4'_'Only One View"The chapter on race attitudes is biased.There is no attempt to suggest that there mightbe any point of view except one."-Vnorligtinb> air St. VI dear L. C. I3Wkercvt G. J. Potgietcr --- "A Critical A,pruiscrl" irt Trun.cuaul Educational Nwos,April, 1959.I)ic .Smart ,Sore, .Septcmhcr 196(1
Page 11 of 50 "Social Studies" in the O.F.S.By HELEN O'CONNORformer teacher of history in the O.F S.HISTORY and geography are both subjectsthat are worthy of an independent placein the school curriculum, and they cannot besatisfactorily replaced by a hotch-potch of thetwo combined as is now being attempted underthe title " social studies ".The subject matter of the syllabus is open tocriticism; in the primary school, for example, it isconfined solely to South Africa, which exists,apparently. in a vacuum. In Standards VI and VIIattention is given to some world events. but thereis no connecting link, and the syllabus becomes sowide that it can be dealt with only in the mostcursory manner: South African history is continued.but most attention is given to the Boer Republics,while such important events as the achievement ofa free Press and Parliamentary institutions arepassed by unheeded.CivicsThe Standard VIII syllabus. in the part devotedto Civics, includes the Native. Asiatic, and Colouredpolicy of the Union. The wisdom of dealing inschools with the most controversial legislation everpassed in South Africa is doubtful, but its treatmentin the text-book (Social Studies for Standard VIIIby Messrs. Uys. Volstedt. Weideman and Coelzec)is even more questionable.For instance, it is admitted that, even when allthe land has been acquired under the Native Trustand Land Act, the Banta will possess only about13~y)f the total area of the Union, but it is addedthat. if the Protectorates are included in the Nativeareas. the total will be 45% of "Greater SouthAfrica." No mention is made of the fact that agreat part of the Protectorates is either mountainousor desert. and so useless for cultivation, nor is theunlikelihood of their incorporation referred to.With regard to the Bantu Authorities Act, it issaid that "no Bantu authority Ziar- on or aterritory is established before the nister of NativeAffairs has consulted the Natives in the Regionconcerned." But what of the Minister's powers totdecideay r m L" ~y not participate in publilife in the ReserveO hat of the Chiefs who havebeen deposed?The Group Areas Act enables the Minister arbi-trarily to deprive South Africans of their rights totheir homes and their land without compensation.People have found themselves uprooted and removedfrom areas in which they were born and bred, andcompelled to settle in strange surroundings, oftenat considerable financial loss. But all the text-bookcan find to say is: "The Act applies the principle ofcoripulsory apartheid, but will be applied so grad-ually that in most cases it will take place withoutcausing any great privation."In discussing the First World War the authorssay. 'General Botha and General Smuts held theview that South Africa as part of the British Empirewas automatically involved; they at once undertookthe defence of the Union, and Parliament. by alarge majority. acceded to the request by Britainto attack S.W.A. The Afrikaners were shocked.'The implication is that General Botha and hisfollowers were not Afrikaners. thus expressing thepopular Nationalist fallacy that Afrikaner andNationalist are synonymous.In dealing with the rebellion of 1914. it is saidthat Generals De Wct and Kemp were sentencedto many years of imprisonment and, in addition.heavily fined. But no mention is made of the factthat six months after the sentence was imposed.General de Wet. at least, was let out on parole, andin 1919, when the War had ended. all disabilitieswere removed.RepublicansThe League of Nations was said to be establishedto preserve peace and watch over the interests ofsmaller nations. "yet a delegation of Republicansappealed to the League in vain." It is not statedhow many the delegation represented, nor is thequestion answered whether the League was obligedto heed every opposition party in every country.In speaking of the South African Party the bookstates: "tt was the declared policy of the Party togain the confidence of the rest of the English-speaking people. This brought it in conflict withGeneral Hertzog who declared that there should beonly one great principle in the country's policy.viz.. the principle of South Africa first." But whyshould gaining the confidence of the English-speakingpeople be against the policy of South Africa first?It is devoutly to be hoped that the EducationDepartment will soon restore the study of historyto its proper place in the curriculum and will refuseto recommend as text-hooks those which fail tc,treat it objectively.
Page 12 of 50 CENSORSHIPIN SCHOOL LIBRARIES" l hc .spirit of ull teuchin,, tru~.tt h, ('hri,iutt-tttrtitritctli.sl;its ttrr .suhjc~c'ttaut u~tti-('hri,icut err .ttr.t-Christiurt or a ~tli-nulitntcrlist ortaut-irutitrttulisIpr'npu,tcatulu-Article 6 (i), Christian National 1 lmatitm.13y W. R. MAR'T'INDepartment of English, University of StcllenhoachFOIL seven yearn the Transvaal EducationDepartment's Library Service has ant insolemn judgment on the whole range ofEnglish literature and in it, Book Guide it canfind room for only a very limited number ofthe universally acclaimed claa,ica.'hhc Ciuidc list, a ma of "t3igglcs" anti EnicfI3lvton, but - W take three writers whux novel,arc 1r--,tk1y ,,I, f,,r,, -,,~,~riHc and J.C. !,z_s.'I ' t Th, ti,d~, these -liczult~nd "a r, r -IN 1-s in,port, novels."Nichula, Nicl.lehN" and "(ircat Expectations" arcamong sin major novels not listed under Ch,,,-Dickens: Jane Austcn's "Mansfield Park" an,"Persuasion" still await approval. Ry It)58. in theGuide's list of individual poets. 55 volumes hadappeared in the Afrikaan, section and 13 in theEnglish. And so on . .Threatening ToneBut indignation about the -it-1 of the Book( iuidc is hcside the main point. ~ he Book Oui&would be obnoxious even if il had been compiledby the most impartial and enlightened of Ilbrttrutns.If it were ntcrcly' a list of books rccumntcnded.perhaps no one uusitle the ~I ransv'aal would everhave hcarJ of it. f3ut the I3ool. Guide is aninstrument of ccnsonhip. r\rcr larru tlrul i.\ urn li.curlin tlrt' (itridr mip hr Ircrtr,iht Ior rrr Ae, in rr .,t'ltrr:dlihrur_v trrtlo.c.s Irerntia.sicrrr i., a/r/rliod /rrr unc/ rrhtuinrd.V/trrt'rwlr. mnly hrrtn., mllioinll,' null r.v/u'o.,slvcr/r/muwtl ntuv ho hrrnt,~ht crrr !rr .,ohurrl m' /t Page 13 of 50 Nf wBANrvE9~~STFORSCHOOL S'Then in a wailful choir the small gnats mourn' . . . See that`Ode to Autumn' is banned from the syllabus'."think for themselves and bw the books that thc_vPp~l ~ - ~ il~hal . it) be i democraticW li in pul "ssystem. The citizens (some of them) arc entrustedwith the election of their legislators, but lh cTransvaal Education Department Library Servicewill not trust its teachers to do an essential part ofthe work for which they are professionally quali-licd. The Supplement of August 1957 defend,"judicious selection b~ persons qualified for thetask'. One can only say that if teachers arc notlit to select the books their pupils read, they :rrcnot fit to be teachers.1hc lflrro% .Sn.c/r. le/rrnrhrr. 110We who object to the Transvaal system do nota y that some teachers will not make mistakes.perhaps more mistakes than the experts of theLmService, but we maintain Ila eqtn 'tib' " t by r " "teachers to submit to "experts" in a matter thatis so patently part of their own function, democracyis weakened and totalitarianism is brought closer.I don't mean merely that the Transvaal systemprovides an instrument that a dictator would findready-made for him, but chiefly that it creates, inadministrators and in those who are administered.an attitude that would find in dictatorship nothingnew or ohjectionahlc.Uic .1'warl .Srr/,, .Sr/,lrmhrr -11 Page 14 of 50 The Child and his Text-books.'History should be seen as the fulfilment of Cod's plan for huntanith. Cod has enjoined opt each nation its individual task ii: the fulfilmentof His purpose. Young people cmr only undertake the national task fruit-fully if they acquire a true vision of the origin of the nation and of thedirection of the national heritage. Next to the mother tongue the historyof the Fatherland is the best channel for cultivating the love of one's ounwhich is nationalism."-Article 6 (i), Christian National Education.By BARBARA McCORMICKA school teacher in the CapeLET us begin by admitting that perfecttext-books are seldom, if ever, written,and that South Africa is not the only countrywith glaring inaccuracies in its text-books. fhave, for example, met American, Englishand South African history books in whichthe writings of Copernicus, published in 1543.are mentioned as a contributory cause of theVoyages of Discovery, fifty years or moreearlier!Dull BooksRegrettable as such howlers are, their importancecan be exaggerated. A good teacher can put themright and point a useful lesson on the fallibilityof the printed word at the same time. The pupilwho is not much interested in history forgets "ac'in any case: the interested pupil goes on readingand must, in the end, find at least an approximationto the truth for himself. The speed with whichEuropean history is presented to the South Africanchild (in the Cape about a thousand yeah intwenty-five lessons) makes it impossible for morethan a hazy picture to remain. In such circum-stances the stimulating phrase, prejudiced or not.is probably more important than fact, and the dull-ness of our history books. particularly at primaryschool level, is almost worse than their inaccuracyor bias.Nor is South Africa the only country in wh;Ohistory books arc biased. A bias against othercountries is common in history books all over theworld. Although it is far from the historian's idealof the pursuit of truth, such bias has been usedto'er .nitv. " - I -,ndOs national W 11 is u""'- ,TJrr Mack .Srrslr. .1ttntml,ur. 1960doubly disturbing in South Africa is that the biasin the history books is against other South Africangroups. Nor is there the safety valve of the bigsweep as in European: or ancient history. SouthAfrican history, as taught. is very short and veryclose to us. It can be studied in some detail. Thestudy begins in Standard III or IV and goes onto Standard X. The writers of text-books arc notas a rule researchers. They rewrite the books of,_ a 't,th " da ing them to different age groups and.inevitably, to their own outlook. The work ofTheal forms the basis of moss of them. Theal hasbeen largely debunked by Macmillan, Walker.`" "is -iters1 , r. and De Kiewiet, but not all text-bookhave taken note of the debunking.Moreover. South Africa has a small cdutaledpopulation. There are few historians. and thosewho write text-books lend to be teachers andexaminers too. The examiner rewards the pupilwho reproduces his book and the ordinary teacher.keen on good results, can hardly be blamed fortaking cognizance of the fact. This exaggerates theimportance of the text-book.It would be idle to pretend that our school text-books have not perpetuated certain fallacies-to citebut a few examples, the legend that the White manand Bantu came to South Africa simultaneously.whose debunking by Professor Monica Wilson hashad publicity in the press recently: or the magni-fying of the Slagters Nek rebels into a nation inarms, when in fact the majority of Boers supportedthe government: or the ignoring of provocation bythe Boers on the Fish River boundary by Fowlerand Smit (still the standard history book in manyschools).But the attitude of mind inculcated by a historybook is as important as the facts it teaches. It isalmost impossible for a historian to avoid seeinghistory in the light of his own attitudes-thegreatest historians stand guilty of it-but the writerDie Scour! .Scr/r. Se/ W rrrhtr 1 96t) Page 15 of 50 t~l ;i school text-book must aim to produce in the:mind; of the pupils the conviction that truth ismore important than the fate of parties, races ornations. The writers of many of our school bookreveal their attitudes all too clearly. They do itthrough emotive language as much as through in-c-m.iccurit c facts r suppression of facts. Fo r.e(),, ", and aan~Ibrotc, approving of lh~ intPF'o"duction of Circuit Courts, say "Unforttcnately thefirst Circuit was mainly used to investigate chargesof cruelty towards Hottentots," or describingJanssens they say, "Tlrr"lt he was an cfcient manof action, he was imbued with philanthropic ideas."implying that to be so imbued is discreditable. Andin a Standard V book I read that Natal was"in/e,ted" with Indians.Unless they are lucky in their teachers-and sonicof them still are-South African children can hardlyescape imbibing the following opinions: That Kaflirs are treacherous. That South African history is the history of awhite people (they will study the Kaffir Warsinterminably, the Zulu Wars hardly at all). That other race, exist only as "problems". That liberalism and philanthropy are synony-mous with the ttnpractical. That the Boers "knew the native"-missionarieswho were foreigners did not (a little supple-mentary reading here, on the lives of thenussionaries, should disabuse them of thisone). That the Great Trek is the most importantevent in South African history and perhapsthe most heroic action of all history.L' view of the kind of South Africa, and indeedthe kind of world, in which our children will haveto live, the view of South African history as thestruggle of a little band of white people to builda nation in a vast empty land is perhaps the mostdangerous fallacy of all. The fact that the Depart-ments arc introducing something gilled Race Studiessuggests that educationists arc noticing a gap, butso far as I have met it this subject contains nomore than advice to the white youngster to stud,hard and get well qualified to maintain his whitesupremacy, besides some odd statements about theorigin of the Coloured people. Guidance or Voor-ligting text-books I have seen maintain the sameinsularity.What are parents to do about all this? At highschool level parents should know what histor,books their children are using and see that theyare using Walker, Marquard and De Kiewiet rather%'he Black Sash, Sehtcnihcr. P)(~() 19Damaging Group Relations"The damaging of group relations is punish-able b, law today, but we have no legislationto condemn or punish the irresponsible teacherof history who foments the worsening of grouprclations in his class-room.""Hi.ctnt_t Tcachitt, and ~le,,on,ibility"by Dr. F. A. van Jaarsveld, in ticTr Page 16 of 50 BANTU EDUCATION"Native edttccttion should he based on the principles of tru-eshrp, r~ou-cyuulity and segre-lion; it., aims should he to inculcate the Whileulrrrt'.svi-, of life, especially that of the Boer nation, w/rich i.c the seniortrustee . . .Nutitr educcttiou .should lecrcl to the rleveloprnent of an iudepeudent,self-.supportin' ('hristicur-nationalist Native couuuunity . . . Native educationshould trot he financer1 tit the expense of White."---Article 15, Christian National Fducatlon.By a SociologistI -h IS six years since the Bantu EducationAct came into effect and it is now possibleto ,:ee some of the results. Before the Actwas passed, control of education lay in thehands of the Provincial Governments. Mostof the schools had been built up by missionarybodies who had been subsidised by theGovernment as the educational system ex-panded. According to the report of theDepartment of Native Affairs. 1953-54, of the5,819 schools, 4.827 were aided private schooland only 992 Government schools.The type of education given in the schools wasin general the same as in the European schools andthe attitude it was based on was summed tip byEdgar Br,'es when he wrote, "Education musttake into account differences, not create them; thereis no special philosophy of African education dif-ferentiating it from the rest of the world."The source of the structure and aims of Bantueducation tts envisaged by the present GovernmentNo Equality"When I have control of Native educationI will reform it so that Natives will be taughtfrom childhood to realise that equality withEuropeans is riot for them . . . People whobelieve in equality arc not desirable teachersfor Natives . . . When my Department controlsNative education it will know for what classof higher education :t Native is fitted, and%vhether he will have a chance in life to usehis knowledge."-The Minister of Nalive 1. i,,, in 1h,debate cett du, 13nrtrtr F_du-tinn Rill,1953.The Black Srrsh, .frpfenthr'r, 1960 20can be found in the Eiselen report. the NativeEducation Act and in the D-rd Pa r ' larl, t h I = 71 n, ' I h.'~" . n"a I2 iffi, l'ilu,.I ,w I The Eiselen Report made a numberof criticisms of the then existing system, includingthe statement that mission schools were divorcedfrom local government, that there was denomina-tional rivalry leading in some areas to wastefulduplication, and that there was no uniformity amongthe provinces. Perhaps the most contentious recom-mendation in the report was that the medium ofinstruction for at Icast the duration of the primaryschool should be the vernacular instead of. ttshitherto. one or othcr of the official language.Minister's PowersThe most significant aspect of the Bantu Educa-tion Acl is the overriding powers with which itendows the Minister. He may, for instance. at anytime suspend. reduce or withdraw any subsidiaryor assistance granted to any school. He may pre-scribe conditions of appointment and the rights.duties and privileges of teachers in Governmentschools. Section I5 alone lists 19 points on whichthe Minister may make regulations. The Act trans-ferred the control of all Bantu education from theProvincial governments to the central government.proclaimed that, unless registered. no body orperson might conduct a Bantu or Native schooland gave the Minister powcr to refuse or cancelregistration. Lastly the Bill purported to hand overthe management of the Bantu schools to Banturegional, local and domestic councils.Dr. Verwocrd's speech in the Senate gave lhcmost detailed account of his policy. It announcedthe reduction and finally the elimination of theexisting grants to mission schools, which wouldthen be transferred to the state, the introduction ortwo shifts in the primary schools with reducedI)ie .fuetrr lerp, leptrnther -0 Page 17 of 50 I '411~A~:t, Page 18 of 50 BANTU E Dl iCATION-,nrin~~Ihours of work for each shift (but taught by thesame staff'; instruction in the mother tongue in thelower primary schools, with equal time to bedevoted to the two official languages; the removalof European teachers, but with no increase insalaries for Bantu teachers."The salaries," said Dr. Verwoerd. "which Euro-pean teachers enjoy are in no way a fit or Per-missible criterion for the salaries of Bantu teachers.They must he fixed in comparison with the averageincome of the average parent whose children heteaches."Dr. Verwoerd crystallised his attitude to Bantueducation in words now familiar--"the Bantu mustbe guided to serve his community,. there is no placefor him in the European community above thelevel of certain forms of labour."Must be Tri-lingualSome clfects of this policy can now be seen.Firstly, between 1953 and 1957 enrolment increasedfrom just under 900,000 to over 1million, butthis has been achieved with only a slight increasein the number of teachers and chiefly on the basisof the shift system and increased classes. With lessthan 3 hours a day in a class of over 50, in somecases with a teacher already tired with one session.Coming to school in many cases without havingeaten. provided with no school meal,. the amountthat a primary school pupil is able to learn is, tosay the least of it, severely limited. Added to this.teaching in the vernacular has already been intro-duced though scarcely any text-books are yet avail-able. the teacher having to prepare from books ineither Afrikaans or English and translate into thevernacular. For the pupil there is no text-book andhe mast rely on his memory. As subjects advancein complexity, the difficulties of creating a vocalu-lary in the vernacular for things and concepts forwhich there are no equivalents, increase.The pupil is now required to be tri-lingual, some-thing not demanded of the average White pupil. TheFOOTNOTE2l,ki,, ovr Al,ican edu ation, the govern-nent froc h. 'ceding Schemce grant at the 1955figure. It also expressed a desire that feedingscheme funds should not be used for the supplyof :t school meal but for the "provision ofbuildings. teachers, and equipment," and promiseda f for f contribution on all sums diverted tothese purposes. As a result. in 1955-6, only oneAfrican school child in seven was provided witha school meal.Thr Black .Sri.clr. .Sc/rlcn,hrr. I'>611 22Quite Absurd"What is the use of teaching the lianluchild mathematics when it cannot use it inpracticc . . . That is quite absurd."/7~.. Vern,uerd, introducht,, Ihc II((iltlildncnlicnt Hill in 1-1i ...... i-csull is a marked decline in the knowledge of theofficial languages, chiefly English, when the pupilenters the secondary school. The general opinionof educationists agrees with the late Dr. 1_oram.who, in his book, The Edncutioir (,J tltc .Sor~tli~tfriflfll Native, wrote: ". . . apart from scntimcnlthere is no reason for wishing the Bantu languagesto survive. They have served their purpose. Theyarc not capable of expressing the ideas which thenew European civilisation has brought to the coun-try. They arc hopelessly clumsy and inadeqtiate onthe mathematical side."From the financial viewpoint the Act fails tofulfil the recommendations of the Eiselen Reportwhich envisages an expansion of about 7 per centeach year in the contribution of the central Govern-ment; the amount contributed has been pegged atf61 millions, Dr. Verwoerd explicitly stating that-'a sound pedagogic principle was sacrificed whenthere was a deviation from the principle underwhich a direct contribution was demanded fromthe Native in order to earn a subsidy from theGovernment." The result is that stringent economyis practised in all Bantu schools, the primary schoolchild produces his own exercise books, in secondaryschools the pupil pays fees and provides his ownbooks. How heavy a burden this can be will berealised from the fact that the books for the Matri-culation syllabus cost at least f 10. The allowancefor equipment to schools is ludicrously small; forlaboratory work. for instance. f5 appears to be thenormal grant.The Act AcceptedAt the beginning the Act was accepted mostreadily by the average African parent because ofthe attraction of the ~i n it, r's ra n cc that th,:pP", " .d a ~r h,c. - - h gr' share in ,control of their schools. The structure set up bythe Act was of school committees controlling eachschool and a school board co-ordinating the schoolcommittees in a given area. The committees con-sist chiefly of nominated members, except in urbanareas where there are a few elected members; inrural areas the committees and boards are nominatedpartly by departmental officials and the rest by chiefs__Cotttinacd nn hn,i;c 40Me I~vurt .lcr, .Sc/itc~rthcr 196(1 Page 19 of 50 Jabulani!By J. SWANSONFAIRY-GODMOTHERS do not thrive inthe rarefied atmosphere of the BantuEducation Department, nor did our smallAfrican farm-school materialise at the flick ofa wand. The school's triumphant openingday, in the spring of 1958, was preceded byny years of frustration and bitter disappoint-ments, of patient endeavours, steadfast faithand hard work.Community EffortPerhaps the least known fact about this schoolhas been its greatest triumph. It was a communityeffort undertaken by a scattered, illiterate andpoverty-stricken group of Africans. It became anenthralling experience in which we all shared.The nearest school for African children was fivemiles away and their parents rightly felt that it wasnut suitable for small children to walk this distancealone every day.So we bought slates, pencils and books, and soonhad a small "school" of more than a dozen children.The teacher was an old Masuto, living on our farm.')was barely one page ahead of his class! Everyday they sat under the trees near our house, com-pletely absorbed in their work.The attitude of our neighbours was adequatelysummed up by the wife of a school master. Whenshe heard of our "school" from one of the Africanparents, she grimly remarked to him, "Oh, we shallsoon put a stop to that!" Although we werereported to the authorities, there were no seriousconsequences.The131u,!'.Sa.sh.,Scptcmhrn, 110 23About a year later a law was passed prohibitingprivate schools or classes for Africans (with a fineof 50 for culprits). Reluctantly we were forcedto close our "school".Then, under the influence of our missionaryfriends, we spent the next two years applying(usually in triplicate) for a registered farm school.This involved us in the unpleasant task of can-vassing our neighbours for signatures, to give theAfrican children on their farms permission to attendour school. There were a succession of acrimoniousvisits. Even the Farmers' Association meetingsbecame a battle ground. For not only were ourneighbours intent on preventing us from opening aschool. they were also trying to close the existingAfrican school.They sent deputations to the school board andto the local M. P. in an attempt to save their child-ren from a fate worse than death! They were con-vinced that Black schoolchildren must automaticallypollute White schoolchildren. We were lucky toharvest eight signatures!We felt stunned when we heard that our schoolhad been registered. Obviously some junior clerkin the Department had made an appalling blunder!The sting, of course, came in the tail of the officialletter. The school could only admit children fromour own farm.However, amid feverish excitement and soaringhopes, all the parents combined to make sun-bakedbricks, and lay strong stone foundations, durin~weekends. Joseph Ndala, the eldest son of one ofwn fan,,,,c U _un .~ades' iq ickly ~d hip. His~Kill. organising a lity and quiet determination werei nvaluablc.We chose a delightful site for the school. highup on the hillside, amongst green trees. It is a-C'ontinrred orcrlrrrJl)io .S'ovrrr, .So,. .Sr/~It~mher 19611 Page 20 of 50 .I ABLILANV-ronrirrrrcrlpeaceful and secluded spot. well-hidden farm pryingneighbours.,v h- the building reached window-Icvcl we hadanother unpleasant shock. The Department with-drew ill trffcr of a grant to pay for the dour:,.windows and routing. But friends helped generouslyin supplying windows, doors, beams and blach-boards. One of them made benches from packing-cases, and it cupboard from paraflin boxes. wepainted them in bright colours ;tnd they made theclassroom look very gay.-The ntissiunaries found Lis a young teacher whohad passed his J.('. He had had nor previous 1-ch-ing experience, and none of the sixteen children hadever been to school before, su the school waslaunched in an atmosphere of joyous adventure!On the second day of term a freak storm blewoff half the roof. Rain poured in before the roofwas replaced. But in the eyes of the children, a fargreater calamity was the compulsory public holidayduring the first week. That was a tragedy indeed!The teacher and children clcarcd a sports fieldnmd P'ardL a smal~, garden, in f ront of 'h` :Cih.'Th~ , Id compc ition to choose ianicfur the school. They finally selected "Jabulani,"which means "L.et them be happy." We painted thename on an old pastry board, and Joseph hung ilabove the school door!A school committee was formed, consisting of lhcteacher and some of the fathers. The parents wereilliterate and had never before heard of a com-ntittce. Yct this conrmittee, with Joseph Ndala asits chairman. soon became a must active and ellicicntbody. which insisted on taking over the wholeresponsibility of running the school.During It>59 our numbers rose rapidly from 11)to 60. It has been heartbreaking to turn awayalnrost as many children as have been admitted.l'he Departmentn ow pays the teacher's salary, butthe parents are willing to pay his wife to teachthese extra children. She is quite capable of teachingthe grades, but this ideal arrangement is madevirtually impossible by Departmental regulations.There is the urgent need for a night school furthe adults. This. too, would have to be registered.The Department has been closing down manyprivate night schools. so it is scarcely worth applyingfor one here.In March, 1957, the Department stated categori-cally that it was the Government's policy to reduce;farm-schools to "one-teacher." and "one-classroom-units. A "one-teacher" school is not allowed to gobeyond Standard 11. At the same time. inspectors(of all colours!) continue to pay us surprise visits.In spite crf all these frustrations, the school hasforged ahead. It has become a centre for inler-The 131 rrc % 1cr.sh,Scp(crnhcr. 1110 24school ,ports and games (organised entirely by thestaff and school committee). for church services.weekly clinic and for the school committee andmothers' meetings every month.Generous friends have organised a feeding schemefor the children. School finances are always pre-carious. but whenever the need has been mostucsperalc, help has miraculously appeared --trftenfrom the must unexpected quarters.Our most urgent problem now, is how to educatethese children. in spite crf (icrvernment legislation.Parents, teachers. children and friends. mast all keepbright the vision that Standard II is nut the end.but only the beginning of their education. And itmust be clearly understood that this wholeendeavour can become a futile waste -- unless thelaw of the land entitles Africans to make full useof their education and ability-not only in theirwork. but in all other aspects of their lives.As 1 write This. on the first school drty of a newyear. I have had a typical note from the teacher.I1c writes, "There are so many children here whirwant to start school. I don't know what to du.Please ctrnrc and help." Then, with a triumphantflourish. he adds, "Sonic children have now passedinto Standard I. Isn't this progress!"Helping the Farnter.'~1.c rr.>;trrd.c rlrr furrn .soh Page 21 of 50 VERNACULAR TUITIONWhy Africans Object to Compulsion"l'/tt rrtrrther-ttrltgue shrndd be the basis of Native etlucution but thenlvr u1jiciul lunguuqes should be learned us keys to the cultures fromts'hichthe native till/ have try borruls, in order to progress."-Article 15, Christian National Education.OTHER-TONGUE instruction is a finetheory, and it has the support ofeminent educationists the world over. TheAfrican, however. argue that these scholarsdid not have South Africa in mind when theyformulated their theories: South Africa withits nine or more different languages of whichonly two enjoy official status; South Africawhere the means of self-preservation -- econo-mic and political power -- are concentrated inthe hands of one-seventh of the population.What use is any education if it cannot providethe means of eifective ,elf-preservation in life?The child who approaches a White railwaybooking clerk and says, "Ndifuna itikiti Ie klasiyokuqala ukuya nokubuya eMhlangeni" (I want afirst class return ticket to ~andfontein), will probablybe told, "Jy mors my tyd, jy moenie daardie tailbier kom praat nic." It may be shattering to theAfrican's ego, but he will be able to do nothing;,bout it. The other has the whole machinery trfState behind him. and he, the less substantial backingcrf educational theorists.RecommendationsVernacular instruction Ior the first few years ofthe African child's school life was an undisputedprinciple and an accepted fact of Native Educationin all Provinces long before the advent of BantuEducation. The extension of the practice to middleand upper classes, however, is regarded by lhcAfrican as a totally different proposition. As early:~s 1936, the Inter-departmental Committee on NativeEducation reported as follow;:"Nulitc opinion gencrully, the Contntillcc fnd,_r.c rrol fut` rrrcrlrlc to tt" irnmedi!e cxtensicnr.beyond ~lre prc.scn! prclice. of crrrrrpulcorvnmther-tongue mcdinnt . . ..M.G. No. 29/1936, pagc 83, par. 440.)T/tr Muck .Sash. Scptcnrhcr, 1961) 21. By J. C. M. MBATAThe scritcr snl>mi~s this article in hi, personalcprwily. and nothing contained in it .shouldhe con.sfrrred s representing the consideredopinion of the Sotrt/t "trice"' Institule of RaceKcllions of rchiclt he is Field 0flicer.The Committee recognised the practical considera-tions involved, and made recommendations whichallowed for flexibility and experiment--a veryimportant principle in education. The Committeerecommended"that for Ihc present I/ h- 'On", , of Mepupils should its gencrnl rrrlc be the rncdirrrrrof inslrrrction in I~ zrtivc svhools, during crtIcact the jir-.ct four yrrr.s of tltc cltild'.s .schoollife. '( I'a r. 441. )The Committee stated in the next paragraph:..It rrill natnrully follotc that front lhc fifth yearof in.slrncliorr the chief ntcdiunt svil( generally!rse to h c ctrt official lattguge introducedccordin,r; trr !!rc pupil.,' ohility to benefit hsirrsrrrrction through that ndinnr."(Par. 442. )In 1951, the Eiselen Commission on NativeEducation, 1949-51, published a report which form-dthe basis of legislation which was to have far-rcaching effects on African education. Among otherthings is stated:"Your ~onnnission i.c of opinion 'trot the yue.stioof nrotlrer-lorrguc medium i,, Hiools i,ritI to the who/e .sv.ctcnt . . .'.(U.G. No. 53/1951. page 145, par. 919:)The Commission advanced a reason which. on theface of it, cannot be gainsaid. It pointed out that -"Tlrc Bn!rr child has the right to expect IhalIhc krtowled, which i.c irtrpurted to hint .shorrlrlh c rrtrderctood by ltirtt . . ."(Par. 920. )The Introtuction to the Higher Primary SchoolSyllabus contains the following statement:-Cotttittrted overleafl)ic Isvart Scrp. septenther 1- Page 22 of 50 VERNACULAR TUITION-,,,,,1i rrtrcd"Str'crrtg enrpherJ'Ls IT1(r5't, however, .still he laid ritethe Bertrtrr language,, arid the pritrciplc o/ motlrer_tongac instruction nra.st also be applied lee rc ireorder that the pupil nray he able to rise, hisosvn lanxuage for his needs ire a civilized.society."(Bantu Education, 1956: The HigherPrimary School Course.)It has already been indicated that mother-tongueinstruction is an accepted principle in education.and that in a different setting objections to itmight have little ground. The African child indeedhas the right to expect that what is taught shallbe understood by him. Is the assumption valid,however, that he will not understand if, after thefirst few years of careful preparation, knowledge isimparted to him in some other language spoken ~nthe country? What is the African standpoint inthis matter?A Subject PeopleIn the plural-language setting of South Africa.English and, in increasing measure, Afrikaans are thelanguages of commerce and industry; and :rneconomic system which does not employ these hasyet to be born in the country. The African feelshe has a right to demand for his children anadequate preparation for the type of life in which.for the foreseeable future at least, they are likelyto find themselves. The Federal Council of AfricanTeachers' Associations, in a memorandum datedNth September, 1955, puts the case as follows:"%'hc Bantu are a subject people itt a tnulti-racialand trtrrlti-lingual country and Me., realise thatmany c 'ono-,, arcnue.s s,ill hc for'cver ,shirt tothcnr if they fail ;,,,o,u fluency acrd accurac.vitt the speaking and ss~ritin,, of the o,Ificiallanguages, Afrikaans and English. They rcaliu also that even if the idealof the prcsettt Govcrrr-rncnt of serving their people itt their "I'll areasshould ever be attained in the near future, thcr'cwould .still he an urgent creed for a nta.stcrlvktrorvledgc of rltc' oljicial languages."Another argument against vernacular tuition isthat the relegation of English, in particular, to lhcA World Language"Any African who knows a world languagelike English can be forced into an ethnic`Bantu community' physically but certainly notideologically."-Hcrtry Sitrrntor..s ire Natal Mercury.TheBlackSash,September, 11111 26status of a mere "time-table subject" will shut thedoors to the vast wcalth of knowledge and literaturethat is readily accessible to those who have a masteryof the language. The 20th century African is nota moon-struck isolationist. He appreciates the valueof contact with those from whom he can learn.In the same memorandum, the Teachers' FederalCouncil states:"Conseyucntly, the ptrpil.s tvoald be cat off frontthe frrndantcrrtal streams of Wc.stern caltar'e "I'dcivilisation arid this type of educational i.sola-tiorusnr is conducive to inferior standards. This.rvc suggest, xould be particularly unfarttnrate ina Horld whole vastness is ever rrarrosving. In thernodertt .set-tip Ili(, endeavour .should rather heilia' of hroaderthtg /torizons by stintrrlcrting tlIcnrtivcrsal instruments of con.starrt contact acrdconrnrrrrrication Ili- a kraaling parochialismhtduced by a hesvildcrirtg hahel of locali.scddialects acrd languages."_ The African desperately strives for unity, and isongly opposed to any tendency to division amonghis people. The multiplicity of African languageshas always been regarded as an impediment tounity. In an effort to overcome this, the Africanhas accepted English as the lingua franca of thesub-continent, and is glad to see the disappearanceof tribal barriers. To him, then, the re-tribalisationof the schools and the emphasis it lays on thedifferent vernaculars is a retrogressive step.A national awareness that is little appreciated bymany has come over the African, and it is perhapsthe greatest single reason for his objection to ver-nacular tuition. He feels he has a right to decidehis own destiny. To the stranger, national con-sciousness and opposition to mother-tongue instruc-tion may seem incompatible; to the African, inhis present circumstances. there is nothing contra-dictory in it.African NamesSome years ago, it was becoming the vogue inmeetings of Africans for people to use their ownlanguages. It was a spontaneous reaction. notimposed from outside. The tendency became sostrong that numbers of young men and womendropped their European names, and insisted on theuse of African names. These young people arcmothers and fathers today, and in many casestheir children bear only African names, yet someof them are in the vanguard of resistance to ver-nacular tuition. There is nothing contradictory inthis. The African rejects vernacular tuition becauseit is imposed on him. He wants to be accepted asDie Srvart Serp, Septcnrher 1960 Page 23 of 50 Destroying Foundations" . . . English has had three great advantagesin the past. By its use as a common sharedlanguage it has helped to create harmonyamong the African people; it has enabledthem to take the same exams. as Europeans;and it has proved beyond doubt their capacityfor higher education."The new!ang.age regulations, whetherintentionally o!not, arc destroying the foun-dations of African higher education in thiscountry."yl'. Macquurric in thc F.r~eeieg Poet.a grown-up person, capable of making his owndecisions. He will react with equal vehemence topaternalism and to attempts to force things downhis throat-however good the medicine maybe alleged to be.Discussing the question of books, the Teachers'Federal Council wrote:"We are informed tl!at `arrangentcttts )rill speedilyhe tnndc to pr-odrrce text-hooks' . . . The mostthat could he done, ns far as xc con inu~giee.trould be to translate n fetr text-book.c rnt 1111various subjects and thus the teac1ter would hc"'.'rely haedicapped in ~ri.c coerces of iefornrrr-tintt crud referee!Prophetic Words(F.C.A.T.A. Memorandum, 20%9 55.)the Federal Council's words were strangelyprophetic. Seven years after the passing of theAct, very little progress can be reported in theproduction of text-books. This means that a wholegeneration of pupils is about to graduate fromprimary school with no experience of direct studyfrom a text-book in most of the informative sub-jects. Progress is possible only by the educationallyunsound method of copying notes and "swotting"them. The teacher is doomed to the drudgery oftranslating and simplifying from English andAfrikaans texts. His teaching becomes less imagina-tive. Evidence of this is provided by the franticrush that takes place when teachers arc called uponto take part in exhibitions of teaching aids. Mostof them only then begin to prepare charts andmodels. and in the process disrupt the school routine.because in the normal course of things they havenot found time to prepare these.The cumbersome form which certain expressionstake in the vernacular is common knowledge. Any-one who tries to say or write in words, for example.'Tl!cI31aekScr.sh,Scptemher, 1960 27the number 8899 in any African language willi mm rec, Imm app ate Effo,ts have been - a"nt . "isi. rm, in ce Iain scto i roduce more concise in an -bthe,ut se barely touch the fringe of the problem.New problems arise instead. A Sotho-speaking childwho talks to his parents of "Shong" for eleven,or "Kgosotharo" for 113, will find that the termsare foreign to them. A new language is in factbeing created-the language of the classroom, forit is not spoken anywhere else. It would appearthat the child is being asked to bear the burdenof an extra language.The Eiselen Commission recommended that--"le cnrployieg the 7zother-t-gue as cr nudiunru/ ieslr-uctioe the language r-equiren:cets of tilepupil in tire subsequent .stages of his educnticre.should be home ie mind so that he mill at notune be penalized crs n result o/ hi.s poor keovr-Iedge of uNooflicia! language."(U.G. . 53J1951, page 146, par. 920 (c).)The principle of co-ordination implied in thisrecommendation appears to have been overlooked.Pupils are instructed through the vernacular mediumup to Standard Six in all subjects except Englishand Afrikaans. At the subsequent secondary schoolstage, mother-tongue instruction is continued, if atall. in the following subjects only: Religious Instruc-tion, Physical Education and Music, all of themnon-examination subjects. In the case of languages,the medium of instruction is, of course, thelanguage concerned. With the remaining subjects.it i~ stipulated that half shall be taught in Afrikaansand ihc other half in English, both of which havenot been used as media of instruction in any ofthe preceding stages. The Commission's recommen-dation leaves no doubt about the handicap imposedon the child by this arrangement.Multi-vernacular areas present yet another prob-lem. Attempts were made in some areas to providefor each of the seven African languages. Practicalconsiderations made this impossible in most areas,and as an expedient schools were divided into twogroups only, Nn and Sotho; the former com-prising Xhosa and Zulu, and the latter Pedi.Southern Sotho and Tswana. While the languagesin each group are closely allied, it is also true thatprofound difference., exist. A study of the Depart-ment's own suggested terminology for Zulu andXhosa ("Zulu-Xhosa Terminology and Spelling No.I") reveals an interesting position. Under the letter"C" alone, 108 English and Afrikaans terms arclisted. Zulu and Xhosa equivalents of these arcgiven, and in 32 cases the Zulu and Xhosa termsdo not even remotely resemble each other. It is cleartherefore that where a Xhosa child attends a Zulu-medium school, he is placed at a disadvantagecompared to his Zulu desk-mate, and vice versa.--Continued nn pnge 42Die .Sm~!rt .Sere, Septemher 196(1 Page 24 of 50 Page 25 of 50 Some Problems in the Education ofCOLOURED CHILDREN"lt is the Afrikuuer.s' sucrecl duty to .we that the (' Page 26 of 50 "The welfare and happiness o/ the Coloured lies in his undcrstunclirrgt/rut he belong, to a separate racial group (hence apartheid is necessary ineducation), and in his being proud of it . . . Coloured education nru.sttrot befirruncecl at the expense (7f White education.--Article 14, Christian National Education.became 2,387 in Std. 8 in 1955 and a mere 735in Std. 10 in 1957. The big difference betweenSub. A and B is due largely to heavy retardationin Sub. A. This is due to overcrowded conditionsin the lower standards, lack of books and cqui _nen t' low sta ndard of teachers, great distances froniI Ischool, resulting in frequent absence, lack of properfood, resulting in poor powers of attention.Again, no provision is made for the transport ofthe country primary school child. It is still commonto find tiny tots of six or seven having to walkfive, six. even ten miles to school and back everyday. In tine area, near Plettenberg Bay, parentssI undeimp y (and rstandably) refuse to send theirlittle children to the nearest school, which is somesix miles away, and where the children have towalk along the national road. with its dangeroustraffic. Result: these children simply grow up with-out schooling. Nor are there boarding schools incentral places so that the children may be centralisedfor their education, going home for the vacations.Cheap LabourBecause Coloured children leave school early.mainly in order to supplement the meagre familyincome, there are not enough passing the SeniorCertificate examination to make this the entrancelevel for teacher-training, as it should be. Theresult is that Coloured woman, who are the bulk ofthe teaching service, especially in that vital area.the lower primary school. are allowed to teach aftera two-year course following a meagre Junior Cer-tificate. This weakens the whole structure.The salaries of Coloured teachers are a matterof grave concern for all - or should be. Colouredteachers arc paid considerably less than Whiteteachers with the same qualifications and experienceand doing the same work. This leads to discontent-ment in the service, which has its outlet in variousways. The White-Coloured ratio has actuallydropped since 1948, from 80 per cent to somewherebetween 65 per cent and 75 per cent.In terms of money, these discriminations meanthat for the year 1957-58 the Province spent10,874.531 on the education of about 194,000 Whitechildren, and 5,499,807 on the education of about243.000 Coloured children.The etlect of this is that the Coloured people arckept as a group of largely semi-skilled and unskilledworkers -a source of cheap labour for the farmsand secondary industries of the towns. Even whenThc liturgy .fns/r. .frlncnrhrn, 1 960 30they reach the level of skilled workers, there arcreal or threatened difficulties in the form of JobReservation. In many clerical posts there is wagediscrimination. Even Coloured medical practitioners.working as interns in Provincial hospitals, arc paidless than their White counterparts.Although the Coloured people are, to a largeextent, farm workers, there are no agriculturalschools. The result is that the children in farmingareas never gain a systematic knowledge of farmingand, although many rise to responsible positions onfarms, they are not paid salaries commensuratewith the work done.Technical education is also virtually non-existent.Whereas the apprentices in a community such astChe .loured people should number thousands, the('ape Technical College enrolled 575 Colouredapprentices in all trades in 1959. White apprenticesoutnumber them by more than eleven to one. It isunderstood that a Technical College and TechnicalHigh School arc to be built at Athlone. It is notknown whether this will lead to an increase in thenumber of apprentices, as the matter is still in thehands of the employers and Apprenticeship Boards.The establishment of the new Coloured UniversityCollege at Bellville is a matter for no satisfactionat all among the Coloured community, who regardit as another step in their complete removal fromthe body politic and from citizen status. It is not amatter of the validity of the degrees, but rather amatter of being politely but firmly shown the backdoor.It is not denied that there has been progress in"Coloured education." It would be wrong to denythat there have been increases in the number ofchildren attending school, in the amount spent onthese children, in the number of teaching posts, ofschools, especially secondary schools, of matricu-lants, and so on. This is so. But the increase hasnot been sufTicient. And the really bad aspect of thematter is that, in spite of these increases, therehas been a steady worsening of race relations. Therehas been a weakening of trust. Faith has been lost.A likects , the Group Areas Act, which has proved amajor set-back in educational planning, have broughtabout an atmosphere which is bad for education.Those involved in the education of Coloured child-ren - parents, teachers, students - will need a veryconsiderable demonstration of real good faith inmany spheres if this attitude is to change.Di, Swum .fcrlr, S'rlrtrrrrhor 1960 Page 27 of 50 Indian EducationSTRUGGLE andSACRIFICEBy Dr. S. COOPPANDepartment of Education, University of NatalTHE brightest feature in the stormy life ofthe Indian people in South Africa is theireducational advancement in spite of thegeneral indifference of the rulers of thecountry to their needs, or even active hostilityto their advancement.What has been achieved in Indian education isthe result of widespread community effort sustainedover decades. They have received some aid fromthe educational authorities, but even this wouldnot have been forthcoming had they not taken theinitiative themselves in establishing and maintainingschools.Inferior StatusA review of the history of Indian education showsclearly that the State did not regard the educationof non-White children as of the same consequenceand urgency as the education of White children.Educational policy reflects the subordinate andinferior political, economic and social status of thenon i u-Wh tes in South Africa, their exch sion fromthe pale of citizenship and responsible participationin the affairs of the country. But the Indian minorityhas steadfastly refused to accept this as its settledstatus in life. Though completely deprived ofrepresentation in Parliament, in Provincial Council,or in Town Councils, Indians have quietly deter-mined to pool all their spiritual and materialresources to resist the attempt to keep them chainedto the conditions of life and labour and statusunder which they were originally brought into thecountry.One of the great retarding factors in Indianeducation was the apathy of the parent workingas an indentured labourer and living under com-pound conditions on the plantations and mines.The stimulus to advance materially and culturallycame with emancipation from indentured labourThe Black Sash, September, 1960 31TO-DAY the Indian population of SouthAfrica numbers about 450,000 (or 3 percent of the total population). Some 95 percent of them are of South African birth anddomicile.This article is concerned primarily with theeducational problems of Indians in Natal forthat is where the majority (80%) lives.service, for it brought rising incomes and, withthat, higher status.Another obstacle in the growth of Indian educa-tion, related to Indian tradition, was the attitudeof Indians to the formal education of their girls.They suspected the kind oal. instruction impartedin the "English" schools, usuy under the manage-ment of Christian missionaries until the 1930's, asbeing unsuited to the role of a housewife. Thei ntel ctual eman Pa on tha , ca me with schoolingle ci ti ~unfitted the girl for the role of an unquestioningand obedient wife. The Indian community hasundergone a profound change of attitude in thisregard in the course of one hundred years ofsettlement in South Africa and contact with Westerntraditions. But the ratio of girls to boys in schoolis still unsatisfactory from Standard IV upwards.The educational advance of the Indian womanmight have been more broadly based today had theeducational authorities been more sensitive toIndian needs and responded by establishing manymore girls' schools, and provided a choice ofcurriculum oriented to homecrafts. This wouldhave brought more girls into the schools and alsogiven the kind of education some parents preferred.Proof of this contention is to be found in theremarkable support given to the special courses forwomen and girls at the recently established M. L.Sultan Technical College in Durban. Though someparents are willing to send their adolescent daughtersto co-educational institutions if a purely girls' collegeor high school is not readily available, moregirls' schools are required if the enrolment of girlsin the upper standards is to be stepped up.Building SchoolsMuch of the advance in Indian education, forwomen as well as men, has been registered in thepost-Cape Town Agreement period, that is, after1927. One important reason was the sense ofsecurity of tenure engendered in the minds of theIndian people who have been (and still are today)-Continued overleafDie Svrnrt Serp, September 1960 Page 28 of 50 INDIAN EDUCATION-Continuedpersistently threatened with expatriation from theland of their birth. The assurance given in the"uplift" clause of that agreement that the UnionGovernment would not allow Indians to lag behindother sections of the community if they were pre-pared to conform to Western standards of living,stimulated a powerful movement of self-help amongthe Indians to reinforce their claim to South Africancitizenship. This movement found particular expres-sion in the field of education.Faced with the reality that the South Africanauthorities did not intend to give effect to thespirit of the terms of the "uplift" clause, they beganto build as many schools as possible. Only bytaking the initiative were they able to induce theeducational authorities to spend any mosey onIndian education by way of grants-in-aid of buildings,equipment and teachers' salaries. Social services arcgenerally starved of adequate finances from theState. The disfranchised state of the Indian com-munity made the position even worse, for there wasa strong reluctance in the Provincial Council tovote sufficient funds for the capital and recurrentneeds of Indian education. Even to this day thefinancing of Indian education is on a discriminatorybasis. The consequence has been that thousands ofchildren have been sent back home every. year forwant of school places.Refused AdmissionIn 1951 more than 16,000 children were refusedadmission, and ever since then an average of 9,000children have not been able to get into schoolsevery new term. The situation has been partly metby using existing school buildings on a double shift.Last year, of 92,740 Indian children in primaryclasses some 24 per cent were enrolled in the after-noon classes. At the beginning of 1959 there werestill 3,500 children in the Province who could findno place in the schools, morning or afternoon. Theworst hit are those living in Durban. A shortage ofhigh school accommodation is also beginning to bef'It no".eThe extent to which Indians have been compelledto provide their own school accommodation maybe gauged from the fact that 76 per cent of theprimary school children and 12 per cent of highschool pupils are in government-aided schools, andthe rest in government schools. The proportions arejust the other way about for European children.In the erection of a government-aided school theinitiative has to come from the local community.The Province makes a for f grant towards the costof the building and equipment, but nothing towardsthe cost of the land. Between 1928 and 1955 thebuilding grants towards Indian-aided schools totalledThe Black Sash, September, 1960 :i2309,853. The contribution of the Indian communityexceeded this amount. Faced with the current short-age of accommodation the Indian teachers leviedthemselves 6 per cent of their salaries spread overtwo years and have already made grants totallingover 19,000 towards the building of classrooms.The total capita! expenditure by the Province forthe period 1928 to 1955 on schools and hostels wasas follows:Indian education (including buildinggrants) .. ..Coloured education579,995243,285White education ...... 6,405,152The Estimates of Capital Expenditure for 1960-1961 presented to the Provincial Council were asfollows:Indian education (including buildinggrants) ...... Coloured education ...... White education (excluding buildinggrants to aided schools) .. .. 1,155,050The contemplated contribution by the Provinceto the future programme of approved governmentschool and hostel buildings is equally revealing:Indian education ..Coloured educationWth, e education ..:199,30054,850591,600324,7505,876,250The figures of recurrent expenditure on teachers'salaries, etc., also tell their own story. The Indianschool population in September, 1959, was 97,997against a European school population of 75,946 inthe existing government and government-aidedinstitutions in Natal. The estimated gross expendi-ture for 1959-60 for these two groups was 2,207,668and 4,894,379 respectively.The efforts of the Natal Indian Education Com-mittee, formed to solve the problem of shortage ofschool accommodation, have not resulted in anyincreased financial assistance .from the Province.Since 1953 this Committee has urged the Provinceto build more government schools as the Indianpeople are generally too poor to cope with thesituation. At the same time they offered to buildmore aided schools but asked that the buildingand equipment grant should be increased from 50per cent to 75 per cent, which would have helpedthe poorer localities which were finding greatdifficulties in raising the necessary funds. Pro-vincial policy is indifferent to the economic con-dition of the majority of the Indian people.According to the Population Census of 1951, three-quarters of the individual incomes of Indians was15 15s. Od. and below per month; the middle fiftyDie Swart Se, September 1960 Page 29 of 50 per cent of the incomes ranged from 6 to15 15s. Od. per month.This is the centenary year of the Indians inSouth Africa but there is still no compulsory educa-ton or I an c P_ cei 1, Idi hi Id,en. The in is reluctantto assume full responsibility for the education ofIndian children in spite of the considerable assistancegiven by the parents.As if these difficulties were not sufficient inthemselves, we now have to contend with the GroupAreas Act which threatens to uproot thousands ofIndian families from their present localities andexisting community amenities built up laboriouslyover the decades. Under the City Council proposalsand Group Areas Board recommendations forDurban, the Indian community is sure of retainingonly 30 per cent of the existing school sites; another34 per cent of the sites fall in White or Colouredareas. The fate of the rest hangs in the balance.In the Transvaal pressure has been put on Indianparents to compel them to move into the Indiangroup area of Lenasia, 18 miles from the centre ofJohannesburg, by closing down an existing govern-ment school and forcing the children to travel theredaily.The issue that these group areas proposals, recom-mendations and proclamations raise is who is goingto bear the replacement cost of the government andgovernment-aided schools? The cheapest kind ofstructure costs about 30-35 per child. As the planseems to be to move two -thirds of the Indians inDurban, this is likely to involve two-thirds of theschool population. Towards the end of 1957 therewere 43,248 Indian children in the schools of Durban.This works out to between 750,000 to 875,000 onbuildings only.Another serious issue that faces all non-Whitesis the restricted field of employment for the productsof the schools. The avenues of employment nowopen do not make full use of the education andtalents of Indian youth. The frustration caused tothe individual and the wastage to society is incal-culable.Currently the most serious threat facing Indianeducation is the closure of the "open" universities(including Fort Hare) to Indians and the announcedintention of the Government, in pursuance of itspolicy of apartheid, to start a separate uni-racialcollege for Indians as from 1961. This measure willset back the progress made for another 50 years ormore, and the harm done by spiritually isolating thetiny Indian minority will be immense.These problems of Indian education stem fromthe undemocratic nature of our society and theresultant inequalities of opportunity which preventan individual from attaining his full stature.The Black Sash, September, 1960 33Die Swart Serp, September 1960 Page 30 of 50 ThU Hlut'l .5m/t, .1r'/W mol~m. I`)(,II 34Dio Ss,-, Scrp, Septcmhcr 196(1 Page 31 of 50 Apartheid EntersTHE UNIVERSITIES" Higher education should he so controlled that the Christian-nationalistviewof life may come into its own." - Article 2 (iii), Christian NationalEducation.By MAURICE POPEProfessor of Classics, University of Cape TownA PARTHEID has been introduced intothe Universities. The legislation to effectthe introduction of apartheid was passed underthe extraordinary title of "Extension of Uni-versity Education Act". But far from "extend-ing university education" the Act deprives theUniversities in South Africa of one of theirbasic freedoms, and deprives the entire non-White population of the right to attend anyproperly constituted university at all.As with most apartheid legislation, the sufferinginflicted on the non-Whites is immediate, thatinflicted on the Whites is latent-it will revealitself gradually.Financial LossThe most obvious latent damage that will besuffered by the Whites is financial. The Unionalready has eight universities, several of them un-economically small. It is now intended to buildsome four or five more "university colleges" tocater for the non-Whites that are to be excludedfrom the genuine universities.The tremendous extravagance of this is obvious.Even if there are going to be more non-Whitesat the new "university colleges" than were alreadyin attendance at the existing universities (though iti s by no means clear where these will come fromunless there is to be a drastic lowering of admissionstandards), it would have been much cheaper toenlarge the existing universities to accommodatethem. The rest of the money would then have beenavailable for improvement. It is no secret that inrespect of staffing , library facilities, and laboratoryequipment, our universities are seriously under-financed. Here as elsewhere the Whites are made topay for apartheid by the perpetuation of inferiorfacilities for themselves.The Block Sash, September, 1960 35But for academic institutions, money is consider-ably less important than freedom. This is wherethe most serious latent damage lies. One of theinternationally accepted freedoms of a universityis that it should be free to teach whom it wishes.This freedom has now been removed, and non-Whitestudents must receive special permission from theMn Y cani ister before the attend a "White" univer-sity. That this method of controlling universityattendance is - to say the least - unorthodox istacitly admitted by the Government by their havingexcluded members of diplomatic families from theprovisions of the Act.One cannot pretend that the immediate effecton the now "White" universities will be disastrous:the international recognition accorded to them willnot be withdrawn overnight, and South Africandegrees will continue to be accepted. But the worldis becoming increasingly multi-racial, and academicpeople are particularly sensitive to this development.Im become moret c ay . and morc d i ffic~lt to attract. best qualified pcople to teach in closcd" uni-versities-to say nothing of the probability that inten or twenty years' time many of the best qualifiedpeople may themselves be non-White. And if thecalibre of the stall in South African universitiesshould fall below that of the rest of the world, sowill the value of their degrees. The example ofmany countries shows how quickly government inter-ference can rob universities of their status.Rights Taken AwayWhat the Whites may lose in future, the non-Whites are losing now. The right of attending auniversity has been taken away from them. Insteadthey are to be provided with "university colleges"on a tribal pattern. There arc to be colleges forthe 7_ulu, Xhosa , Indians, and Coloureds. Laterhee are to be yet others for smaller sections ofthe population. Eventually everybody will havetheir own, and nobody will be allowed to attendanybody else's.-Continued overleafDie Srvurt Scrp, Sctoemher 1960 Page 32 of 50 THE UNIVERSITIES-continuedIt is clear that this seclusion alone - which con-tradicts the whole nature and purpose of univer-sities-is enough to invalidate the claim of theDe Wet Nel Report that the colleges arc to become"fully-fledged universities that will take their placeamong the best in the world." But there are moreimmediate reasons for questioning the sincerity ofthis resolution.The first of these reasons is the way these newcolleges are to be run. The Minister is to appointthe staff. The Minister is to nominate the entireSenate and Council. The Minister will have powereven over the students, being enabled to prohibitany individual student from attendance. He canalso discharge or summarily transfer to a lowergrade post a staff member that he himself put therein the first place. And the Minister with all thesepowers is not even to be the Minister of Education,but the Minister of Bantu Education. It is obviousthat no institution so administered can even remotelybe called a university; in particular, the restrictionsimposed on the staff and their insecurity of tenurewill clearly make it impossible to attract peopleof the necessary calibre.Fort HareThe second reason for doubting that these institu-tions are intended to be proper universities is thedestruction of Fort Hare. The University Collegeof Fort Hare was until last year exactly what onewould suppose a university to serve the non-Whitepopulation ought to be. 1t was not quite "fully-' since it was still under the aegis of RhodesUniversity. But its Senate and Council had almostcomplete autonomy. The College was a full memberof the Association of Commonwealth Universities.Threats and Compulsion"Surely if the policy ofapartheid or separate develop-ment is all that it is claimedto be, it ought to mean thatwithin their separate univer-sity institutions the non-Whiteswill have all' the freedomsnormally associated with uni-versity life in other societies,instead of being expected towork in an atmosphere ofthreats and compulsion."-Professor Z. K. Matthewsin Africa South, July-Sept.,1957.The Black Sash, September, 1960 36which is a status not easily gained. Its Principalwas a full member of the Committee of UniversityPrincipals. It provided facilities for post-graduatetraining and research. Its teaching record was good.and the performance of its students comparedfavourably with that of other residential univer-sities in the country. Its staff were of universitycalibre. And, perhaps most important of all, it hadthe confidence of the Africans, both within theUnion and outside it. In fact, until the presentGovernment applied prohibitions, it drew studentsfrom as far afield as Central Africa, Tanganyika.and the Portuguese territories.What better foundation could be looked for? Anhonest attempt to "extend university education" forthe Africans would surely have retained an institu-tion of such high repute. Instead, as the immediatesequel to the Extension of University EducationAct, the buildings of Fort Hare have been appro-priated by the Government, and the administrationtransferred to the Bantu Education Department.Some of the staff have been dismissed and amajority of the remainder have resigned. Thus theone predominantly African university institution inthe Union has been abolished. It cannot even bepretended that the object of this destruction was thefurtherance of university education. The purposecan only be political. And the only conceivablepolitical motive a government can have for takingover control of a university is to indoctrinate thestudents.The third reason for doubting the Government'ssincerity is the simplest. Why close the doors ofthe existing open universities? There can be noacademic justification for this. The political reason.though, is not hard to find. It is to prevent thevarious sections of the population from finding outthe truth about the world and about one another.The opposite of truth is either falsehood or ignor-ance. Neither provides a good foundation on whichto build a nation."When I've made enoughmoney here, Baas, mustI go to Bantustan as acartage contraMor, orcan 1 be Professor ofPublic Transportation atFort Hare?"Di, SSi'(Il'I Sorp, Selocmhcn 1960 Page 33 of 50 The Conscience Clause"Being a substitute for the parent, the teacher does the parent's work asthe parent himself would do it were he able. Unless, therefore, he is aChristian. Ire is a deadly danger En us."-Article 9 (1), Christian National Education.By OWEN WILLIAMSNE of the grave threats involved in theimplementation of Christian NationalEducation (that is, South African nationalistCalvinistic indoctrination) is the eliminationof the conscience clause. Two attacks havealready been made, and there is little doubtthat if the course of nationalism is as faithfullyfollowed as it has been up to now, the clausewill be altogether repudiated.The clause reads:No test of religious belief shall be imposed onany person as a condition of his becoming or con-tinuing to he a professor, lecturer, teacher or.student of a university college, or of holding anyollice or receiving any emolument, or exercising anyhrivileb>e therein, nor shall any preference be givento on advantage be withheld from any person onthe ground of his religious belief.In 1932-so have times changed-even the lateDr. D. F. Malan, then Minister of the Interior,stated: "I consider the conscience clause in theinterests of science, and I am of the opinion that itIs just as much in the interests of religion . . . Iregard the conscience clause as a protection notonly of liberty of thought and inquiry in our highereducational institu!:ons, but, at the same time, asa protection of their honesty."An ObstructionThe clause was included in the statutes of thethree universities established in 1916-Cape Town,South Africa and Stellenbosch-and in the statutesof all universities and university colleges establishedafter that.The Potchefstroom University College, however,chafed at the clause, which it regarded, in the wordsof one of its professors, as an obstruction to "thefull development of its Calvanistic principles andthe upbuilding of a Christian science in the light ofGod's word."After preliminary skirmishes, the college soughtparliamentary sanction in 1949 to assume the statusThe Black Sash, September, 1960 37of a full university, and it proposed a modificationof the clause which was approved by Parliamentfree the mb ledn . vote. Amo.~ mc ers "'ho vofor the modification was the late General Smuts,revealing as he often did a rather surprising failureto grasp elementary democratic principles.The prohibition against a religious test forstudents was reaffirmed, but on the appointment ofstaff the clause readThe Council shall ensure that the Christianhistorical character of the university shall bemaintained: provided that no denominational testshall be applied.Denominational was defined to mean "the require-ment of membership of any church."The University of the Orange Free State attemptedunsuccessfully to delete the clause from its statutes.The statutes, however, contain this clause whichappears to nullify the conscience clause:Policy: Although the policy of the University ofthe Orange Free State shall be determined by theCouncil, the University, in view of its historicalassociations, shall have a Christian character, and itsaims shall be in accordance with the nationalcccwand cultural requirements of the OrangeFree State.The University makes a regular practice of requir-ing all applicants for posts to state their religiousdenomination.The Registrar stated that, as in the case of thePotchefstroom University College, the Free StateUniversity was founded on a Christian basis. Itwould, therefore, not tolerate the appointment ofpeople who did not believe in God or whosecharacters left something to be desired.Along with these factors a campaign has beenwaged for years for the abolition of the clauseby the so-called Union for the Furtherance ofHigher Education on a Christian Basis, with whomthe late Prime Minister, Mr. Strijdom, was reportedto agree that the clause was "an anomaly in SouthAfrican legislation because the Constitution recog-nizes the sovereignty of God."-Continued on page 40Die Swart Serp, September 1960 Page 34 of 50 THE RECORD OF THE GOVERNMENTCompiled by the the National Union1949 onwardsA NUMBER of non-White students were refusedpermits for inter-provincial travel, to continuetheir studies in Universities of their choice; otherswere refused passports to take up overseas scholar-ships.1950NON-W ITES accepting government bursaries toDurbHan Medical School were required to signan agreement to exercise their profession among non-Whites only and in an area approved by the Govern-ment (this constitutes a breach of the Hippocraticoath).In May the National Advisory Council for AdultEducation was instructed that the 400/500 bodiesreceiving grants from it would not be permitted toperform or exhibit before mixed audiences if theywere in receipt of Council grants.On 2nd November the Secretary for Educationindicated to all educational institutions concernedthat Africans from outside the Union were not tobe admitted.Several conferences, including a joint meeting ofthe British and S.A. Medical Association, were tohave been held in the Union but because non-Whites would have participated in them, adminis-trative steps by the Government caused them tobe abandoned.1951THE Government discontinued the five scholar-ships at the Witwatersrand University MedicalSchool previously available to Africans.1952THE Government sent no delegates to the Inter-national Geological Conference and the Pre-History Conference held in Algiers in September1952. The decision was said to be based on financialreasons. With the maximum cost at 1,000 it appearsmore likely that the discussion on the theory ofevolution was the real reason.An attempt was made to prevent Professor L. K.Matthew, from giving evidence before the specialpolitical committee nn the South African situationby the Principal of Fort Hare, who said, "As amember of a college which is subsidised by theGovernment, Professor Matthews is not free tospeak."The Block .Su.sh, .Scptcmhcr, 196038o f South African Students (NUSAS)1953IN the Cape the increase in the salaries of Whiteteachers was proportionately greater than thatof non-White teachers. (The former ratio betweenEuropean and Coloured teachers' salaries hadbeen 5 : 4. )1954TRANSVAAL Education Ordinance was passedforbidding the appointment of White teachersin schools for Coloured and Asiatic pupils.The Government pegged the allocation for AfricanEducation from the Consolidated Revenue Fund at6,500,000. All additional expenditure was to beobtained by additional direct taxation on African,.1955IN April, South Africa withdrew from UNESCObecause it interfered in South African Affairs.Interference in NUSAS mail by the authoritieswas proved.In June, members of the Research and Informa-tion Commission of the International Student Con-ference =national visas to enter South Africa.The International Relations Vice-President ofNUSAS was refused a passport to attend the FifthInternational Student Conference.Seven thousand children were associated with aboycott of schools which were shifted to the NativeAffairs Department under the Bantu Education Act.The Minister of Native Affairs said that the childrenwould be re-admitted the following year only "ifdi of e a at the nur ng thc rest th school year nd begi -ning of the next school year, no boycott of anyimportance takes place, and if the Native organisa-tions and people who incite boycotts are renderedpowerless through the withholding of support."1956THE Government refused permission to thestudents at St. John's College to affiliate toN USAS.1957A WEST GERMAN Student Press Digest, "Studentro n outh Afr cair' "'. was banned i S( i -In July and August the Government started con-struction of the two tribal colleges envisaged furlie SsI S'cr". .Scptomhrr 196;1 Page 35 of 50 the Zulu and Sotho ethnic groups, although theUniversity Apartheid Bill was not law and no votetfi., cco anc the project had been approved.In September, a student told the Student Repre-sentative Council at Rhodes that he had beenpassing information to the Special Branch onlectures and discussions. The Commissioner ofPolice said in a statement: "No University canregard itself as being immune from security regu-lations."Regulations for the control of night schools andcontinuation classes for Africans were issued interms of the Bantu Education Act. No school wasto continue without registration and the appoint-ment of all teachers was subject to the approval ofthe Director of Bantu Education. This could bewithdrawn at 24 hours' notice, without reason beinggiven.Students at Bantu Normal College were threatenedwith expulsion if they associated with NUSAS.In December regulations for African teacherswere published by the Native Affairs Departmentsaying that teachers might not identify themselveswith a political party or actively participate inpolitical affairs or in the nomination or electionof members of school boards, unless they hadobtained the approval of the school board, whichrequired the consent of the Secretary for NativeAffairs.In September, the Minister of Native Affairs in-formed the Johannesburg Cily Council "that priorMinisterial approval be obtained for the awardingof bufuturersaries to Bantu scholars or students in the."1958FIVE students of Asiatic origin were refusedpermits to travel outside Natal.Four hundred children of Indian origin were notadmitted to Johannesburg schools and were directedto Lenasia, 18 miles from the city area.In July, the Minister of Finance announced a75% increase in taxation for Africans, stating thatthe purpose was to provide funds for the expansionof Bantu Education.Towards the end of the year armed police wererushed to the Government-controlled AmanzimtotiTraining School (formerly Adams College) as 245students indicated that they would stage a masswalk-out in protest against the threatened expulsionof 25 of their fellows.The Press carried reports that students at FortHa,e, were being paid by the Special Branch topass information on student activities at the College.The Witwatersrand Students' Representative Coun-cil asked for confirmation or denial from theAssistant Commissioner of Police that the SpecialBranch were intimidating students participating inThe Black Sash, September, 1960 39demonstrations against the Extension of UniversityEducation Bill. No reply was received.1959IN February a woman student at the Universityof Witwatersrand admitted that she had informedthe Special Branch on student activity within NUSASand at Wits. during her academic career. In theevents following this admission, the offices of theStudents' Representative Council of Wits. Universityand the homes of student office-bearers were searchedby the Special Branch.In August, the Fo t Hare University CollegeITransfer Act, which shifted control from the Collegeto the Department of Bantu Education, was passed.In October, seven members of the staff at FortHare were dismissed without an enquiry. Later, inexplanation, the Minister responsible said the mem-bers concerned were "destroying the Government'spolicy of apartheid."1960N February Professor Ross, new Rector of FortHare, stated that the students at the Collegewould not be permitted to continue their affiliationto NUSAS.Eleven students returning to Fort Hare wererc permissi to cfused iste, on the grounds thatthey had been active in politics. Professor Rossthreatened to have arrested any NUSAS representa-tive who came to Fort Hare. Only four Africansout of more than 180 applicants were granted per-mission to enter universities other than tribal colleges.,Officials of NUSAS were serched by the SpecialBranch near Fort Hare.The rules governing student activities at the tribalcolleges were published. These restricted meetings,circulation of literature, subscription lists, accessto and from the precincts of the university andstudent organization generally.The Special Education Amendment Act introducedapartheid in schools for mentally and physicallyhandicapped children.The new Education Advisory Council Bill wasintroduced in Parliament, but has not yet beenenacted.Language"The parent has no right tv choosethe medium of instruction because iftire parent chooses wrongly he does aninjustice to the child. and the authoritymust protect the child even against itsor- parent."--Professor Coetzee, University ofPotchefstroom.Die Srvart Se, September 1960 Page 36 of 50 BANTU EDUCATION-continued from pnge 22and headmen. In every case the Department canoverride the boards when they are critical, andwhere teachers and officials are known to be un-sympathetic to the Government's conception ofBantu education their contracts are terminated.There is, in fact, in Dr. Verwoerd's speech in theSenate a veiled threat to teachers. "I wish," hesays, "to express the hope that the teachers will notfail in this (that is in accepting their duties as laiddown in the Act) because for teachers who are notfaithful in this regard there is no place in !h e ser-vice of the Bantu Education Department.Evcnif the Boards had been given the measure of controlthey expected it is doubtful if they could imme-diately have taken over control from the longestablished and experienced missionary boards. Asit is, in many rural areas the board members areilliterate and even an urban school committee maycontain only two to three literate members. Thusthe teachers, who are among the elite of Africansociety, cannot have real respect for the committeesand boards; discipline is weakened and this isreflected among the pupils. Many parents who wereoriginally willing to accept the Act are now dis-illusioned.It is inevitable that the standards of those cominginto the secondary schools should show a decline,particularly in the knowledge of the official lan-guages necessary for Junior Certificate and Matri-culation. In some secondary schools much of thefirst year had to be spent on English to bring itup to pre-Act standards. It is the language questionwhich is the centre and pivot of Bantu opposition.It is, of course, intimately connected with the wholegovernment policy of apartheid and for the Africanit interposes a brake on, if not a barrier to, theeducational progress which he values so highly andinto which so much progressive effort has beenplaced in recent years.Green Pastures"Until now he (the African) has beensubjected to a school system which drew himaway from his community and misled himby showing him the green pastures ofEuropean society in which he was notallowed to graze."-Dr. Verwoerd in Bantu Education:Policy for the Immedintc Future, p. 23.The Black Sash, September, 1960 QOCONSCIENCE CLAUSE-continued from page 37The most recent and serious onslaught on theclause has been its omission in the tribal collegesestablished under the Extension of UniversityEducation Act. The clause was dropped on therecommendation of the Parliamentary Commissionwhich examined the Bill. The report stated: "In1950 Parliament by free vote of an overwhelmingmajority replaced the traditional conscience clausein the University of Potchefstroom with a positivenorm. This introduced a new principle and theUniversities Act of 1955 was therefore purely arecognition of the existing position that everyuniversity applies to its norm."A remark of the Prime Minister, Dr. Verwoerd,in this connection is highly significant. He said:"Inasmuch as all Bantu education arose fromreligious instruction and is still and should becoupled with it, there will be no insertion of aconscience clause in their statutes."There is, it is easy to see, a very clear anddefined trend away from the liberties that shouldbe associated with teaching. Calvinistic statepatronage is only a short step away from Cal-vinistic state ownership, a concept entirely divorcedfrom the idea of a university, aptly expressed byDisraeli as a "place of light, of liberty and oflearning."TEXT BOOKS-continued f rom page 19accident that a recent review of children's booksin the New Statesman was entitled "The Rest ofthe World." For the moment a great many ~fthese books find their way into the Provinciallibraries Gut it is significant that a delightful storyIIe "Judy and Lal,lmi" by so famo.s an -uh,,ik it on ' toas 11a.mi chis is difficult if not impossibleobtain. It is a story of a friendship between anIndian and an English child.For the very young there arc even supplementaryreaders on the children of foreign lands-Nigeria,Iraq, and so on. These are not easy to come bybecause few South African bookshops stock them.But publishers' representatives have this subject verymuch at heart and are most helpful. It might evenhe an idea to organise, through them, an exhibitionof children's books stressing the common humanityof all races and the role of other races in worldhistory. If the history of African people is stilllargely unwritten, we, in South Africa, live withtheir folk tore and legends and wrongly ignorethem. Even in the nursery we could read of Kaluluthe Hare.Die Srvart Serp, September 1960 Page 37 of 50 The Union EducationAdvisory Council BillA HIGHLY contentious little Bill to estab-lish a Union Education Advisory Councilwas introduced at the end of the past Parlia-mentary session. Its contents were kept secret- with good reason, for had the public beengiven adequate notice it may well have causedan outcry.The Provisions of the Bill will virtually givethe government complete control over Provincialeducation systems. All schools receiving govern-ment subsidies will be affected.The proposed advisory council is to consist ofseven to 12 members, appointed for an indeter-minate period not exceeding five years. All,appointments will be mde by the Minister ofEducation, Arts and Science. The Minister maydictate who is to be the chairman and vice-chairman. In consultation with the Minister ofFinance he will determine salaries and allow-ances. He may dictate when and how the meet-ings are to be called and conducted, and whatthe quorum and the procedure are to be.IN DEFENCE OF C.N.E.-coutinrrcd from page 8C.N.E. schools in our country, but the AfrikaansC'.N.E. system emphatically considers and honoursthe language, religion, faith and culture of bothlanguage groups in South Africa.The crux of the problem is that we have twolanguage groups, each with a proud heritage andambitious visions for its own children. Few othercountries have to cope with such a dilemma asconfronts us every day. The fact of the two-streamideal can neither be ignored nor changed, but thereis one thing that we all can do, and that is to showsympathy for and understanding of people in "theother" language group, and to respect their lan-guage and ideals.I facen of the grave problems ahead of WhiteSouth Africa, we have only this one attempt at asolution to which we must all contribute. An insep-arable part of our educational programme must beto teach our children to love their own heritageand develop a spirit of tolerance towards those whodiffer with them, and this we must teach them now.The Black Sash, September, 1960 41None of the members is required to possessany special qualifications, but the Provinces areeach to be given the right to be represented byone educationist who is to be recommended bythe Administrator. The council may appointcommittees, but the Minister will decide howthey are to be constituted.The function of the council is "to advise theMinister generally in regard to the policy to beadopted in connection with the education ofWhite persons." The assumption here is that.contrary to all accepted theories of education.there is now to be a kind of education speciallyadapted for White children.Demand InformationThe Minister may also appoint a committee,consisting of a member of the council as chair-man and two other persons, to carry out at anyschool any investigation ordered by the Ministerhimself "in connection with any matter affectingte '_i p ncip'e,h c ri ~ of education." Nowhere inthe Bill are these principles defined.The committee may demand "such informa-tion and documents and such other assistance asthe committee may require for the purpose ofthe investigations."It is clear that the advisory council will beobliged to dance to the Minister's tune.Clause six. at the end of the Bill, contains thefatal thrust-.io Province may introduce draftlegislation on education without the prior appro-val of the Minister himself. Attempts to defyor by-pass this provision could mean that theGovernor-General would refuse his assent to theordinance.The public must not be deceived by the pretextthat these powers are necessary to co-ordinatepurely administrative difficulties between the pro-vinces. An advisory board was set up for thispurpose in 1958, and there has long been satis-factory inter-provincial co-operation.The "uniform" system of education which Dr.Verwoerd promised his cohorts could be a woodenhorse concealing Christian National Education.Die Sxwrt Serp, September 1960 Page 38 of 50 RACE STIJDIES-cnntinrrcd from page 14The series published by the Voortrekkerpers isof the same ilk.One section seems designed to stir up antagonismbc n fricans "Int-eej A nd C )loured people. thepast few years and especially in the Western Pro-vince, Coloured workers have experienced increasingcompetition from the Native men who have streamedin in large numbers, from the Transkei. Until quiterc t he ge, en ly t Western Cape as re arded as theliving and working zone of the Coloured peopleonly. This monopoly has now been threatened bythe Bantu, who in turn are regarded as intruders.This problem is the more serious when it is realizedthat some employers prefer Native labourers. Theymaintain that the Bantu have a greater capacity forwork than the Coloured people and sometimes arealso more reliable. These Native workers have con-siderably upset the economic position of manyColoured people." (p. 143.) "There are clear signsthat the Coloured men and women are proud oftheir people, and that they are strongly opposed tothe entry of the Bantu into their field of employ-ment and into their residential areas. This pride willin many respects be a force for the good." (Std.Vi, pp. 147-8.)Wicked PeopleTowards the end of the text-book for StandardVIII, in this series, there is an exhortation that"Vigilance must also be maintained against the evilpractices of wicked people scheming to exploitBantu ignorance for the sake of financial gain, andagainst the spreading of foreign ideologies aboutwhich they have no clear notions" (p. 169). This is.of course, merely a repetition of the usual National-ist belief that all grievances or urban and ruralAfricans arc the result of "agitators."The Voortrekkerpers series includes a sectionon "Contact between Whites and Bantu" (StandardVIII) in which it is naively stated that "As Whitesand Bantu expanded towards each other, it wasinevitable that they should eventually meet" (p. 9)."Between the two groups there was a vast differencein culture for the Whites followed the Christianfaith and had learned to read and write; while theBantu did not know Christianity and were quiteilliterate . . . . In the course of time these differencesin way of life, religion and concepts were to leadto clashes" (page 15). A history of the clashes isrepresented as ending always in a boundary settle-ment which is interpreted, against all historicalevidence, as proof that a desire for apartheid is anold tradition among Whites in South Africa.For example, on page 20: "Thus for the firsttime, there was put into effect a policy of territorialThe Black Sash, September, 1960 42segregation between Whites and Bantu on the easternfrontier." On page 26: "Hence there now existedin the Free State clear territorial separation betweenWhites and Bantu." On page 28: "The TransvaalRepublic recognised the Bantu tribes, their chiefs,and their tribal areas. Hence, as elsewhere, terri-torial separation existed between Whites andBantu." Contact between Whites and Bantu is sodescribed as to appear to issue always and every-where in ever greater separation. "So began thepresent Bantu areas in South Africa . . . . ' Con-clusion: Contact is Separation-a species of double-think worthy of an Orwell novel!It should be emphasised that the text= quotedin these articles are approved and recommended bythe Transvaal Education Department. They arc,therefore, read by thousands of young SouthAfricans, whose thinking undoubtedly will be guidedalong Christian National lines. It must also beemphasized that the kind of "history" here taughtis in fiat contradiction to conclusions come to, afterscholarly research, by South African historians suchas Marais, Macmillan, De Kiewiet, Walker and VanJaarsvcld. It is a "history" based on an idealizedview of the Afrikaner "volk" that bears little rela-tion to the facts.C.N.E.-STEP BY STEP-continued from page 7education. But this is the door to all the rest. AsDr. Albert Hertzog says, "Mother-tongue educationis the foundation of Nationalism." As Dr. J. C.van Rooy says in the preface to the pamphlet, "Themother-tongue schools . . . will be saturated withthe Christian and Nationalist spiritual cultural stuffof our nation."Summary dismissal from Fort Hare UniversityCollege, without even an enquiry, of severalteachers on the grounds that "they weresabotaging the government's policy of apartheid."C.N.E. Nationalist No anti - Nationalist or non -Nationalist propaganda may be made.VERNACULAR TUITION-continued iron: p. 27Resentment and a feeling of frustration arise, andit is known that in certain areas there have beendemands for additional schools to cater for theminority sections. Tribal considerations never enteredthe question of classification and school accommo-dation before.The references quoted here indicate that Africansand others foresaw the anomalies inherent in thenew system. To smooth these requires a depth ofinsight and a sensitivity of conscience seldom-Continued on page 43Die Swart Serp, Septcnrher 1960 Page 39 of 50 EXPANDING HORIZONSThe Education Conference in Natal's difficult for anyone who was not'reisent to appreciate the breadth - 'nepmight say vastness - of the recent nationaleducation conference in Durban organizedby the University of Natal. The theme ofthe conference - "Education and our Ex-panding Horizons" - suggested the widesweep, and the promise was grandlyfulfilled.Some 1,600 South Africans of all races tookpart and discussed their problems with prominenteducationists and celebrities from Britain, theUnited States, Holland and other countries. Theconference" 12 days and during this timeabout 140 lectures were delivered on a range ofsubjects that is too wide to compress into anadequate summary here. To many, the mainvalue of the conference lay in the opportunityit gave them of exchanging ideas informally andmaking contact with people of different back-ground and attainments.How, it may be asked, did the exponents ofChristian National Education fare in this largegathering? Prof. C. J. Coetzee, Rector of Potchef-stroom University, commanded the attention, ifnot the entire assent, of his audience. He saidthat the Institute for Christian National Ed uca-VERNACULAR TUITION-- tinrrcd front Ir. 4'_'engendered in the super-charged atmosphere of ourcountry. Julian Huxley's words written almost thirtyyears ago apply today, and sum up the position:admirably:"The African woofs to know Et:~lislr; as cdncn-tiorr .cprend.c he mill murrl it more intert.cely; aadhe ~wun't he lrnppy till he xet.c it. Anyattempt to keep proRrescive Africa-., froml:uropoun language.% is doomed from the outsetm crente friction rind to ettri in /oiltrrc."lion definitely did not propose C.N.E. for allchildren, but only for the children of parentswho belong to the three Afrikaans churches. Healso made the observation that one's philosophyof education derives from one's general view oflife, and that this view cannot be rationallyproved, but is simply accepted.Dr. R. E. van der Ross made the followingjustifiable comment on this in an article in theCape Tintc.c: "If this is accepted it would seemto follow that one cannot persuade others toaccept one's educational philosophy, and that,therefore, a State would have little but force torely on if it were to try to apply a generaleducational outlook from which many mustperforce differ."Many of the delegates to the conference showedunmistakably that their general view of life wasan all-embracing humanitarianism. This led themto advocate compulsory education for all, equalityof opportunity, respect for human dignity, andan end to race prejudice and segregation inschools.Perhaps some of the seeds that were sown byfr_a -sighted and experienced educationists at thistremendous conference will germinate in theminds of others, expand the horizon in SouthAfrica and lead to a wider understanding of thereal functions of education in the shrinkingworld of today.All political comment and headlining in this issue is,unless otherwise stated, by Desiue Berman, 47aMain Road, Claremont.The Black Sash, .September, 1960 43F_DITOR ;S NOTE:Since this article was written, Mr. I. J. vanRouyen, Regional Director of Bantu Education inthe Transkei, has stated that in order to improvethe number of examination passes in Bantu schools,particularly in Matriculation, English A will nolonger be a compulsory subject in African schools:English B will take its place.it is feared that the intention of the Governmentrs to introduce a "Bantu Matric." In this eventAfrican students would be at a disadvantage asfar as other universities are concerned.Din S%-art Serp, .September 1960 Page 40 of 50 Summing UpTHE Black Sash respects the desire of theAfrikaans-speaking section to protect andmaintain its language, culture and traditions,but believes that the restricting influence ofpresent government policy wilt increasinglyhave the effect of destroying the rich heritageof both English and Afrikaans culture.It believes education should he a training ofthe young person to think for himself, to seektruth and to follow wherever it may lead; tobe tolerant of ideas and ways not his own.to welcome knowledge and culture from what-ever source so that he may eventually pass iton enriched with his own contribution.It repudiates the policy of C.N.E. as for-mulated in the handbook published by DieFederasie van Afrikaanse Kultuurverenigingsin 1948 because it is a negation of all thatthe Black Sash believes education should be.The proposed Union Education AdvisoryCouncil Bill will destroy Provincial autonomyand facilitate the regimentation of the mind.of South African children.The Black Sash appeals to the electoratenot to allow the government to build prisonwalls around the minds of South Africanchildren, but to demand the free and liberaleducation which should be the birthright ofevery child.The Black Sash, .Septcmher. 1960 44We ask parents to work for:The establishment of schools in whichchildren of both language groups aregiven the opportunity to know each other.The restitution of the right of the parentto decide which language is to be themedium of instruction.The freedom of the Provinces from furtherGovernment control.The withdrawal of the proposed UnionEducation Advisory Council Bill.The revision of text-books to ensure theycontain nothing harmful to good racerelationships.Equal and compulsory educational oppor-tunity for all children, White and nonWhite.Freedom of teachers and pupils from therisk of victimisation on religious or politi-cal grounds.Religious instruction, when given in schools,to be free from denominational bias.Dic .Swarl Scrp, .Septcrrthcr 19101 Page 41 of 50 CONTENTSCartoons by David Marais and photographon page 21 by courtesy of the Cape Times.Photograph on page 33 by courtesy of theOrient Islomic Educational lnstitute.Introduction . . . 3The Essence of C.N.E...... N.J.M. 5C.N.E. - Step by Step ...... Christina van Heyningin 6In Defence of C.N.E...... W. J. du Twit RSeparation in Schools ...... Janie Malherhe 9Guidance and Race Studies ...... Mavis Warren 11" Social Studies" in the O.F.S...... Helen O'Connor 15Censorship in School Libraries ...... W. R. Martin 16The Child and his Text-books ...... Barbara McCormick 18Bantu Education ...... A Sociologist 20Jabulani! ...... J. Swanson 33Vernacular Tuition ...... J. C. M. Mhutu 25Education of Coloured Children . . (t. F ours der Ross 29Indian Education . S. Cr)nppan 31Apartheid Enters the Universities Maurice Pope 35The Conscience Clause . Oven Wiiiianzs 37The Government's Record . N.U.S.A S. Office 38The Education Advisory Council Bill . 41The Education Conference in Nntal . . 43Summing Up ...... 44 Page 42 of 50 The First Schoolin South AfricaTHE first school established in South Africa i, described in Jan vanItiebeeck's Journal. Vol. II. the entry dated 17th .April. 1658:Arruu,s;eruertts n ere .1lurled for rwablishirt,, a .~ehrrrrl /or Ihe('errrtpetrt~'~rrtctle crrtel (errtctle slave, hrcru,t;/tl her, /rout ,4rt,>;rdu by t/tc"Arrt Page 43 of 50 IntroductionEDUCATION for ISOLATIONWHAT is happening to education inSo)th Africa today? Parents are askingthat question with growing? anxiety and tl'anxiety is not confined to English-speakin~1parents, or to White parents as a whole. Thereis a strong suspicion that the idea, andprinciples of Christian National Education, aslaid down in the handbook published in 194;1by the Federasie van Afrikaanse Kultuur-vercnigings, are being applied in governmentsch"Is, and the suspicion persists despiteofficial assurances that there is nothing toworry about.This booklet attempts to throw light onthe matter. We have tried to ensure that thert 0 t ( t c r cac ual c( n ent )f h a ti les is correct. but,h e opini )ns ex pressed arc the personal view,of the contributors themselves.To see the prevailing pattern it is necessaryfirst of all to study the policy of ChristianNational Education. The details of that policyhave been summarised and critically reviewedin this booklet. We have also included anartirlc defending C.N.F. principles.In accordance with C.N.F. policy. Whitechildren arc separated into) Fnglish- andAfrikaans-speaking groups. The Transvaal, theFree State and the Cape all have ordinancesthat eliminate parental choice until afterStandard V111. The Provincial Administrationsare permitted to dis-establish parallel-mediumschools without reference to parents, schoolcommittees or school boards. In the NatalProvincial Council Nationalists ,)rc still in .)n)inoritv and it is the only Province in \1hichthere is still parental option.The 13l-k Such, S,u-nber, 196t)Some approved and reconiniended text-book used in Transvaal schools reveal < Page 44 of 50 In higher education the policy of separation.sis beingg pursued vigorously. The Extensionof university Education -.Act force, nt)n-Whites to attend their -n universities wherethey will he untainted h~ "foreign ideologies".Next year the Indians are to have a separateuniversity In a system of tribal colleges. Zuluare " ~ he separated fnmt Xho,,t. ~tnd Xhosafront S~tht~. In these co, leg, Africans willreceive an inferior university education: they,ill he deprived of the wider contacts neededfor full development.-I here are ether disquieting aspect, ~feducation that atre n~t dealt with in this boo h-let. We have nut discussed the technicalstandard of teaching.: and prohlents of stafiinLitnd finance hecau, these ntatter ;ore,econdar~ in intportattcc try the underlyingprinciple, that "re heingahpliecl.We believe that n~ fair-minded peon ranreact this booklet ~~itho~ut realising that thereis ct strt>nct tendency in ~ur edt.tcittionalsystem to foster race prejudice and grouphostility among White schoolchildren. suh-.ervienre itnttm" non -White schoolchildren.and a narro, ~Ottthxolk itnuong ~tll sLhtttl-children. The title ~~f this hcuthlet. "I:ducatit~nfe)r Isolation". ,unto tth the threat - face.In ctmclu,iout. ~~ list ~~av, in \,h `11I>arents may Lo nthztt the present p0lic., IIparents fail to do so. through apathy or fear.they -ll he failing in zin essential duty to theirchildren. \vho cannot defend thetnselv-"Doesn't that show the danger of the Western academic tradition! Ire won'tjoin us."I)i<' Snolrl .1or(r, .Su("urnl"'r IIIII Page 45 of 50 THE ESSENCE OF C.N.E."We aunt uo mixing of languages, no tttixing of cultures, no mixing ofreligions and no mixing of races."-Preface to Institute of Christian National Fducation pamphlet.MANY of our readers will have read thepamphlet setting forth C.N .E. policy, orthe excerpts that were printed in the Septem-ber, 1959, issue of The Black Sash. For thesake of those who have not yet done so. wegive a brief summary of its fundamental pro-visions, and refer them to Blackout, whichcan be obtained from the Black Sash or fromthe Home and School Council for 2s. 6d.Divine TaskThe meaning of C.N.E., according to those whodrew up the policy, including Dr. D&nges and Prof.J. G. Meiring, is indoctrination with sectional(Nationalist) and sectarian (the three Calvinist DutchReformed Churches) ideas, and "facts" moulded tosupport these ideas. God has earmarked SouthAfrica for the Calvinist Nationalists, who are to ha-.'he final say in all race matters, as being "thesenior partner." This is a divinely appointed task.Nothing that is in conflict with the fundamentalistdoctrines of the Dutch Reformed Churches, or thatdoes not actively support it, is to be tolerated. Anyteacher not imbued with these doctrines and theoriesis "a deadly danger" to the community. Religionis to be the key subject and to permeate all therest, and history and geography are to be used inthe first place in inculcate "the love of one's ownwhich is nationalism."There must be mother-tongue schools, and theremust be no mixing of cultures, religions and races(i.e.,Afrikaans and English). (History, as Dr. Stokeshas said, cannot be taught in mixed schools, becauseyou cannot teach Afrikaans children the history oftheir own heroes if there are English children in theclass. There will thus be two unlike sets of historical"facts".)Ilome, school and State must work in conjunction.but the parents cannot act as individuals, only as agroup holding certain ideas (our italics), and thethree Churches will exercise the necessary disciplineover the doctrine and lives of the teachers, overThr Blalk Sash. Sell,"r1h,r, 1160 5whom the parents will keep watch. Teachers' 7 rain-ing Colleges must be Christian National. too.All authority in school is "borrowed from God"(i.~, there is no appeal from the discipline of theChurches, nor can any criticism of Church or Statebe allowed).There must be "at least" two kinds of primaryschools, one for Afrikaans-, and one for English-speaking children. (C.N.E. is designed for Afrikaan, children, and theimplication here is that English-spcaking children should be imbued with their owtibrand of sectional and secular ideas. But as theyhave the same syllabuses, learn South African his-tory and geography, and as all Training College.are to be staffed exclusively with Christian National-ist teachers, this seems a remote possibility. N,'provision at all is made for Afrikaans speakingchildren whose parents do not hold C. N. views.unless it be implied by the words "at least" above.)University education must be "Christian." Thesciences must not be experimental or teach evolu-tion. Students must be taught that the State isuperior to the individual, and that his freedomwould be incompatible with its authority, which i,absolute (i.e. there must be no criticism of theNationalist Government, merely unquestioningobedience).Deep GulfsColoured and African education must be ChristianNational and self-supporting, and both sectionstaught that their real happiness lies in being separateand inferior. (An illustration of what is meantto be found in the Tribal Colleges.)Apart from the passages in brackets, there isnothing in the above that is not explicit in thepamphlet. Its systematic implementation is recordedelsewhere in this issue. Its success is evident inmany ways, chiefly in the deep gulfs that have beenset between the sections of our community, and theincreasing unilingualism that prevents their bridging:and also in the almost complete absence, inNationalist and D.R.C. circles, of criticism of theacts of the Nationalist Government.N. J. M.I)ic .S~swrl .5'erp. .Sehternhtr 196(1 Page 46 of 50 C.N.E. - STEP BY STEPBy CHRISTINA VAN HEYNINGINSenior Lecturer in English, University of Natal.Official F.A.K. Policy for Christian-NationalEducation published in February 1948. Attackedby Education League in pamphlet Bluepriiil/or Blackor,l, revised in 1959 and reprinted asBlackotd.C.N.E. discussed in Parliament early in 1949.Dr. Ddnges and Dr. Jansen, both Directors ofthe Institute for Christian-National Education.were present and did not repudiate the policy. Theysaid nothing. Other Government members bitterlyattacked critics of the policy, at the same time dis-claiming responsibility for it.To-day Dr. Ddnges is one of the most powerfulmembers of the Cabinet, and the late Dr. Jansen wasGovernor-General. Other sponsors of C.N.E. arcmen of the greatest influence in our country. Theyinclude Mr. Justice de Vos Hugo, a former chairmanof the Group Areas Board; Mr. Greibe, formerPresident of the Transvaal Afrikaans Teachers'Association; Dr. C. Coetzee, rector of the Univer-sity of Potchefstroom, and Dr. J. G. Meiring whowas appointed Superintendent-General of Educationin the Cape Province, and is now Principal of thenew University College for Coloured students.Declaration by the .nderwysersunies of sup-port for C.N.E., only that of S.W.A. stipula-ting "but not as defined in the pamphlet."Transvaal Language Ordinance passed, inaccordance with first C.N.E. principle: Nomixed schools. Ordinance attacked by Educa-tion League Home-School Council clause by clans;;,when still in draft, in vain. This ordinance removes(a) parental right to choose a school; (b) parentalright to decide which is the child's home language:and (c) it prop Page 47 of 50 There will also be a slight change in the arithmetic syllabus. As fromto-day 2 + 2whatever I say.12 On the recommendation of a Committee ofthe three Dutch Reformed Churches, tech-nical colleges placed under control of centralGovernment. C.N.E. principle: All education shallbe Christian-Nationalist-"Christian" means adheringto the creeds of the three Dutch Reformed Churches.13 New religious syllabus introduced into allschools controlled by the Department ofEducation, Arts and Science, after consultationwith the three Dutch Reformed Churches only.C.N.E. principle: "Christian" means adhering tothe creeds of the three D.R. Churches.4School library censorship instituted by the1rano Education Department when Ubanned from school libraries, classrooms andhostels all books which did not appear in the officialbook guide, or were not approved by the Depart-Tho Black S'n.ch. Srptcvnher, 1960 7ment's Library Service. C.N.E. principle: The schoolmust educate children in accordance with the parentcommunity's view of lift, in its national context.15 G~ernment insistence, in spite of his unani-mous rejection by the Natal Executive Co-on the appointment to the Deputy-Directorship of Education in Natal of Mr. J. Fl.Standee, well-known to have C'.N.E. sympathies.Declaration by the Prime Minister that heintends to introduc,16 e a uniform policy ofeducation in South Africa, since more thanone policy in the same country is "intolerable".C.N.E. principle: All education from the NurserySchool to the University, must be Christian-National-ist. Apologists try to soothe Natal by explaining thatthis probably only means compulsory mother-tongue-Continttcd on make 4'_Uio .lwurt .Sere. .S'eptcmher 196(1 Page 48 of 50 In Defence ofCHRISTIAN NATIONAL EDUCATIONBy W. J. du TOIT,Minister, Dutch Reformed Church, BellvilleN 1948 the Institute for Christian NationalEducation published a pamphlet explainingthe underlying principles of C.N.E. Since thenmuch has been said and written on this sub-ject, sometimes obviously without a clearconception of either the right of existence orthe aims of this trend in South Africaneducation.Far-fetched explanatory interpretations have beenand are continually being offered by persons who,through lack of knowledge or through prejudice,f, to g ap "cipa ,rasp and preciale the basic pri "" ofC'N.E. , being similar to those readily acceptedin almost any civilized country in the world. Theseself-appointed authorities are constantly prepared topillory C.N.E. as a ridiculous monstrosity of self-righteousness, and the Afrikaans-speaking supportersthereof as tyrants who wish to enforce their ownpolitical and religious beliefs upon people of dif-ferent creed and conviction.Its Origin and HistoryFollowing the peace treaty of Vereeniging in 190?,Sir Alfred MiIn, was determined to anglicise theBoer population of the conquered republics. Withthis in view, he imported teachers straight fromEngland and decreed that only one official languageshould be used in every school, "and damn theconsequences." (His own well-known words.)In response to this attitude of Milner s, theAfrikaans churches established schools of their ownwhich would respect the language and history ofAfrikaans-speaking children. These were known asC.N.E. schools but owing to strenuous financialdemands, they eventally disappeared to be super-seded by State schools.The pamphlet of 1948 formulated the principleson which these C.N.E. schools were based, adaptedto contemporary circumstances. Recently the nameof the Institute was changed to The NationalInstitute for Christian Education, and at present thetext of these principles is being revised so as to beadaptable to the educational demands of today.The Black Sash, September, 1960 8A summary of the most popular misconceptionsa, C.N.E. "'.u. lead .,bou d _ to believe that C.N.E.is concerned only about the welfare of the Afrikaans-speaking child, is striving to have Afrikaans pro-claimed as the only official language in school,wants to separate the two language groups intodifferent schools up to senior certificate standard,tries to impose the Reformed faith of Calvinisticorigin on children of other denominations and isadvocating a narrow, implacable, unscientific formof education.This representation is altogether untrue and cancasily be refuted by any honest and unbiasedstudent of C.N.E.Basic PrincipleThe basic principle of C.N.E. is really veryclementary and obvious, viz. that it is the hereditaryright of every child to be educated in his mothertongue and in the religious atmosphere to whichhe is accustomed, and that only in this way willhe yield his utmost and develop into a completehuman being.In most countries this basic human right isacknowledged, and on account of this we find inthe British Isles, Canada, the United States ofAmerica, Belgium, Sweden, Australia, and even inRussia, systems of education that are essentiallythe same as C.N.E.For the Afrikaans-speaking child such a schoolcan hardly be more than a pious wish, but theEnglish-speaking child is more privileged and canwell attend English "C.N.E." schools, provided hisparents can foot the bill. These Church schools towhich I am now alluding are founded on the veryprinciples that C.N.E. advocates for Afrikaans child-ren. If it is contentious to foster Afrikaans ideals.it is equally censurable for scholars in Englishschools to be "unashamedly British" (an exhortationfrom a well-known Church leader).This patriotic attitude adopted by either Afrikaansor English-speaking pupils, need not necessarilybe wrong or harmful. I have not had the oppor-tunity of studying all the principles of the English-Continued on page 41Die S-Yt Serp, September 1960 Page 49 of 50 SEPARATION IN SCHOOLS"There should he at least tivu kinds of prinrury and secondary schools;crne jar the children o/ Afrikaans-speaking parents, tvith only Afrikaans usnrediurn. curd tire other fn, children of I,'nglish-speaking parents withonlyh.nglish us nrediunv In each there should he the right relationship hettveenI,onre. school, church and .state.". -Article 8 (i), Christian National Education.By JANIE MALHERBEA former teacher in the TransvaalA FTER the Campbell- Bannerman govern-ment, on its accession to power in GreatBritain in 1906. granted responsible govern-tllent to the two former Boer Republics ofthe Transvaal and the Orange Free State. theBoer leaders voluntarily dissolved their C.N.E.(C.N.O.) schools, and amalgamated with thegovernment schools. These C.N.E. schoolshad only been established by the Boer leadershortly after the end of the Anglo - Boer warbecause Lord Milner had unwisely decidedvirtually to ban the Dutch language from allgovernment schools- Afrikaans had not yetbeen introduced as an official written language.For the Nationalists of today to work on thesentimental feelings of Afrikaans parents by makingout that the C.N.E. schools were unilingual mother-, ongue medium schools, is blatantly dishonest poli-tical propaganda. The C.N.E. schools used bothEnglish and Dutch as media tip to and includingStd. III, and from Std. IV to Matriculation onlyEnglish medium was used in the children schools ofthe Boers. The Afrikaans children who attendedConfusion of Thought"1'hc perpetual insistence on separationbetween White and White on the ground oflanguage will lead to ever greater differencesin approach and opinion between them. Thesecan produce nothing but greater confusion ofthought in matters of national significance,and bodc nothing but ill for the country whichthey :ill wish to serve."-1. Y. Dccnriny, Principal o/ the Universityof Cup, Tm~n, Cape Argrrs, June 24,I 96o.TheBlcirA 1crslr.Scprcmher, 19611 9those schools, far from receiving mother-tonguemore correctly home language -instruction, werevery successfully being educated through the mediumof two (to them) foreign languages!As a result of the amalgamation of the Dutchand English schools in the Transvaal and the OrangeFree State, Afrikaans- and English-speaking childrenthroughout these two then British colonies attendedthe same schools. The same was happening in theCape and Natal colonies, but here, as before thewar, all instruction was through the medium ofEnglish.In the Transvaal and O.F.S., thanks to the leadgiven by Generals Smuts and Hertzog, both Englishand Dutch were used as media in the governmentschools. This led not only to a rapid improvementin bilingualism, but also to a steady growth ofmutual understanding and co-operation between thetwo language groups.The BroederhondUnfortunately the first demand for separate schoolscame from short-sighted English parents in theTransvaal who could not afford to send their child-ren to English medium private schools, and whofelt that their children were ai a disadvantage whereboth languages were used as media. As a result,the 1917 Education Commission agreed to the prin-ciple of separate tinilingual government schools forEnglish- and Afrikaans-speaking children with pro-vision for parallel classes in areas where one groupwtoas o small to warrant a scparate school.At this very time, 1918, was born the secretAfrikaner Broederbond, sworn to achieve ultimateAfrikaner domination of the whole of South Africa.It eagerly seized on separate schools as the mostpotent instrument to achieve its purpose in as shorta time as possible.Until 1933 the Brocdcrbond was a body to whichboth Nationalist and South African Party (forc--Continued o,-erleafUic Sivarr Serp, 1cpreniher 196(1 Page 50 of 50