The Impact of South African Legislation (1948-2004) on Black Education in Rural Areas: a Historical Educational Perspective
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THE IMPACT OF SOUTH AFRICAN LEGISLATION (1948-2004) ON BLACK EDUCATION IN RURAL AREAS: A HISTORICAL EDUCATIONAL PERSPECTIVE by JOHANNES SEROTO submitted in accordance with the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF EDUCATION in the subject HISTORY OF EDUCATION at the UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA PROMOTER: DR A LEWIS NOVEMBER 2004 Student Number 612-220-5 I declare that THE IMPACT OF SOUTH AFRICAN LEGISLATION (1948-2004) ON BLACK EDUCATION IN RURAL AREAS: A HISTORICAL EDUCATIONAL PERSPECTIVE is my own work and that all sources that I have used or quoted have been indicated and acknowledged by means of complete references. ……………………………….... JOHANNES SEROTO 30 NOVEMBER 2004 Dedicated to my wife, Hellen And our three daughters, Berlina, Puseletso and Thabi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I acknowledge with gratitude the following people whose invaluable contribution made this study possible: • My promoter, Dr Andrew Lewis for his clear guidance and unwavering support throughout the study. His expert advice and constant encouragement have made it possible for me to complete this thesis; • My family: my super wife Hellen and my three daughters, Berlina, Puseletso and Thabi, for their love, understanding and patience. Without their support this research would have been an insurmountable quest; • The subject librarian at UNISA, Mrs Danisile Motsatsi who was never too busy to assist with the search for relevant literature; • My appreciation to Professor Eleanor Lemmer for editing of the thesis; • Mrs M Van Zyl for the final layout of the text; and • The Almighty who has graciously provided me with an opportunity for self-development and study and the strength to use these opportunities to the full. To Him be Glory, Honour and Praise! SUMMARY Rethinking education in rural areas firstly requires reviewing different legislation from a historical perspective and then reconsidering the place of education in the current rural development debate. To a large extent, rural areas have been neglected in development policies and similarly, the rural dimension of basic education issues, especially in South Africa, has been largely overlooked. Basic facts and figures, as elaborated in this thesis, shed light on the need to devote more attention to rural education. In this thesis, South African legislation in relation to basic education for Black people in rural areas during the colonial period up to the democratic era was investigated. The impact of South African legislation on Black education in rural areas is difficult to unravel and solve overnight since its thinking and practice was consolidated over centuries. However, an attempt was made to determine what the policymakers, mostly White dominated governments who ascribed to segregatory and racial attitudes, did to ensure that different policies enshrined in various legislation impacted negatively on education of people predominantly residing in rural areas. The research affirmed that education of Black people in rural areas was, in most instances negatively impacted by policies of previous White governments. The apartheid government (1948-1993) used poor funding strategies to ensure that there were low teacher-pupil ratios and teacher qualifications. Unequal pattern of education spending continued well into the democratic era. This poor funding which impacted negatively on, especially rural schools, made infrastructural provision in rural areas difficult. Even though the democratic government have competitive legislative policies in place, it was concluded that educational policies since 1994 were hastily implemented and insufficient consideration has been given to the contextual realities in South African schooling, particularly in rural areas. Hence the democratic government still need to give grave attention to the issue of education in rural areas. Key Terms: Legislation, South Africa, Rural areas, Black Education, Black people, Separate development, Homelands, Apartheid Education, Democracy, Infrastructure, Budget, Administration, Governance, Curriculum. Table of contents CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION AND GENERAL ORIENTATION 1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY ...................................... 1 1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM ..................................... 3 1.3 AIM AND OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY ................................ 7 1.3.1 Aim of the study .............................................. 8 1.3.2 Research objectives .......................................... 8 1.4 MOTIVATION FOR THE STUDY ....................................... 8 1.5 THE IMPORTANCE OF THE STUDY .................................. 10 1.6 DEMARCATION OF THE STUDY ..................................... 12 1.6.1 Delimitation in relation to time .................................. 12 1.6.2 Delimitation in relation to space ................................. 13 1.7 METHODOLOGY .................................................. 14 1.7.1 The historical-educational research method ...................... 14 1.7.2 Research approach ......................................... 15 1.7.3 Collection of relevant data .................................... 16 1.7.3.1 Primary sources ................................... 16 1.7.3.2 Secondary sources ................................. 16 1.8 EXPLANATION OF KEY CONCEPTS .................................. 16 1.8.1 Education ................................................. 17 1.8.2 Rural .................................................... 17 1.8.3 Legislation ................................................. 18 1.8.4 Black people ............................................... 18 1.8.5 Afrikaner .................................................. 18 ii 1.9 CHAPTER DEMARCATION .......................................... 18 1.10 CONCLUDING REMARKS .......................................... 19 CHAPTER 2: ‘RURAL’ [EDUCATION]: A CONCEPTUAL ANALYSIS 2.1 INTRODUCTION .................................................. 21 2.2 GENERAL DEFINITIONS OF THE TERM ‘RURAL’ ....................... 22 2.3 APPROACHES TOWARDS DEFINING THE TERM ‘RURAL’ ............... 25 2.3.1 Descriptive definition ........................................ 25 2.3.2 The socio-cultural definition ................................... 27 2.3.3 The locality-based definition of the term ‘rural’ ..................... 29 2.3.4 Social representations theory .................................. 30 2.4 THE TERM ‘RURAL’ IN THE SOUTH AFRICAN CONTEXT ................. 32 2.4.1 Defining the term ‘rural’ in agricultural terms ...................... 32 2.4.2 Defining the concept ‘rural’ in political terms ...................... 33 2.5 RACISM IN SOUTH AFRICA ......................................... 38 2.5.1 Defining the concept ‘racism’ .................................. 38 2.5.1.1 The religious perspective ............................. 40 2.5.1.2 Selective preservation perspective ..................... 40 2.5.1.3 Geographical perspective ............................ 42 2.5.1.4 Reproduction theory ................................ 43 2.5.1.5 Other factors ...................................... 45 2.6 POVERTY IN RURAL SOUTH AFRICA ................................. 46 2.6.1 Defining the concept ‘poverty’ .................................. 47 2.6.2 Poverty and inequalities in South Africa .......................... 48 2.7 THE LINK BETWEEN EDUCATION AND POVERTY IN SOUTH AFRICA ...... 49 iii 2.8 TYPES OF RURAL SCHOOLS IN SOUTH AFRICA ...................... 52 2.8.1 Farm schools .............................................. 52 2.8.2 Homeland or Bantustan schools ............................... 55 2.9 GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF RURAL SCHOOLS .................. 56 2.10 CONCLUDING REMARKS .......................................... 57 CHAPTER 3: THE HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF BLACK RURAL EDUCATION IN SOUTH AFRICA: AN OVERVIEW (1652 - 1948) 3.1 INTRODUCTION .................................................. 59 3.2 PRE-COLONIAL PERIOD ........................................... 60 3.3 DUTCH RULE (1652-1806) .......................................... 61 3.4 THE BRITISH RULE (1806-1910) ..................................... 64 3.4.1 The Cape Colony ........................................... 64 3.4.2 The former Transvaal ........................................ 69 3.4.3 Natal ..................................................... 71 3.4.4 The Orange Free State ....................................... 74 3.5 THE UNION OF SOUTH AFRICA (1910-1948) ........................... 75 3.5.1 The Natives Land Act, No 27 of 1913 ............................ 77 3.5.2 The Native Trust and Land Act No 18 of 1936 ..................... 79 3.6 EDUCATION DURING THE UNION GOVERNMENT PERIOD (1910-1948) .... 79 3.6.1 Administration of Black education .............................. 81 3.6.2 Aim of education ............................................ 84 3.6.3 Financing of Black education .................................. 85 3.6.4 Curriculum ................................................ 88 iv 3.6.4.1 Manual and industrial subjects ........................ 89 3.6.4.2 Vernacular ........................................ 91 3.7 CONCLUDING REMARKS .......................................... 93 CHAPTER 4: THE APARTHEID GOVERNMENT’S STANCE ON RURAL EDUCATION (1948-1960) 4.1 INTRODUCTION AND AIM OF THE CHAPTER .......................... 95 4.2 THE BIRTH OF THE NATIONAL PARTY ................................ 96 4.3 LEGISLATIVE FRAMEWORK DURING THE NATIONALIST PARTY RULE (1948-1960) ................................................................ 99 4.3.1 Defining the concept apartheid ...............................