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This week chaos errupted in Vereeniging.
Protesters gathered at Hoërskool Overvaal after 55 pupils, to be taught in English, were denied access to the predominantly Afrikaans school after a Gauteng Department of Education directive to take in the pupils were succesfully challenged in court.
The EFF took up the flight of the 55 pupils and the protest soon turned violent. It led to a heated debate about whether our school system is failing black children, whether the existence of Afrikaans only schools can still be justified, and if making English the universal medium of instruction is really the answer.
We asked you, our readers, what you think the solutions are and you responded overwhelmingly. Here are some of your responses.
Time to get our priorities straight
100% of the population cannot be accomodated by a system built and developed to only accomodate 10%.
Pulling the 'privileged' down to the level of the 'underprivileged' does nothing to actually help the underprivileged. All that achieves is resentment and anger rife for manipulation by greedy, self-serving politicians.
This country's entire infrasture was built to only support a tenth of its current population. No amount of redistributing what there is currently is ever going to solve the problem when the problem is that there isn't enough to go around in the first place.
It's time to knuckle down TOGETHER and start building for all those who don't have and to kick to all the self-serving politicians, ANC, EFF, DA and everybody inbetween out the door as they only serve to divide us.
- Matthew van Rensburg
Also read: Panyaza Lesufi: Language used as a 'false shield' for exclusion
(Protesters call on police officers to shoot outside Hoërskool Overvaal in Vereeniging. Picture: Rosetta Msimango/citypress)
Language should not be the dominant factor
My take is that the ANC has failed all South Africans in nation-building and education.
I'm a firm believer that a government governs for all. I believe if government makes it compulsory for all education to be undertaken in English from primary to university then we would not have such issues.
The role of government is to educate the nation and ensure its citizens are able to compete successfully on the global stage.
This then removes language as the dominant narrative in discussions on education.
- Molefe Lengana
Also read: The Constitution on trial: Hoërskool Overvaal
Double medium schools ideal for racial integration
As a teacher at an English school I will start off by saying that our curriculum is not child friendly and fail the learners in more than one way. On top of that we have people making decisions who are not education experts but politicians.
That being said, I strongly believe in double medium schools. If you look at double medium schools in Sasolburg, you find racially integrated schools that give quality education. Racial integration, however, was not forced upon these schools. It is something they chose to do and it happened over the years.
Now both these schools prosper whilst racial integration is prospering, preparing children to live in a multi-cultural country. On the other hand, you still have an Afrikaans primary school where mostly white children attend. In my opinion double medium schools are the best way to prepare your child for the future.
- Motsumi Ntsebo
Parents pray outside Hoërskool Overvaal in Vereeniging this week. (Photo: Felix Dlangamandla/Netwerk24)
Also read: English or Afrikaans? Our identity is about so much more
EFF is protesting at the wrong place
I don't have any children so this doesn't affect me but as an observer of what has been going on in this country I would like to offer my two cents worth.
There is clearly a huge shortage of schools (between 300-400) in this country. Parents do not wish to send their children to the township schools because of the mostly inferior education they offer so they are trying to squeeze tens of thousands of children into schools that are already bursting at the seams.
The "esteemed" ruling party must have known at least 7 years ago how many children they would have had to accommodate but unfortunately with the ANC there isn't a problem until there is a problem! No foresight, no planning. They are NOT proactive, they are reactive.
The EFF should be focusing their attention seeking stunts (they are fast losing their relevance) on the department of education and the people who have stolen billions that could have been used to build additional schools. They should also be demonstrating in front of the Sadtu offices as they are protecting those useless unqualified, often drunk, sexual predator teachers that cannot pass a grade 4 exam themselves.
Sadly, once again, the root of the problem is not being tackled and with ever dwindling resources, the fighting is just going to escalate and get uglier.
- Anita Ferri
Also read: Education problems: Are Afrikaans schools to blame?
A good teacher knows no race
All parents want a good education for their children. Overvaal should feel privileged to be a school that parents want their children to attend.
Last year I retired as a teacher. At 65 you have to. I taught at Afrikaans schools, double medium schools, an English technical school and the last 6 years of my career at a school for children with learning disabilities.
All learners have a special place in your heart. You do not look at race for we are all from the human race. You want all your learners to excel. It is your job, you are paid for it.
Not one learner failed my subject in matric but it took sweat and tears getting some of them to study and hand in their projects on time. I could not have done it without the assistance of the learners’ parents.
In all my years of teaching I never had a parent complaining about me being white. All they wanted was a teacher who is on time, well prepared, knows the learners, is a specialist in his/her subject and keeps the parent/parents informed about the learner’s progress (the good and the bad news).
- Johann du Toit
ANC members protest outside Hoërskool Overvaal under the watching eye of the police (Photo: Felix Dlangamandla/Netwerk24)
Every child will eventually need English
A number of writers have argued that a child can better grab concepts when taught on his/her home language. With that being said, I want to believe that dual medium schools are indeed the answer to this problem.
After 24 years of democracy I am highly disappointed to watch my fellow South Africans fighting for a basic right. Denying a child a right to education is highly unacceptable irrespective of whatever possible reason can be presented for it.
State-funded schools cannot by any means argue to teach in only one language that is not English. Considering the fact that those learners are supposed to go to universities where the medium of instruction is English, I would like to believe that's not fair.
Even those who are not planning to further their studies at universities, being South African at some point they will need to communicate in English.
How to resolve the education challenges in South Africa?
1. Train more teachers, and train them to speak three or more indigenous languages.
2. Create spaces and opportunities for parents of different race, ethnic and religious groups to share the challenges they face (regarding the education of their children).
3. Build more education centres (not schools necessarily). We should decentralise education.
4. Build strong networks and partnerships between learning centres, government, the private sector and others.
5. Give children more power to make decisions about their own education.
- Peter Nagel
Upgrade infrastructure and hire passionate teachers
It seems though that the race issue is more important to the role players (AfriForum, EFF and ANC) than the wellbeing of the children.
My suggestion to improve the situation would be two-fold:
1. Refurbish and upgrade existing schools that have been neglected. This will not only save money, but will take a lot less time than to build from scratch. If the infrastructure is there, use it.
2. Start appointing willing and experienced teachers.
I’ve always believed that certain professions are a calling. Teachers should be there because they have a passion for educating our future generations, not just because it’s a job or a means of income. This will raise the level of education to new heights in all regions where this is applied.
- Craig Joseph
Gauteng MEC for Education Panyaza Lesufi addresses the media this week on the department's state of readiness for the new school year. (Photo: Gallo Images/Sowetan/Sandile Ndlovu)
Mother tongue education in every child's interest
My first-born child has a learning disability and we had to move from abroad to South Africa for her to be schooled in her mother tongue.
Since the move, her grades have drastically improved. I can attest to the fact that every child taught in their mother tongue will have a bright future!
This is a basic human right of every child. Educators should know this.
- Carla Rossouw
Double shifts for schools?
We have a real problem in South Africa. However, it does not require racially based arguments to get to a solution.
Let's harness the intellectual powers we have and get the schools to run with two shifts. This will increase jobs, ensure smaller classes, improve building utilisation and many more advantages.
As an example at OverVaal we could have English in the morning, (Afrikaans sport at the same time) then Afrikaans in the afternoon (English sport at the same time).
This would nearly double the capacities of the schooling system. (Well, not quite as not all schools would be able to implement this.)
Let's be positive and make things work.
- Tobie Henning
