This article forms part of the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Tydskrif vir
Geesteswetenskappe. It presents an overview of events and debates in education provision in
South Africa during the period under review.
The article argues that education between 1961 and 2011 needs to be understood against the
backdrop of what happened in the country even before 1961. It therefore lists and briefl y discusses
a number of pre-1961 historical events pertinent to education.
Before 1994, and from 1961 onward in particular, education in South Africa was dominated
by the separate but equal paradigm, also espousing the principle of differentiated education to
accommodate the learning needs of learners and the needs of the country.
The South Africa Act of 1909 set the tone for the exclusion of the so-called non-Whites from
political and other processes. It allocated higher education to the Union Government and all
other education to the four provincial governments. This period was characterised among others
by the creation of advisory councils for non-White education and various levels of education
institutions for non-Whites. Various investigations to explore possibilities regarding the provision
of education for non-Whites like the Eiselen Commission were commissioned.
In 1948 the National Party assumed power and adopted the apartheid policy (separate
development). The Bantu Education Act was promulgated soon after and it came to epitomise all
that was objectionable about the separate but equal policy: unequal spending on children of
different races and a curriculum designed to educate Black children for second class citizen status.
It unleashed opposition to apartheid education that was not to stop before 1994. Separate
educational laws for the education of Indians and Coloureds were introduced in the 1960s and
the Education and Training Act was promulgated in the 1970s to regulate the education of all
Black people inside “South Africa” and outside it in the self-governing territories that had been
formed by that time.
In 1994 the ANC took over political power and immediately gave expression to the Freedom
Charter notion that the doors of learning shall be opened to all. The ANC espoused what can be
called a human rights (transformative or freedom) education paradigm built on the pillars of
equality, access, redress, non-racialism, non-sexism and quality. It transformed the education
system and created only one national education department with nine provincial departments and
only two types of schools – public and independent schools.
The ANC introduced sweeping legislative and policy changes and changed the organisation,
funding and governance of schools. Compulsory school attendance for all children was introduced
and only one national school-end examination was put in place.
The article argues that neither the separate but equal nor the human rights paradigm achieved
their ideals. This conclusion is reached by analysing the performance of the system, the training
of teachers, the curriculum, the cultural and religious aspects of schooling, the role that unions
play in education and the funding of education. It further concludes that too many schools remain
dysfunctional and that many children do not yet have access to quality education despite the fact
that participation in education has improved dramatically. The unique role of unions in South
African governance and schooling is examined and their alleged disruptive rule regarding the
management and governance of education is explored.
The main claim of the article is that participation in education has increased but that the
performance of the system has not improved signifi cantly. Previous gaps and inequalities seem
to have remained and may even have widened.
The ideals pursued by the two paradigms in question remain elusive. There are, however, a
number of keys that can be used to unlock the potential of the education system so that it may contribute its share to the wellbeing of the citizens of the country and to the welfare and development
of the country as a whole.
Die doel van hierdie artikel is om die 50ste bestaansjaar van die Tydskrif vir Geestesweten skappe
te gedenk en om die vyftig jaar in verband te bring met onderwysvoorsiening in Suid-Afrika
gedurende hierdie tydperk.
Onderwys in die tydperk 1961–2011 moet verstaan word binne die konteks van wat reeds
voor 1961 plaasgevind het en daarom word enkele historiese momente van belang vir die onderwys
voor 1961 uitgelig. In die tydperk voor 1994 is die voorsiening van onderwys oorheers deur die
paradigma van afsonderlike maar gelyke onderwys – soos onder andere vergestalt deur die
benadering van eie en algemene onderwyssake van die tagtigerjare. Die ideale van hierdie
paradigma is nie bereik nie en onderwysvoorsiening was grootliks ongelyk en op ras gebaseer.
Sedert 1994 is die onderwys gekenmerk deur die menseregte- of transformasie-paradigma
wat onder meer gelykheid, regstelling en toegang tot onderwysgeleenthede beklemtoon het.
Nie een van hierdie paradigmas kon egter outentieke differensiëring in onderwysvoorsiening
bewerkstellig nie. Die ongelykhede van voor 1994 het grootliks bly voortbestaan. Gapings tussen
die prestasies van rassegroepe het nie vernou nie, hoewel die toegang tot onderwys dramaties
verbeter het.
Die artikel bespreek brandpunte in onderwysvoorsiening in die betrokke tydperk en toon dat
daar nog nie bevredigende oplossings gevind is vir uitdagings rakende onderwysersopleiding, die
bestuur en beheer van onderwysinrigtings en die stelsel, die religieuse en kulturele aard van die
onderwys en die rol wat onderwyserorganisasies behoort te speel nie.
Die artikel word afgesluit met ’n aanduiding van aspekte wat die sleutel tot die verbetering
van onderwysvoorsiening kan wees.
