I grew up as a little girl, on a small holding in white Apartheid South Africa. I was born in 1969 and enjoyed my teenage years at a lily white High School , trying to reconcile the reality of my white experience with that of which was seeping out into the white world from the hidden chaos from places like Soweto. Thanks to that one , brave teacher who aimed to wake us from our slumber. She was actually an English teacher but we were dealing with a novel based in our History. It was Alan Patons - Cry the Beloved Country and I was in Grade 8.
That class changed my perspective. Although, if you ready any of my blog posts on my childhood, you will see it was not the only thing that let the scales fall.
This link shows Soweto through the ages. If I visited Soweto today I would see a very different place from its beginnings . Separated from its devastating History can not , in any way, bring to life the reality of its present.
History!
What is the fuss all about?
In South African Government schools, children choose and narrow subject choices down in their 3rd last year of school. These subjects they will take fro their final Matric exams.
History is one of the subjects they can drop or take.
Our government is proposing the History be taken as a compulsory subject to Matric by all children.
This debate is taken place in the midst of a very broken education system. We have many big issues and really it seems as if there is no clear way forward.
I acknowledge this .
Before I share my thoughts on why I think History should be compulsory, I would like to rewind a bit.
Two key things influence my thoughts.
1. I did not take History to Matric and often find my own thinking limited in the present understanding of the world because of it.
2. We home school our 4th child - In this decision , we found ourselves choosing curriculum's that are bathed in History. They are designed around History. These Histories are also designed to unfold in a linear way. In other words we learn events in consecutive order.
The second point here, has revolutionized my thinking and understanding of the modern world. The world I live in has come a little more into focus.
So, before the government proposed this new change , I had been irritating my family with the very same mantra.
History for all!
I almost feel it is a right.
The knee jerk reaction from white South Africa is of course to be expected. I read things like...
# ANC History
#whose Histroy
# they cant even do blah blah blah
etc
Well, the truth is, kids already do History to matric and it would not be difficult to see what the Histroy already looks like.
China : Vietnam : African studies - what is nationalism ? How it developed?
The Cold War... and these are a few.
Here is the actual curriculum PDF for those who really want to see what Kids are actually learning.
I realize that this could change again but this will give those who state unashamed on social media comments that our present government has no idea what they are doing, something else to chew on.
When our eldest son was choosing subjects , we chatted to his History teacher . His thoughts were profound. Take Histroy for what it teaches you to do.
THINK.
AND write and argue and join dots .
I agree with History to matric because I think all children should be afforded this opportunity to learn about where they come from; where others come from and so more clearly understand where they stand. It will broaden the minds of young South Africans and equip all kids with the tools to go out into life with a clearer understanding of this world.
I salute this government for attempting to really educate our children for a broader and better thinking SA.
