Controversial education bill raises temperatures

An ambitious government plan to shake up education in South Africa has set off a heated public debate, with some academics and opposition groups arguing the proposals will destroy the public school system. Authorities have pointed out that the series of tough measures, which would transform how South African children are taught, are part of a broader effort aimed at addressing past inequalities in the education system. The proposed changes, set out in the Education Laws Amendment Bill, include clipping the powers of school governing bodies, some of which are accused of framing policies which discriminate against the hiring of black teachers. "These bodies tend to be very selective in opening the door to some, and keeping it closed to others," Minister of Education Naledi Pandor said during the parliamentary debate on her department's budget on Tuesday. At present, governing bodies have the power to decide on admission policies, determine the language of instruction, set school fees and appoint teachers independently of government. In future, schools would present the provincial education department head with a shortlist of three teachers who meet the criteria, and the official would make the final decision. The main opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) party has slammed the proposed amendments, describing them as the "most profound betrayal of quality in public schooling since 1994". "This bill undermines the right of governing bodies to recommend teachers for posts, giving that power to the provincial head of department, on criteria that have nothing to do with teaching excellence," DA MP Helen Zille said in a strongly worded statement this week. Despite the opposition, government has vowed to push ahead with its proposed changes. As part of the effort to expand enrolment in poorer areas, the minister will have the power to decide whether a school can charge school fees or not. In some cases pupils struggle to pay yearly fees as low as R100 (US $15) or even less, the authorities have pointed out. However, the most controversial aspect of the bill is the pending introduction of a new curriculum making English and Afrikaans optional, and offering learners the choice of studying any two of the country's 11 official languages. The proposed system is in line with the government's plan to have universities teach in indigenous languages, as suggested in a ministerial report handed to Pandor earlier this year. The education ministry has gone to great pains to explain that the policy was not intended to sideline English or Afrikaans, but to broaden the opportunities for developing the other nine official languages into mediums of instruction. Before 1998 only Afrikaans and English were used as mediums of instruction, giving an advantage to pupils in search of a matric pass for whom these were home languages. While some English academics have criticised the language policy, others said that allowing for a choice of languages was in line with South Africa's constitution. There have also been concerns that black children who opt for languages other than English or Afrikaans would be further disadvantaged in the future. Professor Jean-Philippe Wade, at the University of KwaZulu-Natal's department of cultural and media studies, was quoted by the Sunday Times newspaper as saying, "As it stands, the level of teaching English at schools is absolutely appalling - it [the proposed changes] draws attention away from improving the teaching of English." Professor Ray Basson from the education department of the University of the Witwatersrand told IRIN that although the government's efforts were commendable, greater effort was needed to beef up language training for teachers. Moreover, implementing the new language policy would mean having available a steady supply of support materials, such as textbooks. "There has been quite an uproar over the language issue, especially given South Africa's past history, but research has shown that even after being given the option of indigenous languages, black school children have tended to lean towards choosing English as a matric subject. Their parents are also very aware of the long-term benefits of opting for English," Basson pointed out. John Lewis, a spokesman for the South African Democratic Teachers Union, agreed that "it was about time that indigenous languages were given importance", but maintained that the new policy would only be effective if the government committed serious funding to teacher training and educational support. Educations officials have, however, assured the public that the introduction of a new curriculum will occur in a "phased" manner. "The inadequate levels of preparedness that were identified in [a recent] readiness review have led us to develop detailed plans and actions that allow for a smooth transition to the new curriculum," Pandor was quoted as saying. According to official statistics, isiZulu is the mother tongue of 23.8 percent of the population, followed by isiXhosa (17.6 percent) and Sepedi. Although English is the language most used in public services, commerce, industry and academia, just eight percent of South Africa's 48 million people speak it as their mother tongue. Language has always been a sensitive subject in South Africa. The Soweto uprising in the 1970s, arguably a key turning point in the country's resistance movement, was ignited by the apartheid government's edict that Afrikaans would be the main teaching medium. More than a decade after watershed democratic elections in 1994, education remains at the heart of social reform and, at 25 percent, the country's largest budget item. The government has moved to telescope 36 higher education institutions, previously based on race and speciality, into 21 open centres of higher learning. Access to public schools has also increased, with 95.5 percent of the student population attending primary school and 85 percent attending secondary school. Observers say this progress has been achieved because the government has been unafraid to ruffle feathers in its pursuit of education transformation. The education ministry recently criticised tertiary institutions for focusing on claiming funding from government without making enough effort to ensure that students passed. South Africa spent R1.5 billion ($250 million) a year - about half of the state's higher education subsidy - on students who dropped out, the department noted. Pandor said universities should manage their admission criteria better, put more into bridging programmes, and emphasise courses that meet the economy's needs. Colleen Howell, an education researcher at the University of the Western Cape, said reforming education in South Africa was pivotal to tackling racial inequalities and building capacity among previously disadvantaged communities.