Department of Bantu Education
The Department of Bantu Education was an organisation created by the National Party government of South Africa in 1953. The Bantu Education Act, 1953 provided the legislative framework for this department.
Function of the department
Before the Bantu Education Act was passed
Initially, a
Curricula under the department
The department sought to equip black students with the abilities needed to function as low-skilled workers. Abstract thinking and subjects deemed to be of no use to manual laborers (such as mathematics and science) were neglected.[3] Teaching an apartheid-friendly version of Christian values to students was also prioritized.[4] In educational materials, black culture was portrayed as primitive, rural, and unchanging.[1]
Responses
Many missionary societies provided education to black schoolchildren. These schools were partially funded by the national government but operated with some autonomy. Racial segregation was not a defining feature of missionary education. The Bantu Education Act consolidated educational apartheid and forced mission schools to implement strict racial segregation in order to qualify for financial assistance. Many mission schools refused to co-operate with the National Party government and ceased operating after the passage of the act.
End of the department
In 1994, after South Africa's first multiracial elections, the department ceased to operate. All of its functions were absorbed by several government departments. Though the post-apartheid government has committed itself to providing quality schooling to students of all races,[5] education in South Africa continues to be hampered by the legacy of the department and other institutions.
References
- ^ a b c d e "South Africa: Overcoming Apartheid".
- ^ a b Hartshorne, K. B. Crisis and Challenge : Black Education 1910-1990. Cape Town: New York: Oxford University Press, 1992.
- ^ "The June 16 Soweto Youth Uprising - South African History Online". sahistory.org.za.
- ^ Kallaway, Peter. Apartheid and Education : The Education of Black South Africans. Johannesburg: Ravan Press, 1984.
- ^ "ANC Education Policy". upenn.edu.