The Department of Basic Education and the SA Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu) have slammed Education MEC Debbie Schäfer, saying her comment that South Africa does “not need a nation of historians” was short-sighted.
Schäfer’s comment followed a recommendation by the ministerial task team (MTT) that history be phased in as a required subject.
During her speech at the policy debate on the budget vote, Schäfer said taking history until matric would not serve young people or help them to become productive members of the economy.
But Basic Education spokesperson Elijah Mhlanga said unlike the apartheid government that imposed discriminatory education policies, the current process of considering making history compulsory was to elevate and fix the past.
Sadtu provincial secretary Jonavon Rustin labelled Schäfer’s view as “short-sighted”.
The MTT had been established in 2015 to advise Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga on the feasibility of making the subject compulsory.
At the release of the MTT findings this month, Motshekga had said young Africans should be taught to develop a sense of pride in their heritage, which in turn would boost their self-esteem and confidence.
Motshekga highlighted that it was important to dispel the myth that has existed for decades - that of Africa as a "troubled continent" renowned more for its wars and diseases than as a source of human progress.
Led by Professor Sibusiso Ndlovu, the MTT recommended that the implementation of history be phased in from 2023 to allow the department to plan and for teachers to be trained.
The team had conducted comparative studies by looking to other countries, including China, India, Russia, Brazil, Nigeria, Rwanda and Zimbabwe.
The report will be released for public comment.
Schäfer quoted part of an article by Professor of Education at Stellenbosch University Jonathan Jansen during her speech.
“(Jansen) then makes an important point, and I quote: ‘Black nationalists are no different from white nationalists - their goal is to impress their version of history on the people in the same way that they will not rest until every major airport is named after an African nationalist’.
“That is the real reason for this recommendation. Not the interests of the learners, who will have their choice of curriculum curtailed, but the interests of the ANC, and the ANC alone.”
She went on to say: “We do not need a nation of historians - we need a nation of mathematicians, scientists, artisans, accountants and computer coders. And people should be able to choose the curriculum that best meets their chosen career after school.
"Taking history until matric will not serve our young people and will not help them to be productive members of the economy, which will further exacerbate the youth unemployment crisis we are facing.”
The history curriculum could instead be corrected until Grade 9, Schäfer said.
Reacting to this yesterday, Mhlanga said it is “very sad and disappointing” if Schäfer aligned her views with Jansen’s.
Regarding political pressure, Mhlanga said it wasn't a bad thing.
“Apartheid collapsed under political pressure, we live in a political country where politics dictates a lot of what happens. It is nonsensical, and in fact contradictory, to suggest that we are focusing on history at the expense of maths, science and accounting. Maths and science have a special conditional grant which has been running; history must be part of the choice that the curriculum must offer,” Mhlanga said.
Rustin advised Schäfer to consult an educationalist who had taught in a classroom to understand the importance of the topic, as her views were “short-sighted”.
History taught learners analytical skills and allowed for critical thinking, Rustin said.