An overview of the history of education in South Africa

The coming to the fore of formal schooling (particularly in South Africa) led to these indigenous knowledge systems to be deemed informal and backward. In reality, the mass schooling of children in Southern Africa introduced by colonial Britain in the 19th century had a much different purpose to that of the indigenous knowledge systems of pre-colonial time, or that of Dutch introduction in the 17th century. The British formal schooling method has its roots in the Industrial Revolution; therefore this means that the learning and teaching methods were intended to yield workers with specialised skills that were going to supplement industrial demands of the time. Here in South Africa, the discovery of gold, diamonds and other minerals meant that the purpose of knowledge production leaned towards industrial skills production. Formal institutions focused on this, and it must be noted that formal institutions primarily enrolled only the European settler community. However, through missionary work and stations, formal institutions that offered formal education (with formal curriculum and pedagogy) were established. The Lovedale Missionary College and the University College of Fort Hare, as it was known then, are basic examples. The Dutch on the other hand in earlier times (17th century) were interested in basic skills development (for Europeans) and social control (for Africans), clearly the Dutch were not that much interested in developing Africans and their societies with the kind of formal schooling methods they utilised. According to Behr and Macmillan (1966:89), formal elementary education meant instruction in the doctrines of the Dutch Reformed Church. The children learned prayers, passages from the Bible, and the catechism. These they would recite to the teacher. This clearly confirms the argument that the Dutch formal education strategies were aimed at social control for Africans.It is interesting to note that in those first schools in the Cape for slaves, to stimulate the slaves’ attention while at school, and to induce them to learn the Christian prayers, they were promised each a glass of brandy and two inches of tobacco. This is further testimony of the kind of education, curriculum and pedagogy that was used had an impact on the socialisation of individuals. The control of the Cape by the British after 1815 meant that the Cape became part of Britain’s trading empire. As a result, many missionaries came to the Cape and set up mission stations and schools. These schools were set up as part of the missionary activity. Just as it was with the Dutch, education was used as a way of spreading the English language and tradition. More importantly, education was used as a means of social control, and education developed along the lines of social class. The difference is that the British also focused on developing specialised skills (in contrast to the basic skills programme by the 17th century Dutch settlers) for the European settler working class. The abolishment of slavery meant that the British had to find alternative means for labour. Cheap labour was the obvious way to go. It is evident from the above that education helped to create social class divisions between the non-Europeans and generally reinforced their lower class position. However, it is interesting to note that the government of the time often complained that missionary education was too religious and not practical enough. Ideally, the aim of education should be to teach us how to think, rather than what to think - rather to improve our minds, so as to enable us, as the students, to think for ourselves, than to load the memory with thoughts of other men . Seeking to understand transformation in higher education in South Africa is an intricate task given the history of education in South Africa. The current situation concerning education in South Africa is dire. Developments, as far as education is concerned, have not been able to keep up with the demands from industry for skilled labour, hence arguments and dialogue pertaining to skills shortages and the brain-drain crisis. This scenario is not limited to South Africa, in fact, it extends across Africa and beyond. Any meaningful attempts to address this crisis in education should take cognisance of one’s immediate social context, it is thus important to focus on the University of Fort Hare amidst the endeavours in education within the South African context. When one looks at the history of formal education in South Africa with the view that education is a means to provide the nation state with a labour force, it is important to look at factors that influenced the socialisation of individuals as they progressed through the formal education system. Furthermore, it also fitting to investigate the curriculum which was administered to respond to the labour demands, such as specialised skills in a rapidly changing and demanding environment. The discovery of precious minerals brought with it a rapid increase in economic activity and the need for labour, especially specialised labour. Almost all black and previously disadvantaged workers in the mines did unskilled work and at lower rates of pay as compared to their white counterparts. They were controlled by pass laws and the migrant labour system.The old (apartheid) education system was very content driven so the majority of teachers understood the classroom and learning environment in terms of promoting a ‘banking education system’. This refers to teachers being constructed as the all powerful knowers of all the knowledge that the student had to receive (Samuel, 2010, adapted). One of the challenges confronting students in South Africa post liberation is the down-play of the past in an attempt to promote racial integration and democracy. A true liberation of the student needs to happen on both the intellectual and social levels. Developments in the formal schooling system in South Africa, in the colonial as well as the apartheid eras show an inclination towards establishing an unequal social order based on racial discrimination. The obvious truth in this regard, in as far as education is concerned, is that the current state of education in post-apartheid South Africa is far from achieving one of its goals which is social equity. The crisis demands urgent and critical appraisal of the whole enterprise of education. Such an investment requires, first, that education and education policy-making is examined (Kallaway, 1984, adapted). The trajectory of this education system has seen an emergence of a black elite. Prospector and explorer Cecil John Rhodes related to this black elite as a potential obstacle in the total control of the indigenous people.The South African past is an important factor to consider in the present as we seek solutions that are future-oriented. As part of this future-oriented approach is the need to deal with aspects of our past that still haunt us today. Furthermore, the attempt at bringing about transformation in higher education needs to open to a deeper exploration of the relationship, amongst other things, between students, academics and support staff and others (Higher Education Summit, 2010). South Africa is also a multi-racial society with a blend of culture, ethnic groups, and is part of the African continent. This presents a unique mix of variables and factors that, when carefully analysed, should be part of the agenda for curriculum renewal and transformation purposes. There is a call by students to be an integral part of the curriculum renewal and transformation process as part of their own liberation. This liberation will see the students break the ‘chains’ that continue to bind them, from the days of apartheid. Student movements the world over show that students have more than once played a crucial role for the liberation of the oppressed. In an attempt to address this crisis, described in some circles of academia as limitations of post-apartheid education policies, it is interesting to note the devastating effects of apartheid on education and consider the impact this has on the current performance of our education system. It dare be said that the education system in South Africa is not serving the students.