Nelson Mandela’s Legacy
“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world,” said Nelson Mandela, anti-apartheid politician and philanthropist. From 1994 to 1999, Mandela was president of South Africa, and one of his biggest challenges was rehabilitating the educational system, which lay in ruins after the apartheid era, in order to give generations of children in South Africa the opportunity for a brighter future.
This was definitely easier said than done, as information from the World Economic Forum's index shows just how greatly the country's educational system has suffered due to South Africa's underdevelopment, and today it's overall system ranks at 140 out of 144 countries (Holborn). But what factors have contributed to such underdeveloped schooling?
Since the end of apartheid in 1994, race issues have become more prevalent as the apartheid ideas have made a significant impact in society and education today. The race gap is a disadvantage to many black children who are trying to get an education as apartheid ideals are still carrying into the education system. The main problem at hand is that the white community in South Africa is still unwilling to have an integrated school system, and as a result the government has created four racially separate ones (Wren). Consequently, the government invests four times as much for the education of white children as opposed to black or mixed race ones. From this it becomes evident that the government still plays a heavy hand in the educational system in South Africa, which according to an article by NGO Pulse is because they are trying to make sure that “apartheid’s policies are implemented effectively.”
In addition to race affecting the quality of education, for some, income and region have played a significant role in the accessibility to education. Research conducted in South Africa by the Center for Universal Education at Brookings reveals that even of the small percentage of the population that has the opportunity to get an education, 33.7% of them are not learning. By taking a closer look at this population, the gaps in society and in the education of South Africa are becoming harder and harder to ignore. In the article, it says, "On average, poor and rural children are at a much greater learning disadvantage than their wealthy, urban peers," which can only hurt them in the future (Greubel).
According to BBC News, in a far away town called Sibasa, located in the Limpopo province of South Africa, despite poor classroom conditions, Mbilwi Secondary School recently achieved a 100% pass rate for the school leaving exam, meaning there is still hope for South Africa. Since Mandela’s death in 2013, representatives have been trying to finish what he started and reforms to the government and society’s race issues are currently underway. In addition, a program called AIMS has been put in place to help those who maybe can't afford an education or don't have access to one due to the area he or she lives in, finally giving these disadvantaged people the opportunity for an education. “Transforming Africa,” by Neil Turok describes how the AIMS program not only improves one's life and his or her education, but it also improves the state of the country as many of those who graduate from its program remain in Africa and work to better develop it for future generations.
It is with programs such as this one, along with eager students such as the ones located in the poor classrooms of Limpopo, that when armed with the right knowledge, these future generations have the ability to make the world that Nelson Mandela once dreamed of, a reality.
Works Cited:
Haggard, Stephen. "African education 2.0: with the focus moving from universal primary
education to the issue of achievement, could technology help Africa upgrade its schooling system?" African Business July 2015: 70+. Global Issues In Context. Web. 7 Mar. 2016.
Greubel, Laura, Kevin Watkins, and Justin W. Van Fleet. "Africa Learning Barometer." The Brookings Institution. 17 Sept. 2012. Web. 03 Mar. 2016.
Holborn, Lucy. "Education in South Africa: Where Did It Go Wrong?" NGO Pulse. 11 Sept. 2013. Web. 07 Mar. 2016.
Nkosi, Milton. "Is South Africa's Education System Really 'in Crisis'? - BBC News." BBC News. 29 Jan. 2016. Web. 08 Mar. 2016.
Turok, Neil. "Transforming Africa, one student at a time." Globe & Mail [Toronto, Canada]
2 July 2010: A15. Global Issues In Context. Web. 6 Mar. 2016.
Wren, Christopher S. "South Africa to Tackle Race Gap in Education." The New York Times. The New York Times, 25 Feb. 1991. Web. 08 Mar. 2016.
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ReplyDeleteI was really surprised how great the racial difference was. I also really appreciated the amount of facts and evidence you had to back up your evidence. How will these programs reach the poor and rural children of South Africa?
ReplyDeleteI thought your article was quite informative which motivated the reader to continue reading a wanting to know more. It was outstanding how much racial discrimination is still present today, even though the apartheid era had ended about twenty years ago. What could be a potential solution to this issue, and about how many years could there finally be peace between the two races?
ReplyDeleteI really liked how you opened with a Nelson Mandela quote, I think it was a great hook. I was surprised to hear how racism is still such a big issue today. Do you think racism plays into more aspects of life in South Africa, more than just education?
ReplyDeleteI really like how you chose to relate Mandela to the education crisis in South Africa, and had no idea that it was still difficult to have citizens accept integrated education. How do the poor children get educated now, in comparison to in the past?
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