Excellent article. The 'lens' in the current curriculum is shaded with immense bias and prejudice towards the history of 'history' itself. Once one stares through the lens of the past with a clearer view and with longer aperture, one sees oneself in the reflections of identity in man and woman and child and in warrior and in victim, and the lessons cannot be unlearned.
Johan, what a great and helpful addition to the new curriculum debate in South Africa. Your objective/balanced, practical, theoretically sound, and non-ideologically biased recommendations, are especially valuable in explaining why lessons from history - well tought - can actually help shape our destiny as a people. And, yes, why not teach very recent history too, like you suggested. The latter is probably even of paramount importance, and I can just imagine our children, who are generally very "politically aware", just loving the chapters on the reasons for the sucessful first period of transition to democracy in South Africa, and the reasons for the failures thereafter! It may even become so exciting that students may want to change another school subject for History, or take History as an additional subject. Having said the above, however, I get that hollow feeling in my gut that the political masters will NOT agree to most of it. I find what you wrote very courageous, since it departs so much from what is still regarded as "politically correct"; and using history teaching as not-so-subtle propaganda and indoctrination techniques, are by a long shot not out of fashion yet. Or will never be. Forgive my scepticism, but for at least the last twenty years in South Africa, I followed the most brilliant wisdoms and knowledge-sharing of a huge number of South African in the media, and yet we are where we are. It does not mean we should give up, but ironically and sadly I am of the opinion that only a perfect storm (crisis) in South Africa will accelerate the introduction of the VERY NECESSARY reforms, such as the ones you so capably penned down. Little else seem to be able to move our governmental ideological biases, which are in favour of archaic and outdated thinking. It can almost be seen as anti-development efforts, even though the South African economic ailments you mentioned stand out like the warts on a warthog...
Excellent article. The 'lens' in the current curriculum is shaded with immense bias and prejudice towards the history of 'history' itself. Once one stares through the lens of the past with a clearer view and with longer aperture, one sees oneself in the reflections of identity in man and woman and child and in warrior and in victim, and the lessons cannot be unlearned.
Johan, what a great and helpful addition to the new curriculum debate in South Africa. Your objective/balanced, practical, theoretically sound, and non-ideologically biased recommendations, are especially valuable in explaining why lessons from history - well tought - can actually help shape our destiny as a people. And, yes, why not teach very recent history too, like you suggested. The latter is probably even of paramount importance, and I can just imagine our children, who are generally very "politically aware", just loving the chapters on the reasons for the sucessful first period of transition to democracy in South Africa, and the reasons for the failures thereafter! It may even become so exciting that students may want to change another school subject for History, or take History as an additional subject. Having said the above, however, I get that hollow feeling in my gut that the political masters will NOT agree to most of it. I find what you wrote very courageous, since it departs so much from what is still regarded as "politically correct"; and using history teaching as not-so-subtle propaganda and indoctrination techniques, are by a long shot not out of fashion yet. Or will never be. Forgive my scepticism, but for at least the last twenty years in South Africa, I followed the most brilliant wisdoms and knowledge-sharing of a huge number of South African in the media, and yet we are where we are. It does not mean we should give up, but ironically and sadly I am of the opinion that only a perfect storm (crisis) in South Africa will accelerate the introduction of the VERY NECESSARY reforms, such as the ones you so capably penned down. Little else seem to be able to move our governmental ideological biases, which are in favour of archaic and outdated thinking. It can almost be seen as anti-development efforts, even though the South African economic ailments you mentioned stand out like the warts on a warthog...
Jou tipe sienings, Johan.
https://businesstech.co.za/news/business-opinion/857757/calls-to-change-schools-in-south-africa/?utm_source=everlytic&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=businesstech