Access to Quality Education

Join the Fort Hare Autumn School Alumni Network on 23 June 2021 for a dialogue on ’Access to Quality Education’.

The 1976 June 16 uprising which brought the country and the apartheid government into a stand-still paved a way for better education for the black child. The main contention was the introduction of Afrikaans as medium of instructions and the unequal allocation of funds for black students in relations to their white counterparts. Black scholars across the country were protesting and burning property owned by the apartheid government. 

45 Years post the 1976 Soweto Uprising. Quality Education in South Africa remains to be a commodity for a selected few. The disparities between public and private school is a perpetual struggle that the working class is battling with. It can be argued that the reason for dichotomy in Education system in South Africa, it is because of the colonial legacy and lack of political will from the government.

For many years, young people have sought to challenge government and influence policies, case in point the 2015-16 #FEESMUSTFALL Movement. However, preceding any movement -it is critical that this unequal system is explored.

The FES FHAS Alumni Board and FES South Africa will be hosting two dialogues during the Youth Month, the first dialogue is on Access to Quality Education.

Quality Education in South Africa is highly polarized and commodified. Government is continuously promising to bridge inequality in the country, however basic rights such access to quality education depends on the class in which you occupy in the school of the economy.  The purpose of this dialogue is to provide a platform for FES fellows who are products/ practitioner/social activist of public schooling system and former model c school to critically analyse the effects of the dichotomy in the South African basic education system in young people. 

These questions will be answered or discussed in this dialogue;
1.    What are the cognitive challenges that are faced by learners in South Africa today?
2.    What is the plight of SA black students in former model c and what can be done better?
3.    What can be done to enhance the current curriculum in basic education? Does it need redefinition or restructuring?
4.    The legacy of the 1976 Uprising. What can we learn from that class? What is the current struggle for 2021?

Date: 23 June 2021
Time: 16:30-18:00
Platform: Zoom
RSVP: agness.munthali(at)fes-southafrica.org for zoom link
RSVP deadline: 22 June 2021

The second dialogue is titled ‘Youth participation in politics and governance’ and will be held on 30 June 2021. More details to follow.