SAE3701 Assignment 2
(COMPLETE ANSWERS)
2025 - DUE 2 June 2025
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, The Weaponization of Curriculum: South African Apartheid Education
Introduction
The South African Apartheid state between 1948 and 1994 was characterized by a
systematic, brutal, and institutionalized regime of race discrimination and segregation. The core
of this repressive state lay in the direct and widespread control by the
government of the curriculum of education, notably that of the black majority.
This domination was not administrative; it was intentional and cunning. It was employed
to impose racial hierarchies, eliminate black South Africans' sense of citizenship,
and establish white minority domination. This essay will describe the specific
methods built into the Bantu Education curriculum to maintain racial segregation, examine its
devastating impact on the provision and quality of education for black students, and explain the
diverse reactions of black students, parents, and communities. Moreover, it
will examine the long-term long-term effects
of such discriminatory education policies upon black South Africans' socio-economic mobility
and prospects during the post-Apartheid era through varied sources, including Gallo (2020).
Body
The Apartheid government's control of the education curriculum was well-designed
to maintain racial segregation and create a subordinated black population. Various specific
methods were employed:
Racialized Curriculum Content: The curriculum was deliberately differentiated racially. Black
students learned a subpar curriculum in terms of content and breadth to that offered to whites.
It was centered on elementary skills deemed necessary for menial tasks and discouraged
intellectual development that challenged the status quo. History was distorted
or suppressed to remove black input and construct a black inferiority and white
superiority framework. For instance, the black students' history curriculum focused more on
tribal history and downplayed the greater history of South Africa and the world, limiting their
understanding of their place in it (Gallo, 2020).
Privileging Ethnic Identity over National Citizenship: The Bantu Education
system deliberately promoted ethnic and tribal identities over a unified South African citizenship
for blacks. It was usually taught in indigenous African
languages, which reaffirmed ethnic differentiation and blocked the development of
a homogeneous national conscience among black students. It was done intentionally, as it
was aimed to block the formation of a collective political opposition to Apartheid
and questioned their right to full citizenship in the country of origin. As the architect of Bantu
Education, Verwoerd outlined that the goal was to train the Black child to the fact that "he must
be properly trained for his present and future needs" in the system of segregation, and this
meant a servile and limited role (Christie, 1991).
(COMPLETE ANSWERS)
2025 - DUE 2 June 2025
For assistance contact
Email:
, The Weaponization of Curriculum: South African Apartheid Education
Introduction
The South African Apartheid state between 1948 and 1994 was characterized by a
systematic, brutal, and institutionalized regime of race discrimination and segregation. The core
of this repressive state lay in the direct and widespread control by the
government of the curriculum of education, notably that of the black majority.
This domination was not administrative; it was intentional and cunning. It was employed
to impose racial hierarchies, eliminate black South Africans' sense of citizenship,
and establish white minority domination. This essay will describe the specific
methods built into the Bantu Education curriculum to maintain racial segregation, examine its
devastating impact on the provision and quality of education for black students, and explain the
diverse reactions of black students, parents, and communities. Moreover, it
will examine the long-term long-term effects
of such discriminatory education policies upon black South Africans' socio-economic mobility
and prospects during the post-Apartheid era through varied sources, including Gallo (2020).
Body
The Apartheid government's control of the education curriculum was well-designed
to maintain racial segregation and create a subordinated black population. Various specific
methods were employed:
Racialized Curriculum Content: The curriculum was deliberately differentiated racially. Black
students learned a subpar curriculum in terms of content and breadth to that offered to whites.
It was centered on elementary skills deemed necessary for menial tasks and discouraged
intellectual development that challenged the status quo. History was distorted
or suppressed to remove black input and construct a black inferiority and white
superiority framework. For instance, the black students' history curriculum focused more on
tribal history and downplayed the greater history of South Africa and the world, limiting their
understanding of their place in it (Gallo, 2020).
Privileging Ethnic Identity over National Citizenship: The Bantu Education
system deliberately promoted ethnic and tribal identities over a unified South African citizenship
for blacks. It was usually taught in indigenous African
languages, which reaffirmed ethnic differentiation and blocked the development of
a homogeneous national conscience among black students. It was done intentionally, as it
was aimed to block the formation of a collective political opposition to Apartheid
and questioned their right to full citizenship in the country of origin. As the architect of Bantu
Education, Verwoerd outlined that the goal was to train the Black child to the fact that "he must
be properly trained for his present and future needs" in the system of segregation, and this
meant a servile and limited role (Christie, 1991).
