Apartheid and its effects on education
... South Africa, in the case of racial discrimination, is uniquely different from any other conflicts because the Apartheid laws were purely about the segregation of races and perpetuating white domination. The Apartheid laws were generally known as laws, which were passed by the white ruling few in 1948 to limit the rights of the black South African. ... and Apartheid 9). The Apartheid laws placed restrictions on the basic human rights of black people in South Africa. The laws covered a wide range of issues concerning housing, education, religion, opinion and expression, land ownership, work and much more. Although all the laws were equally important, the Apartheid laws which concern the issue of education seemed to have a significant impact on the lives and futures of many black South Africans both during the Apartheid and the post-apartheid era. Education is the foundation of any developing nation and in South Africa’s case, where the majority of its population were restricted from the right to proper education, these apartheid laws have had and are likely to have a significant impact on the future of South African people and of the nation, South Africa. ... Malan, leader of the National Party, officially included the policy of Apartheid in the party’s platform, bringing his party to power for the first time (Davenport 335). After the election, two legislative pillars of Apartheid were passed immediately: the ‘Mixed Marriages Act’ of 1949 and the ‘Group Areas Act’ of 1950 (Davenport 381). ... These laws, which were passed by the South African government during the early apartheid era, not only promoted separate racial developments but also became the foundation of social injustices amongst each racial group. ... In 1951 the Bantu Educational Act reinforced the atmosphere of tension that has been brewing within the country since the Apartheid laws began. ... The 1960’s and onward, were the years that many historians call the years of ‘high apartheid’ on account that it was a period when tension within the country was at its peak (Davenport 219). ... One of the earlier demonstrations during the high apartheid period that lead to police use of violence was the Sharpeville massacre, resulting in many unjust death of the African people. It was said that approximately five thousand to ten thousand Africans gathered at the police station in an African township of Sharpeville (Racism and Apartheid 93). ... The Asian and African commonwealth member state’s castigation of South Africa’s apartheid policies prompted this decision. ... annual meeting for 1963: the South African government decided to cease its $1 million annual contribution to U. ... and Apartheid 517). As the South African government continued to disengage itself from the global community in order to reduce external pressures concerning its apartheid policies, internal pressures within the country intensified leading to various attempts by the African people to retaliate against the South African government. ... and Apartheid 340). ... This placed greater strain on the South African economy as its economy largely depended on the imports from and exports to European, Asian and American countries. As the country intense faced internal and external pressures to repeal the Apartheid law, F. ... de Klerk, the last South African Prime Minister to rule the apartheid regime, eventually realized that the apartheid policies were unsuccessful and decided to repeal of all the old apartheid policies and provided universal suffrage for people of all races. ... What the history and the development of some of the apartheid policies indicate is that these policies have had some impact on the development of the South African educational system in the past and the present. ... If the massacre had not occurred, the restrictions of group meetings and organizations would not have become illegal and the African people might have been able to live through the apartheid era in better conditions and incidents like the Soweto upraising might have been avoided. The various apartheid policies, which were implemented by the South African government all played a part, whether directly or indirectly, in the development of the educational systems and the various incidents that were concerned with education. In contrast to the past, South Africa’s present situation, after the fall of Apartheid, seems to be improving. Although, the new ANC government has successfully removed the apartheid system and effectively improved many social and political issues it has not yet been able to correct the wrongs done to the educational system thus causing strain on the future generations of South Africa. ... Malan and his predecessors: When I have control of Native education I will reform it so that Natives will be taught from childhood to realize that equality with Europeans is not for them… People who believe in equality are not desirable teachers for Natives.