essay of bantu education act 1953

Bantu Education in South Africa Essay

Introduction, views of structural functionalists on education, neo-marxist perspective on education, nature of bantu education, criticism of bantu education, works cited.

Education is an important aspect of development in any society. It contributes towards societal development by preparing learners with the relevant skills, values and attitudes they require to take occupational roles in their future lives. This implies that educational systems play a vital role in determining the well-being of a country.

For many years, South Africa was exposed to discriminatory actions resulting from the apartheid system. This was extended to the education sector through the introduction of the Bantu Education. This Essay focuses on the nature of the Bantu education system and its shortcomings in the eyes of structural functionalists and neo-Marxist sociologists.

There are different structural-functionalist approaches used in the study of sociology of education. However, the most important ones are derived from the works of famous sociologists Durkheim and Parsons. Until the late 1960s and early 1970s, sociological thinking on matters of education was dominated by structural functionalism. Functionalist sociologists of education look at how education contributes towards the well-being of the society.

The provision of social solidarity and value consensus is the strongest of the functional contributions that education makes to the society. Education as socialization is associated with transmission of culture, values and norms that enable people to stick together and facilitate social life in highly traditional social communities. Similarly, the modern education system is supposed to hold modern societies together.

This thinking is founded on the need to deal with the characteristics associated with the transition from simple traditional to complex and modern societies. Complex modern societies involve a change from a homogeneous life based on rural kinship into concentrated but heterogeneous populations in societies which live in urban areas and characterised by differentiated division of labor.

Mass education is a tool that can be used in such societies to instill proper rules and curricula in children that bind them and the new form of society together. This makes it possible for non-kinship -based, consensual and cooperative lives to be established. This was the argument of sociologist Durkheim (Martin 6).

After the establishment of industrial capitalist society, Parson advanced an argument that the function of education was to create a bridge between the primary socialization that took place at home and adult life preparation. He focused on the role of the school in equipping children with universalistic values as opposed to the particularistic ones obtained from the family.

Particularistic roles are the ascribed ones such as the role and status of an individual, such as his/her place in the family. Universalistic roles on the other hand emphasize the teachings that on the basis of birth, nobody is better than the other. According to structural functionalists, education is the basis of modern society where it socializes children and equips them with the necessary skills for adult life and to function in a modern society marked by universalistic values.

They also believe that education plays an important role in modernizing the society as opposed to mere transition from simple to modern. In addition, the role of education in helping the society adapt to changes in the broader environment such as the competitive advantage cannot be underestimated.

There are numerous neo-Marxist approaches to education but the most influential ones are those of Bowles and Gintis who argue that the education system leads to the production of a capitalist society. According to them, the purpose of education in a capitalist society is to reproduce capitalist relations of production meaning profit, capitalist power and capitalist control of power. They believe in a correspondence principle which explains how the school corresponds with work that serves this purpose.

Its function is to reproduce labor in the sense that it provides enough quantities of the different labor types capitalists need. In addition, it reproduces the right type of the labor required by capitalists since it dampens the desire towards class struggle and instead isolates pupils into the highly class-stratified roles they will occupy in the job market once they leave school. Ideally, the purpose of the school is to isolate and integrate pupils into the capitalist society (Blackledge and Hunt 136).

Neo-Marxists argue that for both capitalist and working class children, schools take over from families and socialize the child into the primary societal values, norms, roles and attitudes. The correspondence they talk of between the school and workplace is meant to prepare pupils to assume occupational roles. Schools are organised in a hierarchy and run along authoritarian lines. Learning is also extrinsically motivated rather than being intrinsically motivated.

These characteristics of schools the neo-Marxists argue that are replicated in the workplace where the workers follow the orders given by their bosses without questioning. There motivation is only an extrinsic one in the form of the wages they get.

While formal curriculum is mandated with the task of giving pupils the basic literacy and numeracy they require in their future jobs, the correspondence between school and work is a form of hidden curriculum that prepares them to politically and ideologically embrace life in a capitalist society.

They are prepared to be obedient, docile, passive and loyal to authorities and hierarchy. According to the neo-Marxists, the bottom line is that only a revolutionary transformation of the capitalist mode of production as a whole can lead to a transformed education system.

After the national party came into power in 1948, the neglect and limitation that had characterised native education from 1910 paved the way for strict state control for black education. This control marked the disappearance of the mission school system which was faced by many challenges despite the fact that it was an important educational institution.

The national party government was committed to eliminate the tolerant laissez-faire perceptions towards black education. The Bantu Education Act of 1953 made it possible for the enactment of legislation that was aimed at promoting Christian National Education separate development.

Bantu Education in South Africa was intended at providing the ruling elites with a cheap and submissive labor. In addition, it aimed at resolving the urban crisis that had developed in the 1940s and 1950s due to industrialisation and rapid urbanisation. This was caused by the collapsing homeland agriculture and the expansion of secondary industrialisation after the Second World War. Transport, housing and wages were not enough for the increasing number of working class people who lived in towns.

The response to the breakdown of these services and poor conditions was squatter movements and the formation of trade unions. Radical oppositions to political activities became the norm, accompanied by the leadership of the African National Congress. The increasing levels of poverty became a threat to the physical productivity of the white elites. Social stability in the 1940s was either obstructed by the presence of education or lack of it (Hyslop 80).

Educationalists attributed the increase in crime rates and the defiant nature of youths to the lack of enough schools. They were afraid that political mobilisation was going to be on the increase. Bantu education was therefore ideally aimed at exercising social control over youth and especially those who were working. In addition, there was the need to socialize them in relation to the norms that were regarded as appropriate by the ruling elites alongside producing properly trained and trainable labor.

The uniqueness of Bantu Education was in its adherence to non-egalitarian and racist education. Intellectually, it was believed that such a system of education was important in spreading the idea that the mentality of a native made him suited for repetitive tasks. Such ideas were important in producing a mass education system that was characterised by constrained spending. Although Bantu Education was regarded as a racist-based cheap education, ironically, Africans were responsible for the costs.

They suffered additional taxation in order to fund the cost of African education. The contribution of the state was an annual grant that originated from the general revenue. Taxes raised were used in supplementing the grant where a small percentage was used to develop Bantu Education. The government policy of financing Bantu Education and the increase in the number of students affected the quality due to the worsening of the pupil-teacher ratio.

During the early years of Bantu Education, a lot of effort was made to use the wages earned by Africans as the basis of funding the education instead of taxing employers. Although the national party was not willing to endorse adequate academic training and skills training, the education served the interests and needs of the industry hence there was no ill relationship between capital and the state.

Anybody was in a position to tell that the educational policies of the government were intended at ensuring that black people secured very few opportunities with regard to employment. They were only prepared to render ready unskilled or skilled labor. This was the relationship between the Bantu Education and the industry (Ballantine 55).

Later in the 1950s, Bantu Education was compatible with the significant expansion of the capitalist economy. However, in the 1960s, the educational policies of the state brought about friction between the government and the industry.

The state used force to give its organisational and ideological interests the first over more particular interests of business and the industry. Under the guise of concentrating growth of secondary, technical and tertiary education in the homelands, the government succeeded in using the urban school system as a tool of influx control. Education was used to propagate apartheid policy.

The purpose of any educational system is to equip pupils with relevant knowledge that prepares them for future occupational roles and transforms the society as a whole. However, the Bantu Education that was practiced in South Africa was a faulty education system that could not transform the society.

In the eyes of structural functionalists and neo-Marxist sociologists, it was detrimental to the social and economic development of the country. The main focus of structural functionalists is to look at how education contributes towards the well-being of the society. It plays an important role since it forms the basis of modern society by equipping learners with relevant skills that prepare them for adult life.

However, according to structural functionalists Bantu Education was devoid of this important function of education. It was racist in nature and could not bring the society together. It was inspired by apartheid and instead of preparing the learners for a cohesive society, it led to more divisions. The system was aimed at ensuring that the black people did not get jobs that were regarded as white men’s. In this structural functionalist perspective, the education system was detrimental to the social and economic development of South Africa.

In the eyes of neo-Marxist sociologists, Bantu Education was still harmful to the social and economic development of South Africa. Education to them is supposed to equip the learners with the right attitudes, values and norms that allow them to thrive in a capitalist society.

However, Bantu Education was only interested in giving learners skills that could not allow them to thrive in a capitalist society. For instance, the skills that were being passed to them could only allow them to be used in the provision of cheap unskilled or semi-skilled labor.

Neo-Marxists also believe that education is supposed to equip learners with the right skills to provide various labor types required by capitalists. On the contrary, Bantu Education provided learners with skills that could only be applied in limited areas. It was even a disadvantage to the capitalists since they could not get skilled labor whenever they required it. The education system was therefore detrimental to the social and economic development of South Africa.

Education plays an important role in preparing children for their future occupational roles by equipping them with the right values, norms and attitudes. This enables them to make positive contributions in the society. Although structural functionalists and neo-Marxists hold some differing views on the purpose of education, they both share a common belief that education plays an important role in transforming the society.

However, the Bantu Education in South Africa was discriminatory in nature and prevented societal development. According to the two groups of sociologists, it was detrimental towards the social and economic development of South Africa.

Ballantine, Jeanne. The sociology of education: A systematic analysis, Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1993.Print.

Blackledge, David and Barry Hunt. Sociological interpretations of education, London: Routledge, 1985.Print.

Hyslop, Jonathan. The classroom struggle: policy and resistance in South Africa,1940-1990, Pietermaritzburg: University of Natal Press, 1999.Print.

Martin, Ruhr. The Sociology of Education, Pretoria: University of South Africa, 2006.Print.

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10 Effects & Impact of Bantu Education Act in South Africa

The Bantu Education Act was a law passed in South Africa in 1953 that established a separate and unequal education system for black South Africans.

Negative Effects of the Bantu Education Act

The effects of the Bantu Education Act are still felt in South Africa today, more than 65 years after its implementation. Here are ten effects that are still evident today.

Educational inequalities

Inequality in education in South Africa was severely exacerbated by the Bantu Education Act of 1953. A separate and subpar educational system for black South Africans was formed under the law, which was enacted by the apartheid administration.

Black pupils were prohibited from receiving a high-quality education, even in specialized fields like science and mathematics, as a result of the Bantu Education Act. Instead, students were instructed in areas deemed relevant to physical labor or domestic chores.

Also, the curriculum was created to inhibit political activism and critical thinking while promoting apartheid ideology.

In addition to having sometimes obsolete and badly written textbooks, black schools frequently had underqualified and overburdened teachers.

The Bantu Education Act badly underfunded, understaffed, and insufficiently supported the education of black South Africans. Because of this, there is a sizable educational divide between white and black South Africans that has lasted even after apartheid was abolished.

Racial inequality and segregation were institutionalized by the Bantu Education Act, and they are still present in the educational system today.

The funding, availability of materials, and performance of historically white and historically black schools continue to differ significantly.

Related: 13 Bibliography of Bantu Education Act 1953

One of the elements that contributed to the skill gap in South Africa today was the Bantu Education Act of 1953. This is another effect of the act that lingers today.

The law deprived black South Africans of access to a high-quality education, including specialized fields like mathematics, science, and technology. It also created a separate and subpar educational system for them.

Black South Africans who were raised in this educational system were not fully prepared for the complex technical and analytical demands of the modern workplace.

Because of this, there is a sizable skill disparity between black and white South Africans, which is one of the causes of the high unemployment rate in the nation.

The Bantu Education Act’s consequences are still felt today, despite the South African government’s efforts to redress its legacy through funding training and education initiatives.

The South African government must keep funding training and education initiatives that give disadvantaged populations the abilities and information required to thrive in the contemporary economy to close the skill gap.

Unemployment

The Bantu Education Act has contributed to the high levels of unemployment in South Africa today.

The skills gap created by the Bantu Education Act has contributed to high levels of unemployment, particularly among black South Africans.

Black South Africans are more likely to be unemployed or working part-time because they frequently lack the education and skills needed for formal employment in today’s economy.

Likewise, it has been challenging for many South Africans to launch their own businesses or pursue self-employment due to a lack of access to high-quality education and training.

South Africa’s current level of poverty is partly a result of the Bantu Education Act. Many South Africans have found it challenging to find well-paying employment or launch their own enterprises due to a lack of access to high-quality education and training options, which has added to the country’s poverty.

The Bantu Education Act’s legacy has also exacerbated racial and economic disparities, making it more difficult for black South Africans to overcome poverty.

Furthermore, because families are unable to give their kids the tools and opportunities they need to break the cycle of poverty, poverty is frequently passed down from one generation to the next.

This indicates that the consequences of the Bantu Education Act are still being felt in South Africa today, where they have a negative impact on social inequality and poverty.

Political instability

The Bantu Education Act is one of the factors causing the political instability in South Africa today. The law was a component of a larger system of apartheid policies designed to uphold the democratic rights of black South Africans while preserving the authority of the white minority.

Black South Africans found it challenging to engage in politics meaningfully and to acquire the critical thinking and analytical abilities necessary for effective political engagement due to the inferior educational system that the Act produced.

Because of this, black South Africans experienced a lack of political representation and a sense of estrangement from the political system.

Moreover, apartheid measures like the Bantu Education Act and others led to severe social and economic inequalities, which inflamed the concerns of black South Africans.

This sparked political rallies, strikes, and other forms of resistance, which were addressed by the apartheid regime with brutality and repression.

Ultimately, the fight against apartheid culminated in a time of political unrest and violence in the 1980s and early 1990s, which saw a lot of demonstrations, riots, and skirmishes with the police and security forces.

As a result, apartheid was finally abolished in 1994, and a democratic government was installed in South Africa.

Hence, by restricting the political rights and possibilities of black South Africans and maintaining social and economic inequality, the Bantu Education Act significantly contributed to political instability in South Africa.

Limited access to higher education

Another impact of the Bantu Education Act is the limited access to higher education it gave black citizens.

The Bantu Education Act created an educational system that was intended to generate a low-skilled workforce rather than developing critical thinking and academic subjects, which has contributed to the restricted access to higher education in South Africa today.

The low numbers of black South Africans currently enrolling in universities and other post-secondary institutions reflect this.

Related: 47 Questions and Answers Based on Bantu Education Act

Linguistic barriers

Another effect of the Bantu Education Act is the linguistic barriers it contributed to in South Africa.

Black South African students were required by the Act to receive teaching in their home tongue rather than English or Afrikaans, which were the languages of instruction in the majority of the nation’s higher education institutions.

This has a number of unfavorable effects.

First off, because many colleges require competence in either English or Afrikaans as a requirement for entrance, it has restricted the opportunities available to black South African students seeking higher education.

Second, it has kept the nation’s linguistic divisions alive, making it challenging for students from various linguistic backgrounds to interact and collaborate successfully.

In addition, the focus on teaching in mother tongues has resulted in a shortage of training and resources for teachers who are needed to instruct in several languages, which has lowered educational outcomes for children.

The expansion of English language instruction and the provision of support for children who might not have had access to high-quality English language instruction in their earlier schooling are two initiatives that have been taken to alleviate these linguistic barriers.

But even now, language divides in South Africa are still a result of the Bantu Education Act.

Cultural erasure

The elimination of Bantu culture in South Africa was facilitated by the Bantu Education Act. The act included promoting the languages and cultures of South Africa’s various ethnic groups as one of its key objectives.

Nonetheless, the act’s execution led to the erasure and suppression of several traditional customs and behaviors.

The curriculum was made to value and marginalize traditional African culture while promoting Western culture and ideals.

In order to fit into the Westernized educational system, many students were compelled to give up their cultural customs and traditions, including their languages.

The Bantu Education Act caused many indigenous African cultures and languages to be destroyed or significantly decreased, which has had a long-lasting effect on South Africa.

The negative effect of the act is still being felt, even though attempts are being undertaken today to promote and preserve these cultures and languages.

Limited opportunities for social mobility

Black South Africans’ low socioeconomic mobility is partly a result of the Bantu Education Act. Black South Africans’ access to a decent education and career possibilities was constrained by the act, which created a separate and unequal educational system for them.

Because of this, many black South Africans were unable to pursue education and acquire the skills necessary to compete in the labor market and advance their social status.

The act also had a lasting impact on the growth of the black economy in South Africa.

Black South Africans had few professional or skilled workers in a variety of industries due to the limited educational possibilities accessible to them, which further hampered their ability to compete for better-paying positions and develop in their professions.

A small and poorly educated black working class was also created as a result of the Bantu Education Act, and it has lasted even after apartheid ended.

This group of people continues to have restricted access to social and economic possibilities, which feeds the cycle of inequality and poverty.

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Inter-generational impact

The effects of the Bantu Education Act have been passed down through generations, with many black South Africans still suffering from the consequences of the lack of access to education and opportunities created by the law.

Yes, the Bantu Education Act had a negative effect on South Africa.

The act was put into place to foster the cultures and languages of the various ethnic groups, but it ultimately had a negative impact on black South Africans’ access to opportunities, particularly in the disciplines of science, engineering, and technology.

Proven by the uneven distribution of resources, poverty, and social injustice that still exist in many areas of South Africa today, this restricted access to education has had a long-lasting effect on the nation.

Moreover, the Bantu Education Act led to the establishment of a small class of black South Africans who only received an inadequate education, furthering the generational cycle of poverty and limited opportunity.

All things considered, the act had a significant role in the injustices and inequalities that persisted during the apartheid era and still influence South Africa today.

Olusegun Iyejare is a career coach and certified counselor. He helps individuals discover and maximize their potential to live satisfying lives regardless of obvious limitations holding them back.