Date: 05/11/2002
Source: Ministry of Education
Title: Asmal: South African Jewish Board of Deputies
ADDRESS BY THE MINISTER OF EDUCATION, PROFESSOR KADER ASMAL, MP, TO THE SOUTH AFRICAN JEWISH BOARD OF DEPUTIES, Cape Town, 5 November 2002
Members of the Cape Board of the South African Jewish Board of Deputies
Whenever I think about South Africa, I am moved by the patience, generosity, care and love for life, which I see all around me. On visits to deep rural areas, where abject poverty is the norm, I encounter the strongest positive expressions of the human spirit reflected in the day-to-day activities of people. I marvel at the simple yet profound trust of women in their elected leaders - in spite of the hardships they face in remote villages. And I share in the joy of the whole village when a tap, or a classroom, or a toilet, or a telephone, or electricity "comes to the village". It is an invigoratingly humbling experience that fuels my resolve and spurs me to continuous service. I draw strength from such people.
Similarly, I am encouraged when I meet groupings such as you; people who recognise the importance of making a contribution to our nation-building project. Those who appreciate where we as a country have come from and the challenges we face in constructing a new society from the ashes of the old. Those that know that this task is not one for Government alone, but requires the commitment and the participation of all South Africans.
In this regard, I am reminded of a statement by Thomas D'Arcy McGee, a Canadian of Irish birth, which I recently came across in an article in the Irish Times. He argues that
'Our first duty is to the land where we live and have fixed our homes; and where, while we live, we must find the true sphere of our duties. While always ready therefore to say the right word and do the right act for the land of my forefathers, I am bound above all to the land where I reside'.
This position may be stated somewhat in the extreme and many may not believe that this relationship is quite so stark. However, what is important is the recognition that notwithstanding our allegiance to the land of our forefathers, we also have a responsibility to the country in which we live. It is this recognition, which I believe embodies the role played by the Jewish Board of Deputies.
It is for this reason that I am grateful that you have given me an opportunity to address you today. I have no doubt that, despite our differences on some matters, we have much in common and I look forward to strengthening our relationship, as we explore ways in which we can collectively work together in turning our education system around.
I would now like to turn to the issues, which you have asked me to address:
The first item relates to the inclusion of Holocaust Education in the South African Curriculum. In addressing this matter it must however be borne in mind that I have a "queue" of issues, which have been proposed for inclusion in the Curriculum. For example, just after the Easter break; my good friend Dullah Omar, the Minister of Transport, proposed that Road Safety should be included in the Revised National Curriculum Statement. Similarly, the Medical Research Council recently presented its findings on drug abuse to the Council of Education Ministers (CEM), and ended their presentation with an impassioned plea that "the dangers of smoking" should be specifically included in the Curriculum. They were quick to assure me that their plea was not directed at me personally! Some months ago the National Swimming Association gently insisted that "learning to swim" should be included in the Curriculum, and we had a similar injunction from the National Chess Association.
This "queue" is growing all the time and all the issues are of course important. But it is important to understand how an Outcomes Based Curriculum works. Simply put: the outcomes are prescribed but the "content" is not. Teachers and schools make judgements about which content would assist learners to attain specified outcomes, and they develop a learning programme, which would achieve this. In some contexts, certain information would be useful; in others, it may not be relevant or useful, and teachers must use their professional judgement in this.
It is within this framework that your request for the inclusion of Holocaust Education in the Curriculum needs to be explored. For a start, the term Holocaust Education suggests very specific information and a detailed knowledge of the historical and socio-political factors that relate to the Holocaust. The selection and sifting of this material and how teachers would mediate it in order to achieve the desired outcomes, is crucial. And, very importantly, we must recognise that teachers could choose other material, which would equally assist learners to reach the same outcomes. This fact makes it difficult to simply "prescribe" the inclusion of Holocaust Education in the Curriculum.
Having said this, I must however state my support for some detailed content to be included in the Curriculum. It would be a crime if South African students were not taught their own history of oppression, resistance and liberation, and I will insist on this. There may well be other areas of history, such as the Holocaust, which are just too important to leave to the whims of an individual teacher, and we may need some measure of prescription around these. I will therefore refer this matter to the South African History Project for consideration. Let me therefore say that this matter remains on our agenda.
I can tell you that we are currently in discussions with the Swiss Development Corporation regarding the packaging of 1 800 "curriculum packs" of materials which are suitable for teaching values related topics. All the evidence confirms that if the right materials are available to teachers, then the topic will be taught. I said this to Minister Omar, and he produced some very useful road safety books, which are being used in schools. Persuasion and facilitation, rather than prescription, informs our approach. I therefore call on you, in the same manner, to consider how you can help to make good support materials available to teachers, who may then use them in their teaching.
On the matter of the implications of our religious education policy, I am sure that you will no doubt appreciate that one of the major effects of apartheid was the disruption of the values and ethical base from which individual, collective and institutional behaviour emerged. It is for this reason that the Government has identified the establishment of an ethical base, which mirrors the values reflected in our Constitution. The President has accordingly launched an initiative aimed at the moral regeneration of our nation. Education has a major role to play in this regard.
I therefore established an initiative on "Values in Education", and a report on this has already been presented, which formed the basis for a major national Saamtrek on Values in Education. Following this Saamtrek, the values initiative published a Manifesto on Values, Democracy and Education - a remarkable text, and a first of its kind in education anywhere. The values of our Constitution are spelt out in the Manifesto, together with a variety of strategies, which may be used by schools to develop these values.
The finalisation of the Religion in Education policy and its effective implementation fits within this overall context. Until now, religion in our education system has largely served the promotion of confessional or sectarian religious interests. By contrast, under the new policy, Religion Education will be an educational programme through which learners will learn about religion, religions, religious diversity and faith-based worldviews. This component is already embodied in the revised National Curriculum Statement for Schools (Grades R - 9), and has the support of all major religions. This Statement does not promote any particular religion, but advances the educational goals of understanding religion and religions as well as of respecting diversity.
By highlighting the value of the rich, diverse religious heritage of our country, we have identified the distinctive contribution that our schools can make in our nation-building project. As children develop their creative and critical abilities for thinking, they will also develop their capacities for mutual recognition and respect for diversity. These attributes, I am sure you will agree, are necessary for citizens to live together in a democratic society. It is our view that learners should be exposed to a variety of belief systems in a well-informed, age-appropriate manner, which gives rise to a genuine respect for adherents of all the various belief systems.
This policy asserts that the public school has an educational responsibility to teach about religion and religions in ways that are different from the religious education, religious instruction, or religious nurturing provided by the home, family, and religious community. Religion Education is an academic programme, with clear educational aims and objectives, and must remain embodied in the learning outcomes and related assessment standards of the Life Orientation Learning Area Statement.
Religious education must therefore take place outside of the formal school curriculum, and be provided by leaders of that religion. Religious practices in schools, which are allowed, must only be undertaken on a truly non-discriminatory basis, where no child is compelled or pressurised to participate in these observances.
While we have reached the end of the policy development process, the key challenge that now remains is that of implementation. In this regard, I am sure that you are aware of the recently established Standing Committee for Religion in Education. This Committee will provide me with advice on, amongst others, the policy implementation process with specific reference to its implications for initial and ongoing teacher development programmes. It will also advise on the development, selection, procurement, supply and quality of learning and teaching support materials as well as on how religious observances conducted on public school premises outside the National Curriculum Statement and after school hours will be accommodated. Furthermore it will advise me with respect to monitoring the quality of religious education and religion education in schools. Rabbi Warren Goldstein is a member of this Committee so I am sure you will be updated on a regular basis.
The net effect of these various initiatives - Values in Education, Moral Regeneration, and Religion in Education, are meant to ensure that schools create an overall environment-a social, intellectual, and emotional space - that engenders a sense of acceptance, security, and respect for learners with differing values, cultural backgrounds, and religious traditions.
I now wish to address the matter that caused a flurry of correspondence between us, that of the education sector's statement of solidarity with the Palestinian people. Fortunately, one of the benefits of living in a new democratic South Africa, and in accordance with all the values I have described above, is that all of us have the right to express our opinions - no matter what they may be. As a politician I am aware of the sensitivities of people, the likely impact of my statements on relationships, and the extent of public reaction, and I do take these into account. But I have never been one to allow sensitivities to prevent me from speaking on matters that are of concern to me. The persecutions, terror and torture of this world are unacceptable, but it is the fact that so many stay silent in the face of such atrocities that should concern us most.
As a Minister of Education, who comes from a proud internationalist tradition, I try to analyse world events from an education perspective. Thankfully, in South Africa, education is now a right that nobody can deny. But every day I encounter the effects that sustained obstacles to this access has had on our country and its people. The apartheid education system was structured to deny access, and purposefully provided low quality education to the majority of our people. The high levels of illiteracy, the low skills base, the continuing deep racial and religious divides, and widespread poverty, are not with us by accident.
It is with this in mind that I have expressed my concern about the sustained disruption of the education of the young children in Palestine. The result will be similar to those experienced by South Africa, where the human, economic and social dislocation limits the chances for reconciliation, such that the genuine sustained peace, which we all desire will recede even further.
As Minister of Education and a long-time human rights activist, I find it difficult to remain silent when young children, who hold the "future" of our planet in their hands, are set on a path to intolerance. We should never underestimate how close we in South Africa came to the brink of what could have been a sustained and damaging civil war. You will surely recall that our own youth, brutalised by the apartheid military machine, frustrated by the lack of opportunities, and angered by the treatment that their parents and elders had to endure, became increasingly convinced of the need to seize power and waged a campaign of resistance.
It was only an acknowledgement of the wisdom of their leaders, and a deep respect for the legitimate authority of the representatives of the people, including the call to follow the example of our former President Nelson Mandela, that provided us with an element of hope - a platform on which the new South Africa was to be built. Somehow we drew back from the abyss, but at this point I see very little chance of the youth of Israel or Palestine taking a similar position. And so I expressed my concerns in the hope that the ideas I that conveyed would resonate with the decision makers, who may agree to bring that conflict to an end. My comments should not be interpreted as taking sides. I believe that people have the intellectual and emotional maturity to avoid linking my abhorrence of destructive violence, which sucks children into its vortex, with a hatred of any of the people involved in such actions.
My appeal to you therefore, as leaders in the Jewish community of South Africa, is to firstly encourage a deep acceptance of the values in our Constitution, so that our own relationships in South Africa will not be damaged by conflict beyond our borders. Secondly, I wish to encourage you to draw from the experience of South Africa in trying to promote and support a negotiated settlement to any problem, since nothing can justify the loss of life. In this I extend my appeal beyond the conflict in the Middle East, to include conflicts on the African Continent, the Indian sub-continent, and the emerging conflicts in Asia.
As regard to the issues of general interest, which you requested me to highlight, let me say that I am increasingly satisfied with the developments in the education system. Just last week we released for public comment the revised National Curriculum Statement for Further Education. This builds on the successes of the revised Statement for General Education, which has drawn local and international praise. We are currently conducting an incident free matric examination, which is now benchmarked internationally, and we hope to continue to build on the significant improvement in the results. And we have noticed a calming of the turbulent waters of the Higher Education system, with our plans for restructuring and transformation.
We however must not forget that our education system is still recovering from the ravages of apartheid, and that we are still faced with immense systemic problems, including human capacity, financial resources, and isolated problems of attitude. But the education system also draws inspiration from the most needy of the people it has the privilege to serve - the people I referred to at the beginning of my address. The indomitable spirit of the poor, and the fortitude and dignity they display on a daily basis, have ensured that they do not let the failings of system become the focus of their attention and energies. Instead they have become absorbed by the possibilities of making their own contribution: in governance structures, through voluntary work, and in many other ways. We must build on this spirit. With your continued support I am confident that we will indeed have the capacity and the strength to reciprocate.
I thank you.
Enquiries: Molatwane Likhethe on 082 573 0397
Issued by Ministry of Education
5 November 2002
Source: Ministry of Education
Title: Asmal: South African Jewish Board of Deputies
ADDRESS BY THE MINISTER OF EDUCATION, PROFESSOR KADER ASMAL, MP, TO THE SOUTH AFRICAN JEWISH BOARD OF DEPUTIES, Cape Town, 5 November 2002
Members of the Cape Board of the South African Jewish Board of Deputies
Whenever I think about South Africa, I am moved by the patience, generosity, care and love for life, which I see all around me. On visits to deep rural areas, where abject poverty is the norm, I encounter the strongest positive expressions of the human spirit reflected in the day-to-day activities of people. I marvel at the simple yet profound trust of women in their elected leaders - in spite of the hardships they face in remote villages. And I share in the joy of the whole village when a tap, or a classroom, or a toilet, or a telephone, or electricity "comes to the village". It is an invigoratingly humbling experience that fuels my resolve and spurs me to continuous service. I draw strength from such people.
Similarly, I am encouraged when I meet groupings such as you; people who recognise the importance of making a contribution to our nation-building project. Those who appreciate where we as a country have come from and the challenges we face in constructing a new society from the ashes of the old. Those that know that this task is not one for Government alone, but requires the commitment and the participation of all South Africans.
In this regard, I am reminded of a statement by Thomas D'Arcy McGee, a Canadian of Irish birth, which I recently came across in an article in the Irish Times. He argues that
'Our first duty is to the land where we live and have fixed our homes; and where, while we live, we must find the true sphere of our duties. While always ready therefore to say the right word and do the right act for the land of my forefathers, I am bound above all to the land where I reside'.
This position may be stated somewhat in the extreme and many may not believe that this relationship is quite so stark. However, what is important is the recognition that notwithstanding our allegiance to the land of our forefathers, we also have a responsibility to the country in which we live. It is this recognition, which I believe embodies the role played by the Jewish Board of Deputies.
It is for this reason that I am grateful that you have given me an opportunity to address you today. I have no doubt that, despite our differences on some matters, we have much in common and I look forward to strengthening our relationship, as we explore ways in which we can collectively work together in turning our education system around.
I would now like to turn to the issues, which you have asked me to address:
The first item relates to the inclusion of Holocaust Education in the South African Curriculum. In addressing this matter it must however be borne in mind that I have a "queue" of issues, which have been proposed for inclusion in the Curriculum. For example, just after the Easter break; my good friend Dullah Omar, the Minister of Transport, proposed that Road Safety should be included in the Revised National Curriculum Statement. Similarly, the Medical Research Council recently presented its findings on drug abuse to the Council of Education Ministers (CEM), and ended their presentation with an impassioned plea that "the dangers of smoking" should be specifically included in the Curriculum. They were quick to assure me that their plea was not directed at me personally! Some months ago the National Swimming Association gently insisted that "learning to swim" should be included in the Curriculum, and we had a similar injunction from the National Chess Association.
This "queue" is growing all the time and all the issues are of course important. But it is important to understand how an Outcomes Based Curriculum works. Simply put: the outcomes are prescribed but the "content" is not. Teachers and schools make judgements about which content would assist learners to attain specified outcomes, and they develop a learning programme, which would achieve this. In some contexts, certain information would be useful; in others, it may not be relevant or useful, and teachers must use their professional judgement in this.
It is within this framework that your request for the inclusion of Holocaust Education in the Curriculum needs to be explored. For a start, the term Holocaust Education suggests very specific information and a detailed knowledge of the historical and socio-political factors that relate to the Holocaust. The selection and sifting of this material and how teachers would mediate it in order to achieve the desired outcomes, is crucial. And, very importantly, we must recognise that teachers could choose other material, which would equally assist learners to reach the same outcomes. This fact makes it difficult to simply "prescribe" the inclusion of Holocaust Education in the Curriculum.
Having said this, I must however state my support for some detailed content to be included in the Curriculum. It would be a crime if South African students were not taught their own history of oppression, resistance and liberation, and I will insist on this. There may well be other areas of history, such as the Holocaust, which are just too important to leave to the whims of an individual teacher, and we may need some measure of prescription around these. I will therefore refer this matter to the South African History Project for consideration. Let me therefore say that this matter remains on our agenda.
I can tell you that we are currently in discussions with the Swiss Development Corporation regarding the packaging of 1 800 "curriculum packs" of materials which are suitable for teaching values related topics. All the evidence confirms that if the right materials are available to teachers, then the topic will be taught. I said this to Minister Omar, and he produced some very useful road safety books, which are being used in schools. Persuasion and facilitation, rather than prescription, informs our approach. I therefore call on you, in the same manner, to consider how you can help to make good support materials available to teachers, who may then use them in their teaching.
On the matter of the implications of our religious education policy, I am sure that you will no doubt appreciate that one of the major effects of apartheid was the disruption of the values and ethical base from which individual, collective and institutional behaviour emerged. It is for this reason that the Government has identified the establishment of an ethical base, which mirrors the values reflected in our Constitution. The President has accordingly launched an initiative aimed at the moral regeneration of our nation. Education has a major role to play in this regard.
I therefore established an initiative on "Values in Education", and a report on this has already been presented, which formed the basis for a major national Saamtrek on Values in Education. Following this Saamtrek, the values initiative published a Manifesto on Values, Democracy and Education - a remarkable text, and a first of its kind in education anywhere. The values of our Constitution are spelt out in the Manifesto, together with a variety of strategies, which may be used by schools to develop these values.
The finalisation of the Religion in Education policy and its effective implementation fits within this overall context. Until now, religion in our education system has largely served the promotion of confessional or sectarian religious interests. By contrast, under the new policy, Religion Education will be an educational programme through which learners will learn about religion, religions, religious diversity and faith-based worldviews. This component is already embodied in the revised National Curriculum Statement for Schools (Grades R - 9), and has the support of all major religions. This Statement does not promote any particular religion, but advances the educational goals of understanding religion and religions as well as of respecting diversity.
By highlighting the value of the rich, diverse religious heritage of our country, we have identified the distinctive contribution that our schools can make in our nation-building project. As children develop their creative and critical abilities for thinking, they will also develop their capacities for mutual recognition and respect for diversity. These attributes, I am sure you will agree, are necessary for citizens to live together in a democratic society. It is our view that learners should be exposed to a variety of belief systems in a well-informed, age-appropriate manner, which gives rise to a genuine respect for adherents of all the various belief systems.
This policy asserts that the public school has an educational responsibility to teach about religion and religions in ways that are different from the religious education, religious instruction, or religious nurturing provided by the home, family, and religious community. Religion Education is an academic programme, with clear educational aims and objectives, and must remain embodied in the learning outcomes and related assessment standards of the Life Orientation Learning Area Statement.
Religious education must therefore take place outside of the formal school curriculum, and be provided by leaders of that religion. Religious practices in schools, which are allowed, must only be undertaken on a truly non-discriminatory basis, where no child is compelled or pressurised to participate in these observances.
While we have reached the end of the policy development process, the key challenge that now remains is that of implementation. In this regard, I am sure that you are aware of the recently established Standing Committee for Religion in Education. This Committee will provide me with advice on, amongst others, the policy implementation process with specific reference to its implications for initial and ongoing teacher development programmes. It will also advise on the development, selection, procurement, supply and quality of learning and teaching support materials as well as on how religious observances conducted on public school premises outside the National Curriculum Statement and after school hours will be accommodated. Furthermore it will advise me with respect to monitoring the quality of religious education and religion education in schools. Rabbi Warren Goldstein is a member of this Committee so I am sure you will be updated on a regular basis.
The net effect of these various initiatives - Values in Education, Moral Regeneration, and Religion in Education, are meant to ensure that schools create an overall environment-a social, intellectual, and emotional space - that engenders a sense of acceptance, security, and respect for learners with differing values, cultural backgrounds, and religious traditions.
I now wish to address the matter that caused a flurry of correspondence between us, that of the education sector's statement of solidarity with the Palestinian people. Fortunately, one of the benefits of living in a new democratic South Africa, and in accordance with all the values I have described above, is that all of us have the right to express our opinions - no matter what they may be. As a politician I am aware of the sensitivities of people, the likely impact of my statements on relationships, and the extent of public reaction, and I do take these into account. But I have never been one to allow sensitivities to prevent me from speaking on matters that are of concern to me. The persecutions, terror and torture of this world are unacceptable, but it is the fact that so many stay silent in the face of such atrocities that should concern us most.
As a Minister of Education, who comes from a proud internationalist tradition, I try to analyse world events from an education perspective. Thankfully, in South Africa, education is now a right that nobody can deny. But every day I encounter the effects that sustained obstacles to this access has had on our country and its people. The apartheid education system was structured to deny access, and purposefully provided low quality education to the majority of our people. The high levels of illiteracy, the low skills base, the continuing deep racial and religious divides, and widespread poverty, are not with us by accident.
It is with this in mind that I have expressed my concern about the sustained disruption of the education of the young children in Palestine. The result will be similar to those experienced by South Africa, where the human, economic and social dislocation limits the chances for reconciliation, such that the genuine sustained peace, which we all desire will recede even further.
As Minister of Education and a long-time human rights activist, I find it difficult to remain silent when young children, who hold the "future" of our planet in their hands, are set on a path to intolerance. We should never underestimate how close we in South Africa came to the brink of what could have been a sustained and damaging civil war. You will surely recall that our own youth, brutalised by the apartheid military machine, frustrated by the lack of opportunities, and angered by the treatment that their parents and elders had to endure, became increasingly convinced of the need to seize power and waged a campaign of resistance.
It was only an acknowledgement of the wisdom of their leaders, and a deep respect for the legitimate authority of the representatives of the people, including the call to follow the example of our former President Nelson Mandela, that provided us with an element of hope - a platform on which the new South Africa was to be built. Somehow we drew back from the abyss, but at this point I see very little chance of the youth of Israel or Palestine taking a similar position. And so I expressed my concerns in the hope that the ideas I that conveyed would resonate with the decision makers, who may agree to bring that conflict to an end. My comments should not be interpreted as taking sides. I believe that people have the intellectual and emotional maturity to avoid linking my abhorrence of destructive violence, which sucks children into its vortex, with a hatred of any of the people involved in such actions.
My appeal to you therefore, as leaders in the Jewish community of South Africa, is to firstly encourage a deep acceptance of the values in our Constitution, so that our own relationships in South Africa will not be damaged by conflict beyond our borders. Secondly, I wish to encourage you to draw from the experience of South Africa in trying to promote and support a negotiated settlement to any problem, since nothing can justify the loss of life. In this I extend my appeal beyond the conflict in the Middle East, to include conflicts on the African Continent, the Indian sub-continent, and the emerging conflicts in Asia.
As regard to the issues of general interest, which you requested me to highlight, let me say that I am increasingly satisfied with the developments in the education system. Just last week we released for public comment the revised National Curriculum Statement for Further Education. This builds on the successes of the revised Statement for General Education, which has drawn local and international praise. We are currently conducting an incident free matric examination, which is now benchmarked internationally, and we hope to continue to build on the significant improvement in the results. And we have noticed a calming of the turbulent waters of the Higher Education system, with our plans for restructuring and transformation.
We however must not forget that our education system is still recovering from the ravages of apartheid, and that we are still faced with immense systemic problems, including human capacity, financial resources, and isolated problems of attitude. But the education system also draws inspiration from the most needy of the people it has the privilege to serve - the people I referred to at the beginning of my address. The indomitable spirit of the poor, and the fortitude and dignity they display on a daily basis, have ensured that they do not let the failings of system become the focus of their attention and energies. Instead they have become absorbed by the possibilities of making their own contribution: in governance structures, through voluntary work, and in many other ways. We must build on this spirit. With your continued support I am confident that we will indeed have the capacity and the strength to reciprocate.
I thank you.
Enquiries: Molatwane Likhethe on 082 573 0397
Issued by Ministry of Education
5 November 2002
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