Education Ministry bureaucrats are trying
to prevent ideological changes to schools’
history syllabuses,
reports Philippa Garson
THE education department has launched an inquiry into the role played by one of its “old guard” officials in allegedly sabotaging the process of amending the history syllabus.
Participants in the National Education and Training Forum’s curriculum sub-commitee on history were shocked to find that, by the time the amended syllabus had been rubber-stamped by various committees and approved by education minister Sibusiso Bengu, hardly any of the proposed changes, attempting to rid history of its Afrikaner nationalist bias, had been made.
Now, the role played by Louis Kriel, secretary to the NETF’s history sub-committee, in allegedly misrepresenting the recommendations of the committee, is being investigated. The Department of Education confirmed that “allegations against a curriculum committee secretary have been thoroughly investigated by a team involving outside experts”.
Although the department refused to name the official, he is widely known to be Kriel. Findings of the investigation are expected shortly and director-general Chabani Manganyi may release a statement, according to media liaison official Corrie Rademeyer. Kriel has refused to comment on the allegations against him while the outcome of the investigation is still pending.
Meanwhile, the furore has fuelled further controversy around the interim syllabus committees, accused by some educationists of being hijacked by old guard bureaucrats and legitimated by “progressives” who participated in the process.
Furthermore, the entire process has been held up. Schools will only receive the amended Standard Eight to Standard Ten history syllabus after the committee sits again at the end of the month to redo the changes, and once the process of approval is completed. All other updated syllabuses have been received.
The NETF’s field and phase committees were mandated to make short-term changes to existing curricula to delete offensive material and make other small changes which would not necessitate new textbooks, until such time as entirely new curricula have been devised.
Stephen Lowry, convenor of the social sciences (history and geography) sub-commitee, said: “We produced what we thought was a very nice product in terms of the minister’s brief.”
“The syllabus was from an Afrikaner nationalist perspective. Our approach was that, in the short and medium term, we could change the syllabus round to be more African and less Eurocentric.
“What was eventually published of the Standard Two to Standard Seven syllabus was not a true reflection of our work. And only five to ten percent of our recommendations for the Standard Eight to Standard Ten syllabus were effected,” said Lowry.
In a letter to the NETF in April, acquired independently by the Mail & Guardian, Lowry wrote: “I submit that the role Dr Kriel has played is far too interventionist and partisan. He has tried by various means to subvert the work of the sub-committee.”
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