While learners at Volkskool Orania receive an education for the 21st century, they’re also taught a philosophy tied to the racial divisions of the past.
LEARNERS at Volkskool Orania seem to embody two contradictory forces: that of the future, with their extremely modern schooling system; and that of the distant past, with an exclusively all-white society that shuns the black Africa in which it sits.
The education they receive at Volkskool Orania nurtures in them qualities that Curriculum 2005 regards as necessary for the citizen of the 21st century: the key medium of their instruction is the computer and they are expected to take full responsibility for their own learning. Their education is structured to encourage them to be self-motivated and resourceful, creative and critical in their thinking, and oriented in their skills and outlook towards making a place for themselves in the world of work.
But tied in with these forward-looking qualities is a world philosophy steeped in the racial prejudices and divisions of old. For these are youngsters whose families have chosen to move here specifically to create a society that is exclusively Afrikaans and white.
While teacher Noeline van Rensburg insists they try to teach tolerance — not only of race, but also of class — it is clear that the racial bias of the environment does impact on their thinking. Twelve-year-old Jacob Louw, who is no different from most young boys with his fondness for pranks and sports, has a particularly bleak picture of the rest of South Africa. He sees it as a place of crime and insists ”dis maar sleg om buite to wees [it’s bad to be on the outside]”. His racism towards black people is very evident when he states: ”Ek wil nie met swarte saam lewe nie omdat hulle vol peste en plae en vigs is [I will not live together with blacks because they are full of plagues and pestilence and Aids].”
For all his bright-eyed ability in manipulating the computer and taking on the responsibility for his own learning, it seems that Jacob won’t go much further than the fences of Orania when he leaves school. His ambition, he says, is ”Ek wou boer [I want to farm]” — in Orania.
— The Teacher/Mail & Guardian, February 14, 2000.
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