V- P R E T O R I A ( C I T Y ) C O L O U R E D 8c N A T I V E M I S S I O N S

F r o m :A R C H D E A C O N S. P. W O O D F IE L D . 179 t PROES STREET,

Tel. 2-2063. P R E T O R I A ,

28th. June 1949

Miss M.A. Horrell,Technical Assistant,S.A. Institute of Bace delations,P.O. Box 97,JOHANNES BURG.

Dear Miss Horrell,

I have to thank you for the draft of the Institute’ s replies to the questionnaire of the Commission on Native Education.I think that the replies cover very fully and adequately the points raised and I cannot think of anything useful that I can add to them. I am grateful to you and Mr. Rheinallt Jones for giving me the opportunity for expressing my opinions.

Yours sincerely,

S O U T H A F R I C A N I N S T I T U T E OF R A C E R E L A T I O N S(INCORPORATED)

Head Office: P.O. Box 97, Johannesburg.

Regional Officers for the Cape Western Area: Chairman—Mrs. W. F. GRANT, M.A.Regional Representative—Mr. D. B. MOLTENO. Hon. Reg. Treasurer—Mr. G. CLEATON JONES.

In reply please quote

Telegrams and Cables—UBUNTU, CAPE TOWN. Telephone 3-2318.Regional Office— 18 ORANGE STREET,

CAPE TOWN.Postal Address— P.O. Box 1998, CAPE TOWN.

27th June, 1949.

Reference 35 /1 /49 .

The Technical Assistant,JOHANNESBURG.

COMMISSION ON NATIVE EDUCATION.

With reference to your letter and the draft of the Institute's evidence on the Commission on Native Education, I enclose a few comments made by Mr. Caldecott.

2 . Lady Beit and Mrs. Spilhaus are in agreement inprinciple on the evidence, and, it is understood that other members of the Regional Committee have given their views to Mr. Whyte.

Enc,>*t- Vj# ..........

............. .

jgional Secretary.

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COMF1 DENTIL.R.R. 135/49 REB. 23.6.49

SOUTH AFRICAN INSTITUTE OF RaCE RELATIONS (INC).~ SUI D-iiFRI KAANSE INSTITUUT VIR RASSEVERHPUDINGS (INGELTF).

COMMISSION ON ' iLiTIVE EDUCTION

(DRAFT MEMORANDUM FOR CONSIDERATION AND AMENDMENT.) • -

STATUS OF THE INSTITUTE. - -v

The Institute was founded'£P years ago with the object of fostering peace, goodwill, and practical co-operation between the various sections of the popu­lation of South Africa. To it are affiliated the principal, municipalities of the country, churches,' universities, missionary and other organisations and it has an individual membership of over 3 ,000. In carrying out its work it has sought to bring together men and women of good will of all sections and it has

paid sincere regard to all opinions sincerely held. Throughout its history, the Institute has been able to command the voluntary services of authorities in many fields and today it holds a position in the field of race relations recog­nized both in the Union and overseas as authoritative. The Institute is anxious to place at the disposal of the Commission the knowledge and experience which it has gathered over the years. It has always adopted a scientific

attitude towards our racial problems and it endeavours on all occasions to base its conclusions on ascertained fact and objective inquiry.

1THE INSTITUTE’ S INTEREST IN NATIVE EDUCATION.

Since its inception the Institute has sought, in all ways to increase the educational opportunities offered to Africans for it believes that the welfare and peace of the country cannot rest on an illiterate population and that common

justice demands that education be provided for all people irrespective of colour.It has consistently urged on the Government the necessity for the speedy extension of primary education particularly.in the urban areas and it has co­operated fully with missionary and governmental bodies.in an effort to expand Native educational facilities of all kinds. In 1943 it placed before the Government of the Union its "Ten.Tear Plan for Native Education" which is attached (Appendix !,A " ) and it has taken .'the initiative in many other directions e.g* to secure medical training for Africans, training for African nurses, African classes for the Royal Sanitary Inspector's Certificate, training for social welfare workers etc. At present it is engaged in experimental work now largely financed

by the Government, into quick methods of making adult Africans literate and is making inquiries as to the possibilities of securing training for- Non-Burcpeans as pharmacists, dentists, dental mechanicians, farm foremen, surveyors.

The Institute has also bfeen active in questions of health and nutrition and education in these fields.

■' ' ' ' . v 7

In these and in many other ways,.for example through Girl Wayfarers, Path­finders, night schools etc., the Institute of Race Relations has been active in furthering the education and welfare of the African people. The late Mrs.Rheinallt Jones said that the Institute ’has for long pccepted the principle of the right of every child to primary education. It also accepts the corollary that a reasonable proportion of more advanced education should be available for those who will profit by it and thereby become more useful members of the

community,

LIKES OF EVIDENCE, " .

The Institute does not wish to present evidence on those parts of the questionnaire issued by the Commission which involve detailed knowledge of the organization and content of Native education.

Question 1. What do you consider should be the raiding principles and alms of Native education.

/6 . This .................

This question if it is to be dealt with in an adequate way must tie broken down into two questions. The first deals with the guiding principles and aims of all education or education as such and the second deals with the application of these universal or general principles to the matter of the education of the African in South Africa.

With regard to the first and more general question, we may formulate

the principles and aims which should inform all education in the following terms

a. Education should aim at providing the fullest possible opportunity for the development of the individual accordingto his physical, moral, intellectual and emotional capacities;

b. education should aim at preparing the individual for his adult role as a responsible member of society;

c. education should aim at enabling the individual to adapt him­self to the demands of an increasingly complex social and material environment.

... - < ’ • * ' ' • •"

General Smuts in an address to. the New Education Fellowship, 1934, said "If I were a Dictator, I. would lay down as .a programme of principles for the New Education - the building up of individual personality; the encouragement of

imagination, not of memory; the feeding of the young mind with interests, ideals, and the joy of life,.avoiding, repressions; the cultivating of the love of truth, a broad outlook and objectiveness; a thorough grounding in fundamentals, leaving details to reference books;. and /the principle of Holism - that in this Universe we are all members of another, and that selfishness is the grand refusal and

denial of l ife ."

Professor John Dewey in his address on "The Need for a Philosophy of Education" said that the aim of education is the development of individuals to the utmost of their capacities and went on ", » a society of free individuals in which all, in doing each his own wqrk contribute to the literation and enrichment of the lives of others is the only environment for the normal growth to full stature . , . „unless the schools of the world can unite in an effort to rebuild

the spirit of common understanding, of mutual sympathy and goodwill among all peoples and races, to exorcise the demon of prejudice, isolation, and hatred, they themselves are likely to be submerged by a general return to barbarism."

Quoting the late Dr. van der Leeuw, Dr, E.G . Malherbe said that the aim of education is determined not merely by the type of society we wish to create but

ultimately by the aim, of life itself.

Education therefore considers its primary function to be the full develop­

ment of the individual, but as individuals cannot be educated without reference to the society in which they live and to. their past and their future, education mast also have a social aim. Professor John Dewey said "The acquisition, however perfectly of skills is not an end in itself. They are things to be put to use as a contribution to a common and shared life . -They are intended, indeed, to make an individual more capable of self-support and of self-respecting independence.But unless this end is placed in the context of services rendered to others, services which they need to the fulfilment also of their lives, skills sained will be put to an egoistic and selfish use . . . at the cost of other claims and opportunities for the good life ."As the late Dr. van der Leeuw said . . . "when a group of cells starts living at the cost of the organism instead of in its service, the result is cancer and the death of the body. Technically man has achieved world Unity, has made it into a living organism which causes whatever happens in one part of the world to react instantaneously in every other part. Yet man has not recognized this emotionally in his social and political life . A new type of man is necessary, a man who knows himself « r a nart of that living world organism."

These then are some of the generally accepted ideal3 of education which demand that the individual be brought to realize his own potentialities not as

an isolated self but as part of a national and international society.

The second question put in paragraph 6 is how are these general principles and aims to be applied to the particular case of the education of the African, and the Institute see no reason why such ideals and aiiis should not be applied

to Native education as to European. In stating this the Institute is not unaware of various conditions affecting Native education, but these will be dealt with in answer to Question 7.

The first term of reference of the Commission, however, at once begs the question for it is formulated thus : "The formulation of the principles and aims of education for Natives as an independent race in which their past and present, their inherent racial qualities, their distinctive characteristics and

attitude, and their needs under ever—changing social conditions are taken into

consideration." ••

The Commission is, in effect, being asked not to consider the aims and principles of education of Natives, but their education as "an independent race".This immediately calls for consideration of the second of the questions in the Commission’ s questionnaire which is considered in paragraph 10, but before pro­

ceeding to its consideration, the Institute wishes to reiterate what has been

said above, namely that the purpose of education is full development of the individual in his national and international setting. Such education must take

into consideration the individual^ heritage, his present position in society, and his future, it must pay heed to the ideals which animate the society- in which he lives and it cannot ignore the ideals which prevail in the world at large.The education of the Native is his education in a society and the terms "race"

and "society" are not co-terminous in South Africa.

Question 2. Is it correct to regard the Native as a separate and

independent race ?

This question involves various considerations. What for example is"meant by the term "race" and whatever the definition,is it relevant to the question of education ? What too is the definition of the terms "separate" and "independent"?I f the Afrikaans translation of the word "independent" is "onafhanklik" then it . can be said at once that the African is not either politically or economically "independent". If. the.translation is "selfstandig" meaning different and separate,

then it is a matter for.discussion.

The concept of race

to be contributed by an anthropologist.

Is this concept of race relevant to the issue ? South Africa is a so-called

multi-racial society of which the African people form one group. South Africa does not consist of a congeries of separate and mutually independent groups or societies. It is one society made up of a number of inter-dependent groups which certainly show differences in language, religion, custom,tradition and historical background,but all of which are similar in that all belong to the species "homo sapiens" and all of which have common interests as inter-dependent members of one complex community,and permeating all are certain common human values. As Professor Z.K. Matthews said in a brilliant paper read before the Council of the

Institute j-"South Africa has become what it is as the result of the working together of its people in varying spheres of life and in different capacities. Some people in considering the achievements of the

country tend to emphasise the peculiar contributions of the European to its development} others lay stress on the contribution of the African; but the fact of the matter is that all we are and hope to be is a compound of the efforts of all sections of our population".

The question can.be analysed more particularly taking the'Tneaning of the word

"independent" as the Afrikaans "onafhanklik". Politically, it is obvious that the African is not independent* As a "ward" he cannot be. Economically,. the Africa:-, is part of the whole economic activity of the country and is closely integrated in1 c the economic machine*... The Fagan Commission Report showed that there were A£fiear„>:-

(a) in the Native territories;(b) on European farms; .?

(c) in urban areas.

In other words the African iB part and parcel of the whole economic society and is being increasingly urbanized, a process which may be canalised but cannot be stopped. African economic independence is as unreal as European economic inde­pendence. Is the African then "culturally independent"? Before the contact

/between

"between African and European came about it could "be said that the African was

culturally independent , but once such contact was made it became untrue. While the African has his vernacular and his historical background, the fact remains that in every aspect of life he has assimilated and is increasingly assimilating European culture. His historical background is inextricably mixed up with European South African history; his religion is increasingly Christian. According to the Union's sixth census (1936), only 50.39$ of Africans were still pagans. Christianity is

in fact one of the greatest transmitters of Western ideals.and values. The African's customs and way of life are being more and more modified by European whether on the farms, iu the territories, or in the tovns. The whole weight of economic forces has brought him within the fold of Western civilization in varying degrees. While the impact may be less felt in the' rural areas, it is nonetheless true that the

African today is not culturally independent. Nor is it to be expected particularly in a multi-racial society such as the Union which is more than ever before being itself brought into more intimate relations with the cultures of other peoples in the world. ' • • ••• : ' ... • • . .. .

14. The Institute therefore does not believe that the Africans are a politically, socially, culturally or economically independent "race". There may be features of African life which serve to differentiate the African and the European but these are not such as to justify the term "independent race". Such characteristics are a.eaILt with in answarto subsequent questions.

-3,uestion 3. Jfhat dp you understand by the "racial characteristics" of the Native ? " .. . ;

15. If by racial characteristics are meant characteristics that are biologically predetermined or transmitted via the germ plasm by means of genes or chromosomes

e .g ., the pink eyes o f the fruit fly , then .the only racial characteristics of the Native are such physical ami physiological traits as skin colour, facial and cranial topography, hair texture and possible differences in glandular secretions which

might provide an innate basis for temperamental and emotional differences. Other­wise the innate or racial characteristics of the Natives are identical with those

all other races, white, brown, black or yellow that are recognized as belonging to one and the same biological species of "homosapiens". The Institutebelieves that this holds with regard to innate intelligence and ability as well as with any other

"characteristics" and would draw the attention of the Gommission to the conclusions . of the 1935 Committee on Education and to the work of Dr. S. Biesheuvel, ."African

Intelligence", and to the conclusions of Dr. E.G. Malherbe in “An Educationist looks at Race Relations" "that whatever that (African) 'innate ability1 may be, it has simply not yet been given an opportunity of functioning on an equal footing in the context of a predominantly European civilization* „

16. If by "racial characteristics" are meant those characteristics that are

culturally determined or acquired as the result of having grown up in a particular kind of cultural or social environment, then the question is covered by the an^vers to questions 4 and 5 below.

Question 4. What are the special qualities and aptitudes of the Native ?

I*1 answering this question it' is necessary to preface any answer ty drawing attention to the fact that any particular qualities to be found in the African as a group may be largely the result of his position in South African society and are not necessarily innate or immutable. Also it is questionable, whether one can speak of the aptitudes of a group. The term aptitude when It refers to endowment is applicable to Individuals ,not to social or racial groups.

18. With that preamble one may say that the following qualities and aptitudesdistinguish the African.

/ (a) A gift

"Y4

19.

20.

21.

22.

(a) A gift of eloquence and the ability to master a number of

languages;(b) a love of music, dance and rhythm;(c) gregariousness;(d) a sense of group loyalty and group belongingness;

( e) a keen sense of justice;(f) reasonableness;

(g) strong family feeling;(h) patlenbe, good-nature, cheerfulness;

(i) his sense of dignity;(j ) respect for and obedience to authority; law abiding;

(k) possibly capacity for repetitive work;

(1) sociability.

If these can be said to be 6ome of the qualities which distinguish the the African as a group it must be remembered that within that group particularly

today there are Considerable variations*. The qualities that may be displayed in the territories may be other than those to be found in an urban group. In other words it must be recognized that any such special qualities are largely, if not entirely due to the particular kind of environment in which he has grown up. For

the group as a whole, for example, a keen sense ofjustice may be due to the African's inferior position in a European dominated society, as may his sense of group belongingness. Respect for and obedience to authority may not be so

prominently displayed in an urban as in a rural environment.

It is also true that as the African's environment changes, as it is to-day

most rapidly changing, it will provide him with new kinds of training and opportunities for development and so the qualities and aptitudes which he

acquires will also change.

•Question 5. In what way has the social iicritar:e of the Native been determined by the characteristics referred to above ?

This question should really be reversed to read S— "In what way have the characteristics referred to above been determined by the social heritage of the Native?" Among students of the relation between culture and personality, it

has come to be generally recognized that the distinctive human qualities of any cultural group are a function of the culture and not of the biological nature of the group in question. By changing the cultural environment and so modifying

the social heritage of the group* it becomes possible to bring about modification in existing characteristics and the development of new characteristics. In other words the characteristics mentioned are not innate and immutable.

The social heritage of the African has been determined therefore, not by such characteristics but by the circumstances through which the group ha3 evolved

and is evolving, and since contact with Europeans, one of the biggest factors in the development of such characteristics has been the European himself, his attitudes and form of organization, his values and dustoms ae translated by the

African in terms of his position in society.

Question 6. What do you consider the most Important char.f;cs.Jta]s.iae place in the social conditions of the Native ?

The most important changes are all associated with the impact of Western civilization upon the indigenous culture of the African who is going- throueh a transition stage in which he is prepared and anxious to accept what he considers of value in that civilization. Among the more important changes are the

following

(a) Detrlbalizatlon - The effect of the West in its various forms has been one of disintegration on tribal life . Some of the teachings of the churches have broken down certain tribal sanctions, the penetration of the r e s e r v e s by commercial and mining interests has introduced new values, the system of migratory labour, the attraction of town life and the steady drift towards urban centres, a money economy, the

/growth

growth of urbanization leading to the growth of an urbcin working class, education, have all weakened the tribe as a social and stable unit in ai.frican life .

(b) Loss of cultural sanctions — Consequent upon the above has

come a :breakdown of tribal and parental authority. The Committee on Adult Education in South Africa reported (U.G-.34/45, paras 139, 140):~ :

"Family life in the rural areas has suffered from

the impact of new ways. The system of migratory labour draws away the male 'members of the. family for considerable periods to the towns and to European farms and the women are left in charge of. the family. The authority of the father has been undermined and the traditional respect for elders corrupted. In areas where education is to any extent widespread, as for sxample in the Transkei, a gap appears between the younger, and the older generation which only tolerance and understanding on either side can bridge. Among educated children there tends to be a drift to thetowns. Periods of absence from home bring disharmony into the home and it is the complaint of both educated and un­educated Natives that the children have no respect

for their parents.

"In the towns worse conditions prevail. There the Native has met 'the full force of Western ways. The conventions of the old life are found to be incom­patible with the new and the implications of the new are' seldom realised sufficiently to be effective.

In place of the comparative stability of the tribe, there is the insecurity of the modern industrial world-and the Native, uprooted, has as yet found no roots in the new life . Family life is uncertain

where the bonds of old time morality are broken, and the new generation has developed an alarming degree of delinquency and irresponsibility."

(c) Industrialization - - Industrialization of the African as distinct

from his urbanization has been conducive of considerable change.The African is conscious of his position as a worker and he is attempting to follow the example of working classes in other lands in attempting forms of industrial organization. As urban dwellers a large section of the Afriaan population.-have had to try to adjust

themselves to urban ways of living, urban hygiene, urban food habits and urban forms of organization, social and political.

(d) Materialism - There.would also appear to be amongst many Africans some rejection of the more spiritual values of the West and a greater emphasis on the material, and a desire to go through the evolutionof Western Europe in terms of individual gain and competition as opposed to the more modern concept of co-operation in economic affairs. At the same time Christian influence is spreading,

(e) Education and assimilation of culture - The African has an earnest

desire for education on the European model for only through it can he see himself reaching a position of culture and power similar to the status enjoyed by the European. He is rapidly, consciously and unconsciously, assimilating Western culture and attempting to adjust his own values to it. Literacy is spreading.

/ (f ) Crowth

(f ) Growth of an African Consciousness - There has been a very notable growth in African nationalism and. a greater awareness by Union Africans of events in other parts of Africa and in countries overseas, particularly in Nonr-European countries overseas. They are more aware of Non-European advances elsewhere. - This was pointed out by ProfessorI .D . MacGrone (Head of the Department of Psychology and Dean of the Faculty of Arts, University of the Witwatersrand) in "Reaction to Domination in a Colour-Caste Society", published in the "Journal of Social Psychology", No.26 of 1947. As result of an Investigationof the reactions of a sample group of educated Africans, Professor MacCrone wrote : - .

"More and more we find that . . . (the Africans) are beginning to develop a 'racial1 or national, instead of purely tribal, consciousness . , . This is most marked among those who . , have become detribalized, urbanized and Europeanized, and it is one of those inevitable reactions to domination in a colour— caste1 society which has many parallels in other societies not

necessarily based upon a colour-caste pattern but in which nevertheless we find some variant of the dominating-dominated pattern". %

(g ) Bitterness - Amongst educated Africans there is a rising tide of bitterness and hatred against Europeans. Of the sample group of educated Africans mentioned in the previous sub-paragraph, Professor

’ MacCrone wrote ’ .... ' - ■' ' ‘ -

"From the evidence provided it is quite clear that the reaction to domination • . . has in this society taken the form of violent resistance or ’ counter-domination1 which finds expression in hostility, aggressiveness, hatred, suspicion and dislike on the part of the dominated colour-caste group or at any rate that part of it represented by our sample".

Cf one of the members of the sample.group, Professor MacCrone continued ;-

"We can see only too plainly how the frustrated drive towards an equality of status with the •superior1 European has devastated the subject's personality and given rise to a pathological state of aggressiveness and sensitiveness.".

Question 7. In terms of your Answers to Question 1 to 6 give seratlm your views on the manner in which these factors should determine the

principles and objectives of Native Education.

The Institute believes that the aim of Native education should be the develop­ment of a full individual in a full free society and for this purpose and without regard to what the eventual political and social organization of- the Union may be, it regards the Union as one society. The principles and the aims of Native education must not subserve the present situation, of the country but must ideally lead to the time when the African will share fully in the benefits of Western civilization and reach the stature of a full citizen of his own country, "Civili­zation is not a matter of colour - in essence it is just common decency. This is as little the monopoly of a particular race as Christianity is . , . What we want is civilization. And if civilization is to survive in this sub-continent we must do everything to spread it , (Dr* Thomas Jesse Jones "The Four Essentials of Education"). For the African as he assimilates Western culture, the pattern of that civilization will be a mingling of elements African and European, for the African, no more than any other group, cannot divorce himself entirely from his social and historical background. That this is so implies no alteration in the principles and aims of the education he.receives.

The Institute believes that the principles and aims.which inform all education and which have been set out in paragraphs 6 — 9 should apply equally to

/African ............

c

African education. The Institute agrees with Dr. Edgar Brookes when he said :before the Inter-departmental Committee on Native Education, 1935,, "We mn put no bounds to the aim and-ideal of education - even of Native education.

26. \ The Institute recognizes the limits which the present structure of South African society places upon African development; it hLso recognizes that that structure cannot be changed overnight. It , however, believes that it must be

changed and changed more rapidly than heretofore and that the most effective means of peaceful and harmonious change is to be found in the full application to.all groups within it of a full and free education. Any attempt to apply anything less than such education must fail ultimately and must during the period of its application, be harmful to the national welfare and the achievement

of the "good life" by all members of the community.

27. The Institute further beiieves not only, that the aims of education should be the same as for other groups but also that the methods of education should be the same. That is , the educative process-should proceed from the known to the unknown, from the concrete to^the abstract; generally recognized visual and other aids should be equally applied., film, radio, libraries, etc.; the clear thinking and the imagination of the child should be worked; school-room practice should relate the-content of the education to the local community, to the national

society and to the world at large.

29. The approach may of necessity be different generally from that to theeducation of the European child and may vary within the field of African education itself. Where the European child is the inheritor of a very full civilization and can acquire much of it within the family and community circle, the African child draws upon a much more restricted background and his parents are seldom in the

position to communicate to him the values and ideas of the wider world into which he must proceed in later life . The- task therefore of the teacher of African children is a much more difficult and onerous o'ne and the need for efficiency and

wide experience in such teachers all the greater.

The teacher of African children must of necessity approach the child through the child's own (known) background but within the field of African education that background may vary considerably. A child brought up in the heart of the Transkei has a very different environment and heritage from one brought Up entirely in an urban area. ; Approaches therefore-must. differ.

29. • In view of the very rapid changes which have taken piace and will take place in African life, the. Institute feels that it is misleading to think of Native children as a uniform mass. Due recognition must be given to broad differences within the child population, differences due to varying environments and backgrounds, also to the rapid changes which are going on. "A rough classification might be -

(a) children in the territories;(b) children on the farms*

(c) children in t h e to w n 3 »

But such classification cannot be water-tight. The drift from the country to the towns, the partial or complete urbanization of parents and children, the existence of a migratory system of labour» are all factors which must be taken into account by the teaching process. While education in the territories might be given an agricultural bias, it would be wrong, in view of present economic trends to make it completely agricultural. The.rural child must in the present circumstances be given an education which will prepare him for a possible town life .

30. ~ Education for the African child must then make him healthy in body and mind,enable him to earn an.honest and honourable livelihood, give him a sense of *ommunity, and develop within him a capacity for joyful living and the ability to use his leisure time to the best advantage.. It must enable him to interpret, control and enrich his environment.; it must give him. a knowledge of the world of things, the world of people, the. world-of ideas, the., development of the asthetic and creative sense and the use of skills. The African child has the same fundamental needSaS the Europ i&n child and his education must as with the European child

provide for'these needs. ?■?,_. ;*y - ■ • ? „•

..... • • /31 . Summing..............

(a) The principles and aims of African education should be the same

as for all children.

(b) While the .African cannot be considered as an independent and

separate race, his own culture must not be ignored in the educative process but must be so developed and built upon as

to lead him to a pride in his own culture and to his full participation in Western civilization, drawing from the latter

and contributing to it. ' . -

(c) The educative process must take cognizance of any particular qualities or aptitudes and develop them for the benefit of

the. country as a whole.

(d) The Institute is opposed to the conception that every culture.is the expression of a unique racial soul determined by inherited

. racial qualiti.es:. it therefore opposes the idea that any educational system can be built up oh the basis of such a con­

ception.

(e) -The social changes affecting the African are such that some form ..., of moral education must be substituted for aforetime tribal taboos

and restraints. The Institute "considers that the education in the

schools must have a Christian bases, using the term "Christian1' as msaning a way of life . Christian moral values must be taught.

(f) Bconomic trends in the Union make it vital that education should

prepare the African child to play his part in the economic . :

structure of the country.

(g) Education must enable the African to live his life successfully in a Westernized environment..... -

(h) In view of the social and economic changes taking place and because, Africans are in such different stages of development, any system

of education must be flexible. • ‘ " '

Question 8. Referring to item 2 of the terms of reference, what do vou understand by “future careers11 of the Native in South Africa.

The need for the fullest training of all the Union’ s human potential has been reiterated almost ad nauseam by a great variety of commissions and committees which have investigated the manifold problems of the country. QLe

van Eck Report has said j*1

"The national income can be raised to the optimum only if . - •

the productive faculties of the workers are fully utilised and if the working population is distributed-betv;een the various occupations in closer’correspondence with their

inherent adyantages and limitations (Para 2 6 l ) . , . Labour and social policy should be directed along lines which . .. wili progressively improve the entire national labour force (Para 134).. ' The Commission recommends that an :; .. extension of training,facilities be provided and that- -

improved training should become the keynote of the Unions Labour Policy. (Para 261)"

The Oluckman Report has revealed a tremendous need for personnel for

health services for Africans :-

In Chapter XIII D a r a . .138 of this reoort. it. is stated - " Comoared ivith

the number of doctors serving the million- and - a half or so o f the f i n a n c i a l ly-more-fortunate oart of the population - i .e . some 2,000 (doctors) - there aro 581 district surgeons to serve roughly 8,000 ,0j3

One of the Commission’ s sonclusion was (Chap.XVII para. 58) : —

"There are insufficient numbers of Non-European peroonnel of

all kinds, and facilities for training are very inadequate.11

The Committee on Dental Training came to the conclusion that 11,259

dentists are required in this country for an ideal services, and 1,800 for a service of tolerable adequacy tc cater for the present demand for treat­

ment. 555 of the 1,800 should be for Non-Europeans.

A recent ruling of the Department of Native Affairs is that wherever posts in the Native territories can be satisfactorily filled by Africans, suitable Africans must be trained for the jobs. The rehabilitation of the Reserves and their development Is a very considerable task which if thoroughly earried ' out will abosrb a huge number of Africans qualified in a variety of ways. The declaration of the Minister of Labour that Africans will be allowed to build in urban Native areas will call for a large labour force trained in bricklaying, carpentry, plumbing etc., The Report of the

Wage Board for 1946 (U .G .62/1948) shows that while the large majority of skilled workers are Europeanst ,there -fcs to-day a not inconsiderable number of Non-Europeans in this class as well as in the semi-skilled class. Statis­

tics are as follows:- ,

Employees in Industries Regulated by Wage Determinations,

1937/46, (excluding determinations in respect of general

_________________ unskilled employment).----- I--------------

Skilled

43,268, or 84.9$ of all skilled workers

11,260, 11 15.1% -do-

5.4$ were Asiatics 5.3$ " Africans 4.4$ 11 Coloured

13,761, or 35,9$ of all semi-skilled workers

24,615 or 64.1$ -do-

33. 0$ were Africans 20.1$ were Coloured11.0$ were Asiatics

Non-Europeans in the Transvaal work in the following trades as skilled or semi-skilled workers - clothing, laundry, fibre containers, cement products, match,men's hats, mineral water, gelatine. It is obvious that increasing numbers of Africans will become skilled workers in the futute and that they will feed the market for skilled and semi-skilled labour.

Opportunities for administrative and clerical posts in the service of the railways and post office must be more completely opened up and the police force will require many more highly qualified African men. Social welfare

Europeans

N o n-Eur op eans

of the latter,

Semi -Skilled

Europeans Non-Eurpeans

of the latter,

services/........

services are expanding and there will "be created a greater demand for trained welfare workers, e .g ., 2000 European and Non-European probationer officers are needed according to Dr. Graham Bain of the Social Welfare Department.In addition, the ranks of the other professional services must be filled - clergy, lawyers* pharmacists and teachers; while commerce will call for

typists and clerks; and domestic service will require trained men and women,

37. The 11 present11 of the African is inextricably bound up with that of the European and the future progress of the country depends upon the extent to which Africans become more productive in all spheres. Education has a vital part to play in ensuring that African workers of the future are equipped with a high standard of moral values and are trained to approach the problems of life in an informed and intelligent manner. Basically the needs of the African child are the same as those of the European child*

38. The Institute again does not wish to enter into a detailed discussion of possible changes in the content and form of Native education. It would, however, make the following poirfcs:-

a. The content of Native education should not be as academic as in the

past,and Africans should be asked to recognize that educatiorBl practice in many overseas countries makes provision for a diversity of possible careers.

b. Greater attention should be paid to vocational and techinical training of various kinds, though already existing industrial departments of missionary institutions (see memorandum attached) through greater provision for training through technical colleges, and by special governmental measures such as the "African Vocational Training Service" outline! in

■the attached memorandum (Appendix C). With regard to the last it should be noted that the Social and Economic Planning Council has endorsed the idea of such a service.

c. Greater provision should be made for the training of doctors and training facilities for dentists established. The work of the Jan Hofmeyr School should be greatly extended - the report of the Committee of Enquiry into the Training of Social Welfare Workers may make recommendations with regard to this.

d.Special attention should be paid to the training of men and women for work in the Native territories and the Commission might examine the possibilities of the training of farm labourers for posts as foremenon European farms, as tractor drivers, and as other more skilled workers.

e. Although it is within the terms of reference of the Industrial Legislation

Commission, the Commission is urged to consider the matter of trainingin and for industry. The Report of the de Villiers Commission has pointed out that "the Native’ s lack of skill and knowledge is becoming a very expensive feature in the national economy (para.1833) and that it is essential that Natives who enter employment in industry should at least have had some training in certain basic skills (para 1869). The Commission recommended that training should be given as follows -

(l) Day schools - to provide the necessary background of general

education, including as for European children, manual dexterity;

(i i ) Pre-employment classes, given by technical colleges either in the college or the factory buildings, to provide training for operatives in certain general and specific skills;

(i i i ) Camp training centres, on the "earn while you learn'1 principle, for

adolescents, to provide general education as well as vocational training;

(iv) par,t-time classes at polytechnic schools for providing training in more specific skills.

f* I t / . . . . . .

*

f . It is also vitally important for those African children who are likely to remain in the rural areas that they be taught the rudiments of husbandry and agriculture.

39‘ In making these suggestions the Institute is well aware that the'Colour11 Bar" limits the possibilites of African employment in many directions, but it is convinced that, it is only a matter of time before

the severity of that bar must be relaxed. In any case, greater and greater opportunity will be afforded Africans to serve their own people in their own areas if the existing policy of the Native Affairs Department is extended

to other state departments and if the declared policies of the Minister of

Native Affairs, with regard to the development of the reserves and the Minister of Labour with regard to the building of African houses, are fully implemented.

Question 9. tfhat do vou consider the chief defects of the. rr ngpnt system of - - •

• ’ / a. Primary school training,

b. Secondary1 school training,c. Industrial’ training,

•' d. Teacher-training colleges,e. University training.

t11) Mh^t .measures do you s u r e st for effecting the necessar-v changes etc. ?

( i i i ) Tg what extent dc? these measures agree with' the general . '' prinqjplgs.you have r ecommended in answers 1 - 7 above? ■ ■ "

The Institute offers no evidence.

Question 9. What do you consider the defects, of the prp.ap.nt system of _

(a - e as above) ‘ ~

40. The Institute does not wish to give detailed evidence on'the defects ofthe present system and it merely draws attention-to the following points which have been made by other bodies and individuals :-

Primary Schools -

a) Dr. W.F. Nkomo Pretoria; Primary Schools are understaffed and over­

crowded. Some teachers handle classes of .-.J'100 Children. Currriculuir ' too bookish. _-T_ .. ' ......

b) 1946 Report of Union Advisory Board on Native Education: For every 100 children enrolled in the sub-standard less than 8 reach standard VI and less than 30 reach Standard I . From the point of view of the child and

the State an education which is completed in the sub—standards represents nothing that is of any real value.

c) 10 Year Plan for Native Education! Every pupil in the upper classes of - - a primary school should have vocational guidance.

d) Natal Education Department, Primary School Syllabi: The ideal school isone which is closely connected with progressive community effort of all kinds.

Secondary Schools - . . . . .;

Dr. W.F. Nkomo; provision for better laboratory facilities for all sciences including a practical and factual approach to mathematics. Afrikaans in the place of Latin. Mathematics to be compulsory for all senior certificate or matriculation students. Domestic science offered girls as an examination subject. Vernacular languages to be written through the vernacular medium.

Industrial Schools - .......

a) Dr. W.F. Nkomo: Teaching to aim at producing artisans, not jist better kitchen girls or handymen. Vlakfontein, Pretoria would serve as basis for others.

b) Social and Economic Planning Council, Report No.2: Experience of experts in Native Education, also is very definite that, if Standard VI at least has not been passed, pupils do not derive full benefit from training.

c) Inter-Departmental Committee on Education 1935-6: Improvement in the

education of Natives for effective occupational adjustment is largely dependent on improved general education.

d) Social and Economic Planning Council No.2: The Council considers that

too much attention has been paid to the trainirg of skilled artisans as compared with the training of the labour force generally.

o) United States President’ s Advisory Committee on Education: In the light of modern industrial developments, "less specialized training for specific occupations nnd more generalised. training in broader vocational skills should

feharacterize vocational curriculums. The Schools should carry the training

of the prospective worker up to the point where certain generalized skills and information, of value in a variety, of working conditions, are acquired.

f) Social and Economic Planning Council. No. 2: "It is apparent that general vocational education should be linked up with the ordinary school system".It quotes the Report of the Secretary for Education to the effect that general vocational training must come in order to provide an intelligent understanding rather than manipulative skill for which special industrial arrangements can continue, in place of some of the academic content which has no functional value.

Teacher Training Colleges:

a) Union Advisory Board on Native Education: The supply of trained Native teachers is not increasing in proportion to the demand for Native teachers and this is a very .serious state of affairs.

b) 10 Year Plan for Native Education: A pupil teacher system should be introduced where suitable, so that practical training time of the students may be a real asset in the staffing of schools.

c) Inter-Departmental Committee on Native Education: In teacher training courses emphasis should be laid on the ideal of community service and experince should be

afforded ettident teachers in carrying out specific schemes of such service in the neighbourhood of the training school. European staffs of training schools should

have a knowledge of Native life and conditions and of the vernaculars. The distribution of training centres should be investigated by the U .E .D ., toavoid overlapping.

University Training :

a) Dr. W.F. Nkomo: Increased facilities, staffing and laboratory facilities,

b) An examination of the manuals of the various provincial education depart­ments appear to reveal certain common demands, namely that syllabi and teaching should be realted to the practical, be less academically theoretical, be inte­

grated with the community and with life generally. They stress the necessity for the presentation of the ideal to children, the inculcation of high moral values, and the idea of service to the community.

question 10. What.in yQur_Qpinion. should be the place and nature of religious education in the .curriculum?

41. The Institute believes that Christian moral values and standards mustpermeate all African Education. A definite period per week should be set aside for religious instruction and schools should open with prayers and a hymn. Schools run by particular denominations may of necessity have a denominational

bias but in state schools religious instruction should be undenominational. The Institute draws the attention of the work of the Christian Education Movement in the training of teachers.

D r ./

-14-

42. Dr. William Boyd points out in •'Educational Adaptations in a Changing

Society" that the three institutions concerned with religious education

are the home, the school, and the church, and that they have quite different functions. The school’ s part is "three things - the cultivation of a sympathetic attitude to religion, the presentation of Bible history and literature as an essential element in the culture of any people with the religious traditions, and a sound moral training based on reverence."

Question I I . What. in yQur_opinion. should be the place and

nature of manual training in Native schools,

especially with regard to; —

(i ) the use the Native, after leaving school, makes of his manual training; and

• . (ii.) the transfer of .skills acquired in school to theNative community?

43. The Institute believes that the underlying aim of manual work in the schools is character training, not direct training for each occupation, for e-ample, in the industrial field. The primary object should be to give the child an opportunity to do more creative work with his hands. It hasa deeper value than the work itself; it widens his knowledge, trains and deepens'his appreciations, and teaches him to understand the part which

nannual work plays in the life of the community; it links theory and practice.

In many cases manual work has lapsed into triviality and mere mechanical drudgery and the result has been that 'it has met with opposition from Africans, Its value to the child depends on how it is taught and how related to the daily life and needs 4f the people.

The Inter-Departmental Commission of 1935—6 rejected the idea that

manual training could be used to resuscitate the traditional handicrafts of the African people. Whatever dexterity is acquired'-vi 1:1. be canalized

and developed by later training for. seme particular occupation or will'be •

taken by the pupils into their everyday life e .g ., in cookery, dress-making, household, carpentry, basket weaving, etc.

-otfo

k H /B O .

Tn° Principal,ben son vale fct ' psion.ry institution,P .O . BENCHNVALS, via S^FFKSPflUlT,./-p" ppnviHCSS

iDe&r *31?’,

Nntlv- Kf ucatlcn Comm:

Th nk you v=ry much for your letter of•*Oth jay, 19^9. W® are very glad to know that you «ndyour staff *.»re in full agreement with the v 1?wp expressed by the Institute, The 1 Inal draft of our evidence is now ba3ni:; r vm up, ana we will send you a copy •!*?> soon as it is ready,

v«e obtained your name from Mr, and s^rs, Leon Lev son, w o were very highly iuipreased with your work during their visit to bensonvale.

Viith many thanks,

Yours '.kithfully,

(Muriel Horrell - -iss), T CAL W j aTANT,.

Collection Number: AD1715

SOUTH AFRICAN INSTITUTE OF RACE RELATIONS (SAIRR), 1892-1974

PUBLISHER: Collection Funder:- Atlantic Philanthropies Foundation

Publisher:- Historical Papers Research Archive

Location:- Johannesburg

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