" We are in danger of losing our history"
A recent report on history and archaeology in schools offers compelling reasons for the teaching of these disciplines to be strengthened.
These include the political importance of providing a representation of the past through clear narrative explanation and analysis; the social value of teaching the common ancestry of humanity and the recognition of the past as a continuing process with definite implications for the present and the future.
The report emphasises the power of history to train learners to make judgements. "Mature judgement is a quality we expect of all our professionals, and demand in all our dealings with bureaucrats, politicians, managers, shop stewards, taxi drivers or teachers."
Within the existing framework of Curriculum 2005, History has been combined with geography and civic education to form a learning area called Human and Social Sciences. This learning area was introduced for the first time in Grade 7 last year and is now being implemented in Grades 4 and 8. No study of its implementation has yet been undertaken.
A cursory examination of new Grade 4, 7 and 8 textbooks indicates that History as a discipline is in danger of losing coherence. At Grade 4 level it forms a fraction of Human, Social, Economic and Management Sciences. As a result, there is no space to construct a historical narrative and historical information is presented in an unconnected, theme-based way.
Grade 7 and 8 textbooks are able to deal with historical concepts and periods in more depth. However, these books display confusion as to what historical content should be dealt with in each grade. A glance at Grade 7 Human and Social Sciences textbooks shows that the full gamut of South African History - from pre-colonial through to post-Apartheid - has been tackled in one grade.
The report argues that this is as a result of "the abdication of responsibility for what has been taught" by the designers of Curriculum 2005. In the case of History, this is likely to lead to the repetition of certain topics and the omission of others crucial to an understanding of modern South Africa.
The report supports the recommendation of the Curriculum 2005 Review Commitee that History and Geography be taught as defined disciplines in the General Education and Training band. This recomendation has been accepted by Cabinet and will be implemented in due course.
It is clear that the crisis facing the teaching of History in South Africa goes beyond the classroom. In the end, it is about national priorities or what the report calls "the civilizing influence of history learning upon the democratic values we would want to see inscribed in our national life".
In the light of this, it recommends the establishment of a National History Commission bringing in the expertise from education, history, archaeology, heritage studies, anthropology and sociology. Such a commission should ensure that "we do not end up a country freed not only from apartheid but also from history".
The full report was drawn from http://education.pwv.gov.za, when this article was originally written in 2011. Potenza is an independent education consultant who specialises in curriculum and teacher development.
From "ReadRight, a supplement to the Sunday Times, February 18, 2001"