Indians inspired education

The tricameral parliament in 1984 saw Indians placed at the forefront of education policies despite apartheid

IN 1984, in pursuance of its policy of apartheid, the National Party government transferred the administration of Indian education to the Department of Education and Culture in the House of

Delegates (HOD). The Republic of South Africa Act No 110 of 1983, provided for one central parliament comprising three separate chambers (Tricameral System): the House of Assembly (White), House of Representatives (Coloured) and the House of Delegates (Indian). It is of interest to note that the election of the members of the House of Delegates held in August 1984 had subsequently registered very low polls, indicating that the majority in the Indian community opposed racial segregation.

The control of education was with the Minister of Education and Culture in the HOD, Kassie Ramduth. He was succeeded by Dr Kisten

Rajoo and Mrs Devagie Govender. The process of “Indianisation” of the Department of Education and Culture was given greater impetus during this period. For the first time in the history of Indian education an Indian, AK Singh, was appointed as chief executive director with effect from January 1, 1986. When Singh retired in 1989, M Pillay was appointed to this post and he continued till the demise of the House of Delegates in 1994. Some of the senior bureaucrats during this time included, Dr GK Nair (chief director of education: planning), Dr CG Shah (chief director of education: control), ST Enoch chief director: administration) and PB Singh (chief of psychological services).

Education policy matters as well as the provision of facilities and resources were the responsibility of Education Planning and the implementation and monitoring of policy fell under the purview of Education Control.

In order to place education provisioning during this period in its correct perspective, it must be noted that it was the objective of the State to ensure that funds were made available to the “own affairs” administrations to sustain the grand plan of separate development. It is true that this period witnessed a significant growth in the number and type of State educational institutions for Indians, but one has to see such provisioning against the background of the Group Areas Act. Indians were forced to leave their established places of residence and move to new “townships” throughout the country. For the Group Areas Act to succeed, the

State had to make funds available for the establishment of new schools in these “townships”. Hence, when the State’s contribution to Indian Education during this period is considered, it pales in significance when compared with the sacrifices, grit and determination evident in the self-help projects initiated by Indians in the past.

Despite opposition to the continued existence of the House of Delegates, class boycotts, marches and strikes by teachers, the department was able to expand its educational provisioning and this impacted on the quality of education. In the period 1984 to 1994, the department opened 71 new primary schools and 49 new secondary schools and effected additions to more than 160 institutions under its control. It also took control of a number of State-aided primary and secondary schools.

While during this period there was a vast improvement in the quality of education in Indian schools owing to improved funding in the Tricameral set-up and the commitment and dedication of all civil servants, the political melodramas that took place at that time left much to be desired.

The history of Indian education ends with the demise of the House of Delegates in 1994. The main thrust of Indian education pre-1994 was the Indian community’s struggle for a just educational dispensation in a spirit of self-help. The struggle was consonant with the cumulative challenges of other oppressed and disadvantaged communities within the highly repressive system of apartheid.

In the post-apartheid era, the government can no longer prescribe educational policy without listening to the voices of the people and considering the needs of the community. The community will have to play a critical role in the transformation of education in the new democratic South Africa. Presently, whether this is happening fully in the new order is moot.

Poor infrastructure in the outlying areas and lack of proper school toilet facilities haunt the present government. It is not a question of money but lack of capacity and strong will to right the wrongs of the past. Hopefully, the government of the day has the will to sort this out expeditiously.

As this is the final series in the “History of Indian Education from 1860 to 1995”, we wish to place on record our gratitude to the many contributors towards the above unpublished book, especially the late Mr SS Singh, superintendent of education for history and the late Mr KK Moodley, senior lecturer at the University of Durban-westville.