Name : Mohamed Uwais

Surname: Padia

SAE3701 Assignment 02
STUDENT DECLARATION FORM DEPARTMENT OF CURRICULUM AND
INSTRUCTIONAL STUDIES COLLEGE OF EDUCATION UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH
AFRICA

The Department of Curriculum and Instructional Studies places specific emphasis on

integrity and ethical behaviour with regard to the preparation of all written work
submitted for academic assessment. Although your lecturers can provide you with
information about reference techniques and guidelines to avoid plagiarism, you also
have a responsibility to fulfil in this regard. Should you at any time feel unsure about the
requirements, you must consult your lecturers before you submit any assignment.

You are guilty of plagiarism when you extract information from a book, article, web
page or fellow student without acknowledging the source and submit it as your own
work. In truth, you are stealing someone else’s property. You may not use another
student’s work. You may not allow anyone to copy or use your work with the intention to
submit it as his or her own. Students who are guilty of plagiarism will forfeit all credit for
the work concerned. Plagiarism is a serious violation of the University’s regulations and
may lead to expulsion.

The under-mentioned declaration must accompany written assignments. Your

assignment will be cancelled and returned unmarked if you do not include a fully
completed and signed declaration form.

I (full names): Mohamed Uwais Padia

Student number: 14285592

Module: SAE3701

Assignment: 2

Declare that: 1. I understand what plagiarism entails and am aware of the University’s
policy in this regard: https://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/myunisa/default/Study-
@Unisa/Student-values-and-rules 2. I declare that this assignment is my own, original
work. Whether I used someone else’s work, whether a printed source, the internet or
any other source, I give the proper acknowledgement and include a complete reference
list. 3. I did not use another current or previous student’s work, submitting it as my own.
4. I did not allow and will not allow anyone to copy my work with the intention of
submitting it as his or her own work.

Signature: MohamedUwaisPadia

Date: __23/04/2024__
Title : The impact that politics had on both teachers and learners in the Democratic Era

Introduction:

South Africa has been a country that has been freed of apartheid for three decades as
of 2024 yet even in the democratic era, the impact of politics still plays a role and has an
impact on both the teachers and learners in the school environment. This topic has also
been debated a numerous amount of times with views both favoring or disagreeing with
politics and the impacts and influences it has in schools.Moloi [ 2011] goes straight into
the impact of black consciousness philosophy on both the learner as well as the
teachers of Bodibeng High school during the difficult era of apartheid focusing more on
years 1940s to 1970s. This essay will focus on the impact that politics still has on
teachers and learners in the democratic era by backing it up with evidence from Molois
work as well as numerous other studies and sources.

In the apartheid era it was evident that other races, especially blacks weren’t given the
equal opportunities when it came to education as the apartheid government put rules
and boundaries in place to deny them equal opportunities. Fast-forward to post
apartheid South Africa it is of utmost importance to find out if political ideologies still
have an impact in shaping education and the school environment for both the learner
and teacher. According to Maloi’s [ 2011] study on black consciousness philosophy at
Bodibeng high school shows us all how the political perspectives helped influence both
the teachers and the learners during a difficult period in our countries history. This
philosophy helped in providing the people with resistance, self empowerment and hope
against a system that was oppressive to non whites of which black people were mostly
affected. Thanks to the influence of this on education had provided a positive outcome
in the 20th century and shows us all how politics played an important role in helping to
shape educational change in the schooling environment. Fast-forward to post apartheid
and you can still say that politics is visible in our educational system. Numerous of
studies have also explored the effects that political influence has on both the teacher
and the learners in a school environment. Smith [2015] argues about how political
agendas often pervade into the schooling curriculum and the educational policies.
Political influence also goes as far as affecting how lessons are shaped as well as how
they are delivered by the teacher to the classroom. This shows us that teachers are still
influenced by political influences be it directly or indirectly which will in turn impact the
way in which a lesson is now taught to learners. The choices that are set by the
government and officials that are put in place by the political party in charge also play a
role in the curriculum being taught in the school environment as they get to decide what
to include in the schooling curriculum and the ways in which the teachers has to teach a
particular lesson. This indeed shows us that political agendas are influenced into the
schooling environment even in the democratic era for the purpose of pushing political
agendas. For example, the emphasis on multiculturalism and diversity in the curriculum
can be seen as a reflection of the post apartheid government’s commitment to
reconciliation and nation building [Smith, 2015].

Political influence is also indirectly placed in schools through socio political factors.
These factors include security, poverty, national wealth, income inequality, social
integration and political conflicts. Firstly, the government that are in charge of the
country place government policies, make the budget decisions regarding funding
allocated to various different public services such as, hospitals, schools, as well as
various other state funded projects. In South Africa funding is a dire concern as we are
in a country that has an estimated value of three trillion rand worth of debt. This results
in the government not being able to provide schools with the required amount of funding
to be able to create an optimal and conducive schooling environment for both the
learners and the teachers. According to an article from the website Department of basic
education, the average amount of learners in a classroom in South Africa is 42 learners.
In most schools, the classrooms are overcrowded as the structure of the school was not
improved further to help hold the amount of learners being allocated to the government
school. This results in teachers being overworked and underpaid which in turn makes
teachers not want to go the extra mile when teaching. Furthermore, when learners are
cramped in small spacing’s, the amount of fainting and heatstroke cases increase due
to overcrowding and lack of air circulation. When I was doing my teaching practice in a
school in South Africa I witnessed three learners faint due to the heat over my five
weeks at the school. These cases also resulted in lessons being disrupted and stopped
which resulted in loss time for teaching and learning. Another factor caused by
overcrowding was the constant disruptions that were caused with it. Being in a class
that has close to fifty learners if not more is not an easy classroom to keep quiet. In an
intermediate school, the average lesson is thirty minutes. From that thirty minutes
around five to ten minutes are wasted due to quieting down a disruptive classroom. This
causes the teacher to not be able to teach the lesson effectively as indicated on the
lesson plan. Learners end up suffering significantly academically which thereafter
affects their results that are produced by the learners. This will cause learners to not be
able to study effectively and optimally and in some cases cause learners to lose interest
in studies entirely and can lead to them dropping off. These learners that drop off from
schools will find it extremely difficult to find a high paying job if not a job altogether.
These learners will end up now turning to crime as a way of generating income after
losing hope with other possible options for income. The legacy of apartheid policies and
practices still lingers in the education system, leading to disparities in resources,
opportunities and outcomes for students from different backgrounds [Yield, 2018].
Teachers as well are not immune to the influences of politics in the democratic era that
we live in. The way that a teacher views, the teachers beliefs, and their approaches that
they use end up being molded through the political climate and the discourse in the
country. The legacy of past struggles and movements, like the Black Consciousness
movement, informs the perspectives of educators and influences their interactions with
their students [Moloi, 2011]. Some teachers who are even more focused and committed
to social justice and equality in the schooling environment will want to include political
activism and parts of consciousness raising even if done in a small scale or indirectly in
their teaching practices. This point proves that politics still plays a role in our education
system even in our democratic era. Another study done by Ndofirepi [ 2018 ] shows us
how political influence in education is still evident in our schooling environment even in
our democratic era. Ndofirepi highlights how the teachers attitudes and behaviours are
influenced by the various policies and political changes put in place by the government.
An example of this that we can look at is how the curriculum reforms that was
implemented post apartheid reflects on the political agenda of the party that is ruling
and has a direct impact on what the teachers teach there students and how to teach it.
Lastly, According to the studies of Mncube and Harber [2013] shows us how the
engagement of learners is seen in political activism in the democratic era. This is
evident through student involvements in protest actions that take place in the schooling
environment due to factors that are based on political issues such as lack of funding,
dissatisfaction with the government and there policies aswell as the different policies
implemented by the government or the socio economic conditions suffered by the
people. This shows us how government and there political influence is still visible in
most schools if not all schools in South Africa.

Although majority of scholars still agree that the influence of politics is still seen in the
schooling environment and has an impact with both the learners and the teachers, a
minority of scholars believe that politics does not affect the schooling environment in the
democratic era. These scholars state that the influence of politics in the educational
system has diminished during the democratic era. An example of this statement will be
written below. The well renowned scholar Smith [2019] believes that in the post
apartheid era, the new government had placed great importance in the depoliticization
of education. The post apartheid government also created an educational system that
helped in promoting a more neutral and inclusive curriculum that will benefit all learners
in the schooling system and only a certain group. According to the renowned scholar
Smith, he believes that this shift has now reduced the overt influence that politics had
previously on the educational system which previously had affected both the learners
and the teachers in the schooling environment. Smith also believes that this new
schooling curriculum that was created helped to ensure a more balanced and diverse
educational experience.
In conclusion, politics is something that has an influence on nearly everything in the
country be it an individual or a community as a whole either directly or indirectly. Based
on the studies that I have researched from the various renowned scholars whom
studied education and the history behind the new curriculum and old curriculum I
believe that politics still has a lot of influence in our education system which impacts
both the teachers and the learners. I can make this statement with confidence as most
of the scholars that I have done my research on agreed that politics does have an
influence on our education system and has an impact on both the teacher as well as the
learners.
Bibliography:

Moloi, Tshepo. (2011) "Bodibeng High School: Black Consciousness Philosophy and
Students Demonstration, 1940s–1976." South African Historical Journal.

Mncube, V., & Harber, C. (2013). Learner protests and their political significance in the
post-apartheid era. Journal of Education.

Ndofirepi, A. P. (2018). The impact of political changes on the attitudes and behaviors of
teachers in South Africa. South African Journal of Education.

Smith, John. (2015) "Curriculum Development in Post-Apartheid South Africa."

Education Studies, vol. 32, no. 2, pp. 145-162.

Smith, J. (2019). The depoliticization of education in post-apartheid South Africa.

International Journal of Educational Development.

Yeld, N. (2018). "Education and Inequality in South Africa: A Review of the Past and
Present." Journal of Education, vol. 40, no. 3, pp. 275-290.Moloi, T. (2011). Bodibeng
High School: Black Consciousness Philosophy and Students Demonstration, 1940s–
1976. South African Historical Journal.