Raising the black bar

I did not applaud the South African Democratic Teachers’ Union (Sadtu) when they called for the lowering of marking standards for black students especially in matric.

A strong regional branch in KwaZulu-Natal asked that examination markers understand that black students are not only taught in a foreign language but come from poor backgrounds.

Why?

That view is based on victimology, that is, a political orientation that perpetuates the stereotype and myth that black people are always hopelessly disadvantaged victims who need aid.

For the most part, this perspective promotes the thinking that blacks are incapable of transcending their circumstances and must always be considered as people who are destined to fail or do less.

It is not that Sadtu does not have a point.

It is true that blacks are taught in a foreign language, mostly English, and that that they are adversely affected by poverty and unemployment.

I think this is an obvious point but it does not make a strong case.

We cannot afford a situation where blacks buy into the myth that they are good-for-nothing victims who cannot overcome their background or work hard, remain focused and disciplined to transcend their material condition.

After all, in the 21st century it does not matter where you come from. What is important is where you are going. The perennial stereotype that Sadtu repeated is that when it comes to blacks, every standard must be lowered to make things easier for them.
What this means is that quality performance in South Africa too often cannot be expected from black people.

Like everyone else, Sadtu knew that when the matric results were announced, the face of super-performers would be white pupils.

The history of academic super-performance in matric and beyond is increasingly non-black.

Even at primary-school level black pupils are notorious for collecting certificates for good behaviour than for academic excellence.
The faces of the pupils smiling back at us from the pages of newspapers are white and not black.

But Sadtu should know why.

Many members of this teacher union allegedly spend their time at school pursuing private correspondence or engaging in union activity to get more money to afford a petty bourgeoisie lifestyle.

At the risk of generalising, the circumstances that make it possible for black pupils not to be super-performers are created by the attitude and behaviour of black teachers.

They are not providing the guidance, leadership and inspiring management that is expected from them.

As a result, they are not there to inculcate values like focus, hard work and discipline in black pupils for them to begin to understand that anyone can make it if they want to.

As has been hinted earlier, it does not matter where you come from but what is important is where you are going. In most cases, black pupils lack the wings of the mind that can make them imagine the impossible.

Yet with a president like Jacob Zuma, for instance, there is no reason why any black pupil or person should fail to believe in themselves and their ability to transcend whatever material circumstance they come from.

If it is true that teaching is not a profession but a calling, then teachers have no business to be doing things that do not make the young realise that they are the future of the country.

The primary duty of a school teacher according to President Zuma is to be in class to teach for seven hours.

We can only hope that as we enter the second decade of the 21st century, trade union leaders will make teachers realise that everything they do has serious implications for skills development and opening up opportunities for the black youth in the country.

If there are any youth who need confidence boosting and to learn life-skills that will save them from a bleak future, they are to be found, mostly, in the black community.

The most popular stereotype is that when blacks take over anything, expect standards to be lowered.

It does not help the black cause, if there is such a thing, when teachers themselves are the ones who are asking for the lowering of standards when it comes to black pupils.

Though no one is going to debate the seriousness of poverty and its impact, we cannot give ready-made excuses for lack of excellence in the black community.

We are in the majority here.

And it’s time we represented the highest standards the country has to offer.