Closing Or Opening Of Schools – It’s A Question Of Fighting For Power

Posted on by

Bronagh Hammond has carved a special place for herself in the ranks of official government spokespersons whose jobs mostly involve obfuscation of issues with the purpose of misleading the general public. Arrogant political posturing is their tool of the trade. This communication director for the Western Cape Education Department (WCED), which has declared war on educators and students and parents, is on record as saying that community opposition and the accompanying protests  against WCED policies are “legally contestable, disruptive, not authorised by the powers that be, non-procedural and unlawful”. These responses (as reported in the Cape Argus of 28 July 2020) are of a petty bureaucrat who shamelessly hides behind laws and regulations that are rightfully being opposed and contested by many school communities across the county; specifically in the Western Cape. She maintains that organised groups who resist/oppose their policies do not have the authority to close schools, or run schools in ways contrary to WCED diktats. The WCED hide its maladministration and incompetence behind comparisons with the equally reprehensible/deplorable school governance in the rest of the country. The disaster which is the DBE is wreaking havoc on South Africa’s scholars and their working class and peasant communities. We are therefore compelled to not only fight the Covid19 pandemic but a government hell-bent on securing/safeguarding minority interests.

Ms Hammond and her ilk should be exposed for who they are and what they represent. What they call ‘disruption” and rupturing of their supposedly well-run education system, is in fact long overdue. Instead of practicing democratic school governance, they go around looking for scapegoats to blame for preventing “a return to normality”. In the spirit of further resistance to this cabal of political misfits we propose actions to raise the level and scope of resistance to their anti-working class plans.

  • Schools can serve alternative, progressive and practical purposes during times of enforced closure. Schools do not belong to the DBE; they belong to the communities where they exist. Many schools have progressive SGBs. Where these do not exist, given their limited powers,-  then parent – teacher cooperation when taking action will advance the  democratic control of the schools. Our communities must therefore, in this situation of crisis , insist on their right to use the schools for purposes that go beyond the disrupted academic programme. Our organised power, if properly wielded, cannot be countered by the state who merely pay lip service to community involvement in the running of the schools! Our demands should include control over the financial resources that schools require. Democratically established school governing structures run by the communities, for the communities is crucial.
  • We have witnessed recent examples where government decrees/decisions were countered by protests with a progressive character. Parents closed schools in specific communities accompanied by progressive demands; principals and SGBs took a stand against provincial education departments by not acquiescing to their decrees and diktats. Teachers and parents insisted on what they consider to be just demands for progressive education. These progressive demands and the victories that follow in their wake, point to communities taking control of social processes in their own interest; against that of the privileged minority. Our struggles must be aimed at empowering the people against these privileged minorities.
  • We therefore need to demand of ourselves and put into motion  workable plans of actions; plans that can be executed under current, restrictive conditions. Where possible, teacher trade unions or committees should run social and political awareness programmes at schools  for the entire school community.  Do teachers who are members of these unions know their own organisation’s history? Do teachers care enough about the political education of their students? Do students ask hard questions as to the current crisis and their futures?  NGOs that are involved in education, media as well as left political forces should run educational programmes on South Africa’s educational history at schools. We need to, as a matter of urgency, understand why we are in this social and economic crisis that we are. SGBs should invite progressive organisations to enlighten them on their visions of a better world for the working class and our children. After all, the SGBs must justify their reasons for existence over and above their official, state endorsed mandate. Progressive left organisations should share political perspectives on socialist democracy as well as experiences of the international working class with South Africans – all in the spirit of international solidarity. Local anti – Covid-19 struggles will certainly draw inspiration from similar struggles elsewhere in the world; struggles we all can learn from in the process of building a democratic, socialist future on the back of a crisis-ridden capitalist system.
  • We politically reject this oppressive state with its minority, capitalist class rule. We must therefore develop independent programmes of activities that are in the interests of working class and peasant communities and their schools. Without it, no serious power contestation can occur.

WE DEMAND THE DEMOCRATIC CONTROL OF OUR SCHOOLS!

SCHOOL GOVERNANCE MUST BE OF THE PEOPLE, BY THE PEOPLE, FOR THE PEOPLE!

FULL POWER TO THE WORKING CLASS TO RUN THEIR CHILDRENS’ SCHOOLS!