Educocide
Educocide is the deliberate and systematic destruction, in whole or in part, of the formal education and skills development systems of an ethnic, racial, religious or national group.
In South Africa educocide was committed by the 1951 Job Reservation Act and the 1953 Bantu Education Act. It is one of the main reasons why it is so difficult to generate employment. Large numbers of the unemployed have little or no literacy, numeracy or skills. They have only their raw energy and hand-eye co-ordination to sell.Notes for entry in a dictionary:
Educocide
Educocide is the deliberate and systematic destruction, in whole or in part, of the formal education and skills development systems of an ethnic, racial, religious or national group.
(1) In 1953 mathematics and science were taken out of the Bantu (sic) educational system for the 'native' (sic): I term this 'educocide'.
McCutcheon, RT, "Employment generation in Public Works: Recent South African Experience (post 1994)", The Journal of Construction Management and Economics, Volume 19, 2001: 275-284.
(2) Mijatović, Antun, “A view of Croatian pedagogy at the end of the century”, Napredak, Časopisza pedagogijsk u teorij u ipraksu, Vol.142, No 2, 2001.
Summary
During the previous twentieth century, Croatian pedagogy and Croatian education went through fi ve different ideological, civilisational, cultural and territorial administrative regimes which, each in its own way, slowed down and / or impeded the comprehensive and progressive development of Croatia and of its national interests, hindered the development of state institutions, and hampered the idea of freedom, responsibility and overall development. The subordination of the development of Croatian education and pedagogical science was conceived in order to weaken the intellectual resources of the country through poor education. With the exodus of capable individuals, the substance of state development was systematically reduced. The author presents numerous examples that corroborate these statements and shows concern that this practice of ‘educocide’ has continued even ten years after Croatia became an independent and autonomous state. The warnings concerning the European context and the situation of Croatian pedagogy, as well as the necessary radical changes in education, are all brought into direct contact with good and bad legacies. These issues await a resolution through the changes announced for the 21st century.
(3) Bringing things back to the South African context, Robert McCutcheon focused on the socio-economic component of the EPWP, the origins of the skills void in the country, the democratic government’s response, and the challenges.
He pointed to the legacy of Apartheid legislation, the 1953 Bantu Education Act, and the 1951 Job Reservation Act, which all contributed to the current lack of skills and the high rate of unemployment. The lingering effects of Apartheid legislation could be termed “Educocide”, McCutcheon said, to the extent that, in the 1990s, one in 10 000 black school entrants would complete a good enough matric to be able to study either Engineering or Medicine. In 1972, there were 6 000 apprentices in the building industry, while in the mid-1990s, there were less than 500. Without work and appropriate skills, the result is unemployment on a massive scale.
Prioritising Employment Creation in Government Policies, Programmes and Investments. Volume 1: Proceedings of the 12th Regional Seminar on Labour-Intensive Practices, 8-12 October 2007, Durban, South Africa. Geneva: ILO, 2008: p15.
ISBN (PRINT): 978-0-620-45848-1
(4) In South Africa conditions have been exacerbated by the pernicious effects of the “Educocide” resulting from the 1951 “Job Reservation Act”, which forbad “blacks” from being artisans in “white” areas, and the 1953 “Bantu Education Act” which took mathematics and science out of secondary school education. For severity of poverty see Wilson, F. and Ramphele, M. (1989) Uprooting Poverty: the South African Challenge. Cape Town: David Philip.
McCutcheon, RT 2008. “The generation of productive employment opportunities for the unskilled: principles, potential and pitfalls of labour-intensive construction.” Keynote Address: 10th Path to Full Employment Conference / 15th National Unemployment Conference 4-5 December 2008, Centre of Full Employment and Equity (CofFEE) University of Newcastle, Australia; 12pp.
