History in the classroom: Why CAPS must look beyond ideology

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As we live in such a polemical atmosphere and amid the “culture wars” that define our society, the study of collective human suffering brings a necessary hush to the classroom.

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Historically, large-scale educational reforms reveal a mixed story. Rather than neutral, pedagogical interventions, they can be shaped by ideological or political reasons, and risk moving ahead without the student in mind.

In reviewing the newly proposed history Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS), one finds that this pattern is not entirely present; certainly, there are praiseworthy additions. But with the density of the document and its fairly repetitious theme, it is not always clear that the Department of Basic Education’s (DBE) revisions fully realise the transcendent potential of history as a subject.

A curriculum with promise

The goal of the proposed history curriculum, expected to unfold in schools in 2027, aims “to develop in learners a global historical consciousness from the vantage point of Africa”.¹ A vision like this begins with lifting from history the various African archives and sources to celebrate their idiomatic wisdom and knowledge. As it includes a goal to highlight oral history, there is much to praise about the new curriculum. Given the rich oral tradition that exists in African societies – the Khoi, San and Bantu-speaking peoples come to mind – oral history allows students to approach something “living”, putting them into contact with community leaders, elders and even family members with profound stories to tell. Methods like these put students “into” history, rather than leaving them as bystanders to distant events that “happened to them”.

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But beyond myth and folklore there exist hundreds of indigenous knowledge systems.

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There exists no shortage of oral-based documents: Indaba, my children² and the Sundiata epic³ both come to mind. With an ability to reveal sacred history, both teach truths via highly nuanced stories, using tragedy and allegory to teach the consequences of war and greed. And beyond their educational value, they play a significant role in revealing Africa’s complex and precolonial moral code – something the DBE is keen to achieve.

With CAPS’s new African focus, documents like the praise poems, or izibongo, of the Nguni people could also be used. Texts like these allow a reconstruction of the past and bring heart to historical events. The array of voices, from King Cetshwayo to the mourning of African mothers whose sons are on the battlefield, do well to breathe life into dates on a timeline.

But beyond myth and folklore there exist hundreds of indigenous knowledge systems (IKS). A common example is The meanings of Timbuktu,⁴ which explores the use of metallurgy, astronomy and medicine in Africa, revising the stigma that it was made up only of tribal and traditional healers.

The South African Democratic Teachers’ Union (SADTU) has hailed the proposed CAPS as “nation-building”,⁵ and there is much truth to this. The celebration of African culture gives those groups who have historically been characterised as “the other”, the chance to redefine and even redeem themselves from a homogenous history. Learners forming part of these demographics deserve to see themselves as existing before and beyond the status of victim in this country, and a refurbishing of the curriculum can do this. As such, conversations move beyond who was right or wrong, black or white, and towards amicable discussion and communal healing.

Curriculum and context

But debates around curriculum change cannot be separated from the broader intellectual movements which have shaped post-apartheid student politics. This is certainly true for a subject like history. In this regard, the timing of the proposed history CAPS merits closer inspection.

Between 2015 and 2018, South Africa saw both the #Feesmustfall and #Rhodesmustfall campaigns bring sharp focus to ideas surrounding the curriculum, its representation and its implicit indictment of colonial exploitation. Driven by thinkers like Franz Fanon, whose work is widely drawn upon in decolonial conversation, relatively small but highly organised groups of student activists took to university campuses demanding change. One notable plea was the decolonisation of the school curriculums.⁶

As notable, though, was the 2018 decision by DBE minister Angie Motshekga to review the current history CAPS.⁷ Her desire was also to decolonise the syllabus, making it more Afrocentric and relevant to South African learners.

Curriculum change is ongoing, and we cannot instantly label these campaigns as an immediate cause. But the proximity of a new history CAPS to a charged political movement does make it harder to view the revision within a purely pedagogical space. Statements by the DBE that the new CAPS is not a “mere settling of scores”⁸ also become harder to believe; perhaps less so is SADTU’s suggestion that history become a compulsory subject.⁹ But it is the framing of history as a subject in South Africa that comes into question.

Given this context, a concern is the proposed curriculum’s removal of critical blocks of history because of potential political aspirations. It is vital that learners in South Africa be exposed to African culture. That has been discussed. But it is not only an appreciation of culture and demographic history that fosters unity. History is a deeply moral subject. It teaches not only what distinguishes us, but also what we have in common. This ability is perhaps reflected in the growing uptake of history as a subject in South African schools.¹⁰

What learners risk losing

The DBE’s removal of communism from the history syllabus is just one example (other notable sections are capitalism and the American civil rights movement). Few historical topics capture the consequences of ideology as much as twentieth century political systems. Topics like these can teach transcendent truths about the nature of humanity, not only those truths limited to monocultural ideas – whichever culture they come from. As such, they develop a deeper understanding of universal values like justice, mercy, power and evil: All these are values that historical events like the Russian Revolution bring into focus. And they are values our adolescents need to explore.

History as a moral subject

As we live in such a polemical atmosphere and amid the “culture wars” that define our society, the study of collective human suffering brings a necessary hush to the classroom. It does so because it shocks the senses, causing learners not only to look at their own moral make-up, but also to ask the profound question of why. Aspects of history like these cut through difference, uniting learners via a shared sense of humanity, rather than dividing them along demographic lines. They stress that while the nuance of culture is essential, our being human is as much a catalyst for unity as are our differences.

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South Africa’s students should not carry the burden of a politically charged curriculum.

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Among the current list of dramatic arts setworks is the play Eclipsed: Phifalo ya ngwedi.¹¹ The play was created in response to the tragedy of Life Esidimeni, where 144 psychiatric patients died after being moved to unlicensed NGOs. In the opening monologue, tucked into a list of indictments, an actor speaks: “Whether the system has a black, white, yellow or blue face, the fact remains that people lost their lives.”¹²

Colour has profound implications in this country, and within a history syllabus, all of these must be explored. These include the vibrancy of culture, but also the desperate struggle of those cultures who historically have been marginalised. But history is also about the grey hues of tragedy. Inside these realities, all of history has indelible values to learn. As a social science, history has the innate potential to play the moral compass of a school – but it needs all of its cardinal points to function.

South Africa’s students should not carry the burden of a politically charged curriculum. Returning them to the centre of educational development will allow this. As such, history as a subject holds the potential to foster the spirit of “ubuntu” that both this country and its classrooms need.