“Whoever sides with the revolutionary people is a revolutionary. Whoever sides with imperialism, feudalism and bureaucrat-capitalism is a counter-revolutionary. Whoever sides with the revolutionary people in words only but acts otherwise is a revolutionary in speech. Whoever sides with the revolutionary people in deed as well as in word is a revolutionary in the full sense.” –Mao Tsetung. Whoever sides with imperialism, feudalism and bureaucrat-capitalism is a counter-revolutionary. Whoever sides with the revolutionary people in words only but acts otherwise is a revolutionary in speech. Whoever sides with the revolutionary people in deed as well as in word is a revolutionary in the full sense."
INTRODUTION
The education system is the reflection of the social system; therefore the political epoch within the Higher Institutions of Learning is product of social conflict. This political epoch did not fall from the sky but it is a product of historical injustices, the education system was in form and character exclusive racially and economically but that was not because of the hate of white people for black people but a manifestation of the current production system which is capitalism but it was used in the form of race to exclude the majority from economic participation to favour the white minority. The defeat of the apartheid was in fact not the end of the struggle but capitalism reconfigured to new form. Transformation then is needed to integrate the previously disadvantaged portion of the society which is the blacks in general and the Africans in particular. The transformation we seek to achieve must be dynamic and national in character but paramount to that it must be able to respond to challenges faced by the society in general.
“We locate our vision of a transformed tertiary education system within the overall vision of the NDR, and that vision rests on the following five principles; equality, democracy, non racism, non sexism and redress.”
THE NDR THEORY OF TRANSITION
First and foremost we must understand what the NDR is and what it seeks to achieve, but paramount to its conceptualisation it must be within the parameters of how SASCO interpret the NDR and it must be guided by the content within the terrain of Marxism-Leninism. The National Democratic Revolution is a revolution which is meant to answer the three strategic contradictions in our society which are Race, Gender and the Class question. The fundamental contradiction in society is the class contradiction and as the communist manifesto says “The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles”. The understanding of the National Democratic Revolution should be also find expression in the education landscape “The objectives of the NDR are the challenges that drive the progressive forces that are engaged in the transformation of our country and education in particular.” The South African educational system and the social content are products of class contradictions in the society therefore up until such time that the class question has be resolved transformation of the Higher institution will remain liberal and in favour of the ruling class which is capital. The National Democratic Revolution seeks to create a non-racial, non-sexist and prosperous society for all but predominantly the liberation of black people and Africans in particular. The understanding that transformation must seek to equalise the inequalities of the past as a product of apartheid and should then be able to respond to questions of socio-economic constraints. Transformation must be approached in the manner stated above, taking into account the historical background of the Higher Institutions of Learning in the apartheid era, you had your White Institutions and your Black Institutions where black students from the working—class background whom were only taught to such that they could manage their societies not rebel against the state and those who studied in the White Institutions were given the type of education that they could manage mange the economy of the country and the country as awhile. But also we must highlight that blacks in general and Africans in particular were excluded from economic participation hence the type of education they were fed.
Therefore the National Democratic Revolution must answer upon those questions when it speaks unto issues of transformation, in the education system particularly. It must address issues of the quality of the education system, transformation, redress and how do we inculcate matters of economic participation of the youth.
TOWARDS PROGRESSIVE REVOLUTIONARY TRANSFORMATION.
Transformation as anything scientific is two-folded; from my view transformation can be used to legitimise the emancipation of a few bourgeois by the notion of deracialisation of the previously known white capital and creating a black of the petty bourgeois. But the transformation we advocating for at this current point in time is the one which I would call PROGRESSIVE REVOLUTIONARY TRANSFORMATION. The kind which seek to eradicate the gender, race and ultimately the class contradictions in our society. The progress made since the attainment of political freedom can never be measured by how many black millionaires, how many black students are in university and how many black people are BBE’s because there could never be any comparison between an interval of 300 years of exploitation and 16 years of political democracy. It can not be inherent that the working-class and its off-spring will automatically know that their exploited and know where they stand in the social system but both the strata and the class need to be conscienticed by their van-guard parties, in this instance SASCO to van-guard working-class off-springs in the HI’s of Learning across South Africa. Mikhail Bakunin raises a question, “will it be feasible for the working masses to know complete emancipation as long as the education available to those masses continues to be inferior to that bestowed upon the bourgeois, or, in more general terms, as long as there exists any class, be it numerous or otherwise, which, by virtue of birth, is entitled to a superior education and a more complete instruction?” In responding to this fundamental question raised, I would say the complete emancipation of the working-class and its off-spring can never be realised so long as there is class division, because so long as there are classes in society there will always be a need for the periphery which is the working-class and the core which is the capital.
Therefore in essence when we speak of transformation of the Higher Institutions of learning and the society in general we ought to approach in the manner in which will enhance development and integrating the previously disadvantage to the economic system. Taking into account the current socio-economic conditions, they did not fall from the sky but a product of the historical process.
THE ENSAVAGED DESTINATION
National Democratic Revolution and the transformation of the education system are inherently two different things but the NDR is the framework as to approach the transformation of education and the Higher Institutions of learning particularly. Therefore integration of the previously disadvantage people, the rejuvenation of active participation in the economy of working-class and transforming the commanding heights of the economy to serve the people should be on the core of the transformation. And education is will be the liberating and tool for the South African youth, hence the call for deco modification of education but to social service where everyone will be able access Higher Institutions.
And the curriculum that will be able to equip our people is not what is taught now, to be selfish and look down on other people but an integrated curriculum that will respond to crises of our societies. We then ought to have a framework of transformation that will seek to route out academic exclusions; the inconsistent changing of curriculum but that framework must also be able to answer the contradictions of our society and the only way as to resolve the race and the gender question to resolve the class question. That type of NDR is the NDR which is socialist in character preparing our road towards a classless society. That is the kind the kind of transformation we ensavege.
Free education and socialism in our life. . .
Amandla!!!!!!!!
Sibusiso Maneli is Branch secretary of SASCO in Claude Qavane Branch NMMU, P.E
“The aim of education shall be to teach the youth to love their people and their culture, to honour human brotherhood, liberty and peace;
Education shall be free, compulsory, universal and equal for all children;
Higher education and technical training shall be opened to all by means of state”
