The pilot told us the flight from JFK to Johannesburg is the second longest direct flight from that airport (JFK to Singapore being the longest). After a day of serious jet lag, we arose this morning feeling refreshed and ready to learn about science education in South Africa. I felt like I needed to pinch myself- am I really on this amazing continent in this country of such rich diversity and history? The people here are so friendly. Our guides are wonderful and the delegation is a diverse group representing K-12 classroom teachers, university professors, science education consultants, district science coordinators, etc.
Today, Dr. Marissa Rollnick from the Marang Center for Mathematics and Science Education at Wits University spoke to us about the status of science education in South Africa. Her talk gave us new insights into the meaning of a “disadvantaged school” and equity in education. Wow- we could have listened to her all day. After lunch at Mandela Square, we headed over to Soweto to visit the Hector Pieterson Museum. Hector was the first child shot and killed in the Soweto riots. Did you know the Soweto riots started with a massive organized protest by school children who did not want a Bantu education. They were forced to learn 50% of their lessons in English and 50% in Africaans and no lessons in their own language. The children rose up in protest because of the inequity of education for the black children. The violence that ensued against these children and families who only wanted a fair education was a tragic episode in the history of South Africa. The museum was quite sobering.
Photos are a challenge to upload on the Internet here so pictures may have to wait until we return. More tomorrow…
No comments:
Post a Comment