r

-a From all over the Union delegates came to Port Elizabeth to attend the

National conference convened by the A.N.C. to consider more fully the implemen­tation of the December decision to institute a boycott of schools as from April 1st. Despite the large number of delegates present the representation was not as widespread as had beep hoped, for few organisations other than the four Congresses and the Liberal Party had responded to the invitation to the Conference.

In orening the Conference, Professor Matthews explained that since the decision taken last December, two streams of opinion had emerged, the one of

confidence that the boycott could successfully be instituted when the schools re-opened on April 12th and the other that the period from December to April was insufficient for adequate preparation for alternate provision for the

children* He emphasised, however, that nothing that had taken place since

December had in any way conflicted with the principle of the December resolution, and reminded Conference that in view of the time taken by the Government to prepare its plans for Bantu Education, it was important that opposition should also be well planned. The Conference had been called so that the many organisations of different racial groups who were opposed to Bantu Education should have opportunities for full discussion. Professor Matthews expressed the hope that the calling of the Conference would lead to an intensification of the fight against Bantu Education,

A comprehensive explanation of the legal implications of the Bantu

Education Act was given by Mr, Gibson of the Liberal Party, who emphasised that

this legislation was legally watertight and appeared to exclude all possibilities of establishing alternate formal education, and that the syllabus for Bantu

Education had been so carefully compiled that apart from its context in the racial position in South Africa, it would be difficult to criticize in detail. Here in

South Africa it could be seen for what it wa3, an instrument of apartheid that must be destroyed at the first possible moment,

Robert Resha, A.N.C. Speaker, urged the necessity for clear understanding of the implications of Bantu Education and of the purpose and consequences of the

boycott. The decision of the A.N.C. to withdraw children from school was not a

pleasant decision, it was a decision taken in view of the serious situation. All

Africans wished to see their children educated, but if they allowed their children

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t* be taught through Bantu Education then they would be failing in liberation.*

The Bantu Education Act must be considered in terms of the whole situation in South Africa. The Government is becoming increasingly aware

in the A#t4^0rt«truggle and the Bantu Education Act is the Government's latest move to crush African opposition through attacking the political consciousness of the people by withholding true education from the children. The aims of the Act had been made quite clear. Resistance to Bantu Education would be parallel with resistance to all other Nationalist oppression. These were two tasks;

first to call upon the African people to boycott all school committees and boards,

and secondly to urge the people to withdraw their children permanently from the schools. Such a withdrawal would not be emotional but a conscious decision which

must be taken and then followed at all times. Withdrawal from school must not,

however, mean no education at all but plans must be made for correct informal education of the children through cultural groups and clubs, so that the children

can be educated culturally and politically. For this purpose, anti Bantu Education Committees should be set up at all levels - and the A.N.C. would n?ed the maximum

help from other organisations and racial groups. Application should be rra 3 also for establishment of private schools, and reasons demanded in cases of refusal.

After full discussion from the floor, durinr which time the sugeestion ,of the Liberal Party to restrict the boycott to the Port Elizabeth area and to sejnd

children in other areas to Bantu Education schools, and to review the effect them after a period of a year or two was emphatically and unanimously reject' the following resolutions were adopted

of participation

RESOLUTIONS ADOPTS AT THIS SPECIAL CONFERENCE OF ORGANISATIONS OPPOSED TO

THE BANTU EDUCATION ACT. QTH - 1QTH APRIL. 1955.

This special Conference of Organisations opposed to the Bantu Education Act held in Port Elizabeth on the 9th - 10th April, 1955j emphatically endorses the resolution of the National Conference of the African National Congress held in Durban in December, 1954-> in connection with the withdrawal of African children in Primary Schools in the fight against the Bantu Education Act.

Realising tha-’. a campaign of this nature must rest upon the response of the people, Conference therefore calls upon all Organisations and individuals opposed to Bantu Education to identify themselves with this resolution in word and in deed in ordor to demonstrate the wide spread opposition of the people of South Africa to this Act. The date of the commencement of the campaign to be decided by the National Executive of the African National Congress and to be announced by the President - General.

(a) This Conference approves of the decision of the National Executive Committee of the African National Congress to establish a National Educational Council to draw up plans for alternative educational and cultural activitiesfor African children to be set in motion as and when the withdrawal from schools is effected,

(b) That the National Education Council be empowered to co-opt representatives of other Organisations and individuals opposed to the Bantu Education Act.

(c) This Conference urges that Provincial, Regional and local Education Councils be established to carry out the programme and the instructions received from the National Education Council from time to time.

This Conference further calls upon the people of South Africa who rf.'oct the fundamental principles underlying the Bantu Education Act to make this campaign another milestone in the struggle for freedom and equal opportunity for all in this country.

To achieve this ultimate objective conference calls upon every body interested in the welfare of African children to join with us and support our effort to save the African children from the pernicious system of education proposed for them.

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PROGRAMME FOR CULTURAL CLUBS

MORNING SESSION

FIRST PERIOD (ABOUT HALF'AN HOUR)Children gather together for free play and assembly. Club can start with "INKOSI SIKELELE", all children singing together.After this, children should be collected into three groups, and group leaders should spend five to ten minutes in checking per­sonal cleanliness and hygiene.

SECOND PERIOD (Groups I and II) Half an hour or longer)(See General Notes for division into groups)

Physical Activity (For half an hour or longer)

Group I, Nursery school games (see separate sheet for in­structions )

Group II.Exercises and games (see separate sheet for in­structions)

End up with activity games and team games.Short break for both groups (If no public lavatories are nearby,

for Toilet Routine arrangements should be made with a(Quarter of h o u r ) number of houses for use of their

lavatories at this time. Group leaders must try to help the chil­dren to form regular habits)

SECOND PERIOD (Group III)(One hour or longer)Discussions, Stories, and Knowledge Games(N.B. This group will be expected to participate fully and to absorb as much information as possible, therefore the children must be fresh, and this period must come before the physical activity period)

History and Geography Stories can be used for this session: these will be supplied to the group leaders, and competitive

I games will be prepared later, also sets of quiz questions basedon the history and geography stories. The first 2 - 4 weeks of the group should be used to give information through these sto­ries, and children should be encouraged to "tell back" or to act these stories.

"Talking Newspapers." Once a week the children should give time for producing items of news for the group- these items can be personal, political, local, general, and each child shcxdd be encouraged to participate at sometime.

Political Education. 'This should start with full and sim­ple explanation of the Bantu Education Act and why it is opposed, why the children are out of school, etc, what the former system of education was, the history and personal stories of the boy­cott, (especially local'stories). This should take up the first 2 weeks, together with History/Geography days and General Know­ledge. Leaders should deal with this part in their own words and ways. Discussion notes for the Freedom Charter will follow later, and it is suggested that the background to the Freedom Charter should form the basis of these periods of political edu­cation. Children can also be taught the words of the Freedom Charter section by section, once they understand it.

The following is suggested for the first two weeks' pro­gramme for this period-

Mondays Geography stories.

Tuesdays

Wednesdays

ThursdaysFridays

1st Tuesday Bantu Education(How it came atout.(Why it is "poiscrrf

2nd Tuesday Bantu Education (The purpose of for-"clubs"........(How they will W3rk.

Talking Newspapers and Knowledge Games (see separate sheets)

History Stories

"Playing back'' Period. Children to be encoura­ged to act back or tell back some of the sto­ries they have heard and discussed; to repro­duce the items of news, etc- to say what they know about Bantu Education. Children can be divided into teams so that they can compete for this, and the winner congratulated. Charts of successes can be kept.

(N.B. This is the most important period of all and the group leaders should prepare very carefully indeed, section by section^

SHORT BREAK FOR TOILET ROUTINE (10 Minutes).PERIOD III. GROUPS I and II.

STORY-TELLING, DISCUSSION AND ACTING

GROUP I .

(a) Start off with simple story telling (stories supplied) and get the children to act the story back.

(b) For discussions, get children to talk about the weather, the rain, the sun, what makes it rain, what does the rain do, etc.

(c) The children must get to know the days of the week, the months and the seasons, etc.

(d) Word games (see separate sheets)

(e) Encourage children to talk of-

(i) Mother's work (factory, domestic work, washing, sewing, looking after the family, etc).

(ii) Father's work (factory, shop, mines, labourer, etc),

(iii) Getting to work (trains, buses, walking, etc.)(iv) The homes (sorts of houses, people in the home,

things in the home, etc.)(v) The water, the light,.etc.

(f) Have nature and health talks with the children. (Trees, plants, vegetables, animals, milk, meat, etc.)

GROUP II

History and Geography Stories will be provided. •

Leaders need not be afraid of repetition, as children like familiarity, therefore programme should not be rushed: "history and geography stories must be repeated frequently because they will contain many facts, and the children will have to learn by hearing not by reading. ~

The material supplied to the group leaders will not be all that is needed; leaders must use their own stories of the Afri­can people, legends and any other stories and material they

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Collection Number: AD1137

FEDERATION OF SOUTH AFRICAN WOMEN 1954-1963

PUBLISHER: Publisher:- Historical Papers Research Archive

Location:- Johannesburg

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