On Friday, 1 June 2018 Political Analysis South Africa’s Thando Maeko spoke to the Chairperson of the Historical Association of South Africa (HASA), Professor Karen Harris.
On 31 May 2018, Basic Education Minister, Angie Motshekga presented a ministerial report that recommended that history be made a compulsory school subject up to Matric (Grade 12). Harris says even though history is a vital part of educating learners about the South Africa’s past it should not be made compulsory. She recommended that the Basic Education Department should instead focus on improving the quality of education in the country before making history compulsory.
“History in the ideal world would be fantastic…but I’m afraid the education system is in such a bad state that making history compulsory is not going to fix anything,” he said.
Listen to the audio below for more.
