By Janco Botes
The Bela bill, negative publicity and an overall stigma surrounding so-called “elite” schools in South Africa place some of our country’s top schools regularly in the crossfire.
This leads us to increasingly overlook the vital role these schools play in our society. When it comes to schools, South Africa still has something to brag about that stands head and shoulders above other countries, and not for the academic reasons you think of.
“You can buy land, but not background,” my grandfather always told us. A nice slogan that I never really bothered myself with, until I had a few opportunities to put my own background into perspective.
I myself was a learner at one of these elite schools two years ago. I was never really in the top ranks when it came to popularity, and I did attend a few rugby games even though it wasn’t quite my thing. forté not. I had my close group of friends, participated in the school on a cultural level, and kept my academics in order. What more does one want now? What more is there for a school to offer? I always had an appreciation for the school’s long heritage, but in essence the school was just a school for me.
It was in 2022 that I found myself in the classrooms of a German school for a month on an exchange program and I started looking at my school back in South Africa with new eyes. Apparently it was one of the top schools in the country, named after a German philosopher, founded in 1888, and has apparently been visited by the German foreign minister. Every learner had a tablet computer and every classroom had smart boards. Yet there was something out of place for me. The school felt cold and soulless.
Of course, the first assumption is: “They don’t have any school sports over there. This has to be it!”. Yes, while they only offered limited sports at the school itself, there were quite a few extracurricular presentations at the school.
It’s not quite what bothered me either, because the cold, soulless feeling extended inside the classrooms and between the learners. Are all the German stereotypes valid then?
They don’t wear a uniform either. They never meet as a school, from the first bell to the last bell directly inside classes. Not a word is whispered about the heritage of the school or what it means to be part of it. The school in no way formed part of its learners’ identity. It was probably not necessary either, everyone identified as Germans or with the town they all shared. Tradition was not kept alive inside the school, because it was brought alive in the streets of the town and community events.
Then in 2023 I moved to Stellenbosch to study. Excited to start the rest of my life and secretly also enjoying the freedom that comes with finally leaving school.
I quickly realized that universities in South Africa feel a lot like that soulless school in Germany. No uniforms, nothing more than classes, and impersonal lecture halls. I lived privately and never joined a hostel. Like at school, I made my group of friends, participated and pushed my academics, but something was different, something was off. However, the whole place felt to me like a tree without roots. It’s the first time in my life that I was in everyday contact with so many different people with so many different backgrounds, and I found it fantastic to broaden my horizons by mixing with such a multitude of diverse people and opinions.
Yet it was almost impossible to achieve a proper sense of belonging. That’s when my grandfather’s words were finally brought home to me, and I realized for the first time what a valuable role South African schools play in giving their learners backgrounds – fertile backgrounds in which deep roots can be planted.
The Germans have no need for their schools to provide them with a background, because they all see themselves as “Germans”, their nationality is their background. In South Africa, however, it is not that simple. What exactly is a specific and objective definition of a “South African”? We have 12 official languages, multiple nations, and multiple religions. How do we plant an identity in loose soil that can hardly be grasped? Schools.
Every “elite” school in South Africa has its own unique history, heritage, and values that give these schools a higher purpose, a mission. From day one, this story and mission is drilled into its learners in orientations and matric mentorships. This is then reinforced for the next five years by school traditions from school clothes, to hall meetings, sports events and much more.
Schools in South Africa also have their own symbols such as school crests, colours, chants and slogans, and even the positions of principal and pupil council. School pride is practiced on such a large scale in South Africa that it is equivalent to a sense of national pride. This leads to trust in the political community of a school often being higher than that at a national level.
That is why schools form such a large part of learners’ background, because it can form such a large part of their heritage. For these reasons, South African schools also create a deep sense of belonging. Learners from a wide variety of backgrounds come together to form a common background in their schools. Thus reconciliation takes place even between those from different backgrounds at school. By sharing so many stories and values through one’s school, people instantly connect with each other and form part of a larger whole that shares those same stories and values. These heritage and values are things that stay with learners for life. This is what schools give their soul to in South Africa.
That is why South African schools form a background, which we must not overlook, and do not have to back down from what is offered overseas. Their traditions are here to stay, and that may not be such a bad thing.
- Janco Botes is a driven second-year student in international studies at Stellenbosch University.
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