Education and Ethics Assignment 2
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Essay
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In partial fulfilment
of the requirements in Post Graduate Certificate in Education (Intermediate Phase) (PGCE IP)
at
Cornerstone Institute
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by
Daniel Elardus du Plessis
Student number: 50029
9 September 2020
Contents
1. Introduction……………………………………………..……..Pg. 3
2. Translocation……………………………………………….….Pg. 3
3. Assimilation………………………………………………..….Pg. 4
4. Self-formation………………………………………………....Pg. 4
5. Conclusion……………………………………………………..Pg. 4
6. References……………………………………………………..Pg. 6
7. Honour Pledge…………………………………………………Pg. 7
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1. Introduction
According to Aslaam Fataar, a professor at the University of Stellenbosch, in the field of
Sociology of Education, South-Africa has a unique setup when it comes to the different
schooling options and the availability for students to attend school. The complexity of the
schooling in South-Africa came from the Apartheid era and “evolved” further after 1994.
In this essay we will look at 3 concepts from the Fataar readings discussing how students
access and experience schooling within the complexity of the South African educational
context. We will look at the options available for the previously disadvantaged student, that
was discriminated against in the Apartheid era and the different ways they now have to
“negotiate” life and the surroundings to fit in and plan for a future.
2. Translocation
When we look at the current student, the schooling options available are almost endless.
There is a vast array of schools available for each socio-economical class. From the school
right around the corner in the same suburb or area where the student resides to the Private
School with a boarding establishment across the country. According to Fataar, (Sekete et
al., 2001, p.ix) ‘An empirical study on learner migration confirms this by showing that the
search “better education emerged as a major consideration for learners to leave schools in
their neighbourhood for others far away”’(Fataar, 2007).
The township schools, created to school the black learners during apartheid, was left behind
during the Apartheid era and underfunded, this caused a lasting legacy on their functional
status (Fataar, 2007). It’s for this reason that the local township student wants to leave
his/her surroundings and chase after a previously white school, with “good” teachers and
infrastructure, to become eligible for the middleclass job application in the future. They
want to improve their changes for the future to become a success. It is almost as if the
South-African government has not done enough as yet to ensure equal and fair education
for all. It is a work in progress though.
This brings across a scenario where students travel long distances to access these schools.
During these travels the student cover different spaces and this should be understood as per
Fataar 2007 “as the active interaction between the physical environment and people’s uses
of, and practices in it, such as the mobile spatialities of young people who travel daily to
access remote schools”. Translocal movement and adaptation can be described as a the kids
waking up as being culturally black in a “poor” impoverished space and then travel daily
through different landscapes to reach their culturally dissonant spaces of their schools
(Fataar, 2007).
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3. Assimilation
The movement of the students across the different spaces poses another challenge for them
upon arrival. Cultural assimilation, they need to adopt the ‘culturally white’ ethos of the
school (Fataar, 2007). This might be in contradiction of their known culture and the
adaptation can be difficult for some. If we look at the story of Fuzile Ali (Fataar, 2010).
Fuzile mastered the art of cultural assimilation. He was thrown into 3 different spaces each
with his own culture. Firstly his native rural area, secondly his Christian area Philippi and
thirdly his Muslim space (Fataar, 2010). Fuzile Ali quickly learned that he needs to adapt
and according to Fataar, 2010 “He forced open a generative route into his schooled career
across the socialities of his various spaces, and his ability to steer along a productive path
by cultivating strategic relations and networks, and developing a performative persona,
played a large role in the exercise of his aspirant desires”.
4. Self-formation
This section revolves around the idea that a type of forming of oneself needs to take place
when we look at the accessibility of the complex schooling system in South-Africa.
Especially the student whom travels across different spaces and exercise translocalism (the
negotiations young students make in their coming and going with schools that are not in
harmony with their domestic surroundings culturally) (Fataar, 2007). According to Fataar,
2009 the previously ‘white schools’ acquired its character from the specific nature of the
geographically based flows into and inside its surroundings. In the post-apartheid era race
and class have been re-worded and re-arranged by newer strengths (Fataar, 2009). It is for
this reason that the student needs to transform and adapt to the new surroundings found at
the school. Some aspects can be the sport played at the school (rugby compared to football)
or even the cultural and religious aspects at the school. To get back to the Fuzile Ali story,
he adapted well and ‘his ability to utilise various social processes and practices in these
living spaces proved to be decisive in producing his ambitions’ (Fataar, 2010). Fataar argues
that Fuzile Ali “developed a utilitarian connectedness to his living spaces’ (Fataar, 2010).
Thus he developed and adapted physically and emotionally to the living space that he found
himself in at a specific time. Layla on the other hand, who attended an all-girls school soon
realised what needed to be done for her to be accepted by her peers and to be successful in
her schooling career at this school (Fataar, 2007).
5. Conclusion
Thus it is clear that many different aspects needs to be negotiated by students to make a
success of life especially when it comes to their education. There are those whom look for
greener pastures outside of their living space, seeking a ‘brighter’ future in the middle-class
demographic. It is them that face the challenges posed by post-apartheid. Challenges like
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crossing city borders through translocation and needing to adapt their ways to adopt the
‘new’ way of life and to transform themselves to ‘fit in’ into the new space. It is a very
challenging scenario and one can come to the conclusion that government did not do
enough as yet to ensure that all education is fair from the local township school to the
Private school.
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6. References
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Fataar, A. (2009) Schooling subjectivities across the post-apartheid city. African
Education Review, 6(1)
Fataar, A. (2007) Schooling, Youth adaptation and translocal citizenship across
the post-apartheid city (Layla). Journal of Education, 42
Fataar, A. (2010) Youth self-formation and the ‘capacity to aspire’: The itinerant
‘schooled’ career of Fuzile Ali across post-apartheid space. Perspectives in
Education, 28(3).
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9 September 2020
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