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Displaying the 30 latest comments.
Submitted | first-name | support | concern | message |
|---|---|---|---|---|
2026-09-06 03:20:13 +02:00 | Basson | No I do not | General / All Grades (Overall Concerns) | |
2026-08-31 09:32:39 +02:00 | Chene | No I do not | General / All Grades (Overall Concerns) | ABSOLUTELY NO. ?? I strongly oppose the proposed Draft New History Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statementsin its current form. I absolutely believe our children should learn African history. They should learn about Great Zimbabwe, Mali, Ethiopia, African kingdoms, archaeology, oral traditions and the many African contributions to world history. Our children deserve to know their heritage. But history education must be about truth, evidence and the full historical picture — not about replacing one selective narrative with another. I am deeply concerned about an African-centredapproach becoming a framework in which history is selected, interpreted or taught primarily through one particular ideological lens. South African children come from diverse backgrounds and deserve a curriculum that presents multiple perspectives fairly and critically, without political or ideological agendas being embedded into what they are taught as historical truth. Our children must be taught the good, the bad and the uncomfortableparts of history — including African history, European history, colonialism, apartheid, communism, nationalism, Christianity, indigenous cultures, migration, conflicts, political movements, democracy and the contributions of people from different communities. Oral history has value, but oral tradition must be distinguished from independently verifiable historical evidence. Archaeology, written records, primary sources, oral testimony and other evidence should all be examined critically rather than allowing any one source to automatically become the accepted version of events. I also strongly object to children being encouraged to view history primarily through the question of *“why certain versions of history are constructed” if this becomes a vehicle for teaching political interpretations rather than teaching children how to establish what can actually be supported by evidence. Our children deserve history, not historical engineering. Teach African history. Teach South African history. Teach world history. Teach the uncomfortable truths. Teach competing perspectives. Teach children to question claims and examine evidence. But do not replace one form of historical bias with another. I call on the Department of Basic Education to ensure that the final curriculum is academically rigorous, politically and ideologically neutral, evidence-based, age-appropriate and genuinely balanced. Our children should not be taught what to think about history. They should be taught how to think about history. NO to ideological history. NO to selective history. NO to political indoctrination in the classroom. YES to evidence. YES to academic freedom. YES to balanced perspectives. YES to teaching the complete history of Africa, South Africa and the world. ?? |
2026-08-25 13:29:18 +02:00 | Annette | No I do not | General / All Grades (Overall Concerns) | |
2026-08-17 10:25:46 +02:00 | Claudette | No I do not | General / All Grades (Overall Concerns) | Govt has no say in SA curriculum, whatsoever, it is not their job to decide what need to be taught and what not to be taught. History has taught us that the SA govt cannot be trusted, they distort facts to suit their political, communist, ideology. |
2026-08-13 07:54:38 +02:00 | Lizette | No I do not | General / All Grades (Overall Concerns) | |
2026-08-12 16:37:00 +02:00 | Rudolf | Not fully | General / All Grades (Overall Concerns) | |
2026-08-12 16:34:14 +02:00 | Rudolf | No I do not | General / All Grades (Overall Concerns) | |
2026-08-06 10:29:07 +02:00 | Nkosinathi | Yes I do | No concern, I Support the Amendments | |
2026-08-03 16:20:06 +02:00 | Robert | No I do not | General / All Grades (Overall Concerns) | |
2026-07-22 12:39:08 +02:00 | Lizaan | No I do not | General / All Grades (Overall Concerns) | Concerns over Omissions: Many groups are concerned that by shifting the focus so heavily toward ancient African civilizations, essential elements of world history or modern South African history (such as the full scope of the Boer Republics or the Renaissance) may be under-emphasized or omitted. Reliability of Evidence: Critics have questioned whether relying on “memory” and oral traditions is as academically rigorous as using written records, raising concerns that this could lead to a less objective teaching of facts. Content Overload: There is a recurring concern among educators that the curriculum is already overburdened. Adding deep dives into archaeology and complex ancient civilizations may make it difficult for teachers to cover the necessary material in the allocated time. Ideological Risks: Some argue that a curriculum focused on “social transformation” risks becoming a tool for political or social engineering, rather than a neutral, academic pursuit of the past. |
2026-07-21 17:48:17 +02:00 | Jacqueline | No I do not | General / All Grades (Overall Concerns) | |
2026-07-21 16:09:09 +02:00 | Serati | No I do not | General / All Grades (Overall Concerns) | |
2026-07-21 10:11:33 +02:00 | Dezire | No I do not | General / All Grades (Overall Concerns) | |
2026-07-19 19:45:10 +02:00 | Graeme | No I do not | General / All Grades (Overall Concerns) | Nazi's were less brazen than this. But that would require an understanding of history. Sadly, re-writing history, to suite the whims of a ruling party, does not mean that the history is true. Satan truly has his hands on his children, where absolute racism and arrogance rule. Truth is truth, it is recorded, not guessed at , or manipulated, according to the latest, "supposed" technology or fad invention, calibrated to suite the governing rule. If there is no recorded history, there is no history. The next thing you'll have people beliving in, is evolution and the big bang theory, pure figments of the imagination |
2026-07-19 19:33:14 +02:00 | Graeme | No I do not | General / All Grades (Overall Concerns) | What an absolute abuse of power and the pure arrogance of a dictatorship beyond the scope of naziism. The pure racism and egotism of a fake government such as the fools proclaiming their supposed intelligence, such that they believe they have the power to re-write history to suite the own falsehoods, is disgraceful beyond even Satan's standards |
2026-07-16 16:22:15 +02:00 | Kenneth | No I do not | General / All Grades (Overall Concerns) | |
2026-07-15 17:12:53 +02:00 | Liza | No I do not | Other | 1. General Stance I strongly object to the Draft New History Curriculum in its current form. While the Department of Basic Education states there are "no preconceived outcomes," the framework as presented risks alienating specific South African communities. I am deeply concerned that my culture and history will not be represented accurately, fairly, or at all under this proposed policy. 2. Key Objections Exclusion of Minority and Local Histories: By heavily shifting the focus to specific ancient African kingdoms (such as Mali and Ethiopia), the curriculum risks neglecting the diverse, localized histories and cultures of all demographic groups within South Africa. Risk of Historical Inaccuracy: Relying on new, unstandardized methods like oral history without rigorous, universally accepted safeguards introduces high subjectivity. This opens the door for specific cultural histories to be distorted, misconstrued, or entirely erased based on who is capturing the narrative. Lack of Proportional Representation: A national curriculum must reflect all its citizens. This draft fails to guarantee that smaller or historically distinct cultural groups will receive equitable and respectful coverage. 3. Direct Recommendations Mandate Cultural Inclusivity: The DBE must explicitly include a diverse, balanced registry of South African cultural histories across all grade bands so no community is left out. Strict Fact-Checking Protocols: Establish rigorous, transparent oversight committees involving independent historians from all cultural backgrounds to verify curriculum content. Localised History Modules: Allow schools or provinces the flexibility to teach localized cultural history modules, ensuring minority voices are preserved and taught accurately. |
2026-07-15 09:53:42 +02:00 | Mike | No I do not | General / All Grades (Overall Concerns) | |
2026-07-14 08:13:50 +02:00 | Thys | No I do not | General / All Grades (Overall Concerns) | White history matters just as much. |
2026-07-13 05:48:42 +02:00 | Johannes | No I do not | Other | The method of interpreting history opens it up to push a false narrative. |
2026-07-12 23:00:01 +02:00 | Pieter | No I do not | General / All Grades (Overall Concerns) | |
2026-07-12 15:17:23 +02:00 | D | No I do not | General / All Grades (Overall Concerns) | Listen to tertiary level academics’ concerns. There is a real risk of institutionally embedded imbalance. Here’s a thought. Learner’s only have to achieve 40% skill level in their home language and 30% in other subjects to pass and we are discussing a key curriculum component - objective critical thinking??? |
2026-07-09 20:28:30 +02:00 | Willem | No I do not | General / All Grades (Overall Concerns) | |
2026-07-09 07:07:16 +02:00 | Annie | No I do not | General / All Grades (Overall Concerns) | |
2026-07-08 23:08:53 +02:00 | G | No I do not | General / All Grades (Overall Concerns) | History always belongs to those who record it. I believe that all facts need to be presented as recorded by all parties and presented from each account. The students can then make up their minds. |
2026-07-07 08:16:32 +02:00 | Ursula | Not fully | General / All Grades (Overall Concerns) | I don't think our teachers have sufficient knowledge to teach the subject. This is because when I took history I remember a teacher teaching history by us reading the bible particularly Acts. Another teacher just gave us reams of dictation around World War 1 and 2. I don't think the practice has changed |
2026-07-07 08:16:31 +02:00 | Ursula | Not fully | General / All Grades (Overall Concerns) | I don't think our teachers have sufficient knowledge to teach the subject. This is because when I took history I remember a teacher teaching history by us reading the bible particularly Acts. Another teacher just gave us reams of dictation around World War 1 and 2. I don't think the practice has changed |
2026-07-03 11:05:46 +02:00 | Ian | Not fully | Other | Under white control RSA was the industrial powerhouse of Africa, this should not be understated. Apartheid was wrong but ending it transferred power from the minority white population to a select cabal of "comrades" who have done their best to loot the public coffers for their own self enrichment. In order to educate the young people and allow them to understand and critically evaluate what has happened since Mandela became president there needs to be balanced teaching. |
2026-07-03 11:02:22 +02:00 | Vin | Yes I do | General / All Grades (Overall Concerns) | • Use decolonial authors and more specifically, African centric authors and African authors to compile the base material for the curriculum. The curriculum doesnt just need to be decolonised, it needs to be told and shared and learned from the perspective of Native people. • Also include eradicated African nations and cities, eg, Benin (Nigeria, West Coast), Library of Alexandria, Mali’s universities and share the equivalent time lines of African Nations and what they were doing vs European nations and what they were doing/ where they were. • Ethiopian connection to Judaism and Christianity • Christianity as a tool of colonialism • Historical African Gold and precious metal mining and trading • African pyramids in Sudan • African colonies setted elsewhere, eg Gujerat, India that has a thriving Indo-African Stress the ancient connections that African nations had as seafareres too, and that Africans were welcomed in other areas eg along the east coast of India (Gujerat sindhis after becoming shipwrecked and another colony in Kerala area). • How African architecture, building materials and techniques are now being touted as economic and eco-centric. • Our curriculum must also include that our history is still being gate kept in Colonial museums and private collections around the world to showcase that some of our most precious artefacts and accounts still exist elsewhere and bring up discussions on repatriation • Forced and voluntary removal and migration of Africans and the conditions which they lived under slavery (eg Occupied Turtle Island) and how Bladk African ancestors also prospered in their new lands (eg Black Wall Street, hundreds of highly successful Black American plantations and communities and towns and also what happened to them (eradicated), and that they were built back, time and again. • Instances that show Black African excellence, even abroad, after Black folks were somewhat liberated, such as Black African American economies and how they didn’t crash during the great depression, how Black African Americans circulated monies in their communities and prospered because their commitment was to Ubuntu. • Empathy studies should be a huge part of history. Especially in South Africa where the very real generational (inter and intra) trauma from apartheid and colonisation is still very alive. Somatics and empathy needs to be included. Somatics- what is your body feeling when reading and studying this, Empathy is can I identify with my perspective and the other persons perspective. This is the way to create an embodied history curriculum that could lead to greater historical and African literacy, not just “education” in African history. • If history is an elective at grades 10 through 12, the information and subjects can at last be represented pictorially on world maps to the younger grades, so that there is awareness generated of how connected and central to the world, the continent of Africa has been. • What Africa might have looked like with African intersectionality rather than colonial intersectionality and that our Nations were once one rather than divided • Stressing the importance of the environmental impacts of colonialism (because it was a system of extraction) – eg Cape Town would be a forest if the Dutch had not cut down the trees to feed the demand in their motherland • Sharing the importance of communities and nations who were divided by the borders drawn during colonialism. What has happened to them since through time. And taking time to mourn the effects, in community, in class. • Where and how the borders were drawn (no African Kings or leaders at the table). • How extraction from Africa built “the great world economies” and how this is still continuing (eg France’s exit from West Africa/Sahel and introduction into East Africa (Kenya). • The continued extraction and destabilisation of Africa (eg Lubumba, Sankara, Traore, etc) and installation of western-aligned leaders rather than African-centred leaders • The focus on oral history and traditions could be exemplified by bringing in elders from the community or sharing videos of elders’ accounts (should they be deceased). • How African people knew their environment (eg local plants and trees and herbs, etc) and were intimately connected to it (farming and agriculture is a rich African history perspective not only limited to colonial settlers), rather than practising extraction. • African and other melanated folks, even though they figured things out or used systems and concepts before Europeans “discovered or invented” them, they are still attributed to Western folk (eg Pythagoras, Victoria Falls, astronomy, etc). |
2026-07-02 15:39:22 +02:00 | Susanna | No I do not | General / All Grades (Overall Concerns) |
Supporters of the draft proposals generally focus on the need for social transformation and a more representative narrative of human history.
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- Correcting Historical Bias:
Supporters argue that the current curriculum remains too focused on Eurocentric frameworks and the “achievements of white people,” leaving the vast and rich history of Africa marginalized. - Recovering Silenced Voices:
By intentionally including oral history and archaeology, the new curriculum can recover the experiences of groups whose history was never recorded in traditional colonial archives, such as women and the working class. - Developing Critical Thinkers:
The shift from “rote and uncritical learning” to an enquiry-based model is seen as a way to equip students with the analytical tools to identify bias, propaganda, and ideology in any historical source. - A Broader Worldview:
Supporters point out that “African-centred” does not mean “only Africa”; it means viewing the entire world (including the Americas, Asia, and Europe) from an African vantage point to foster a global consciousness.
- Correcting Historical Bias:
Opponents and concerned groups often raise questions regarding the balance, reliability, and potential for ideological framing in the new draft.
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- Concerns over Omissions:
Many groups are concerned that by shifting the focus so heavily toward ancient African civilizations, essential elements of world history or modern South African history (such as the full scope of the Boer Republics or the Renaissance) may be under-emphasized or omitted. - Reliability of Evidence:
Critics have questioned whether relying on “memory” and oral traditions is as academically rigorous as using written records, raising concerns that this could lead to a less objective teaching of facts. - Content Overload:
There is a recurring concern among educators that the curriculum is already overburdened. Adding deep dives into archaeology and complex ancient civilizations may make it difficult for teachers to cover the necessary material in the allocated time. - Ideological Risks:
Some argue that a curriculum focused on “social transformation” risks becoming a tool for political or social engineering, rather than a neutral, academic pursuit of the past.
- Concerns over Omissions: