International Day of the African Child

June 16th is the International Day of the African Child

I was just listening to a CBC report on the status of education in South Africa.
This program was particularly relevant because it brought up the 1976 Soweto uprising.
Schoolchildren protesting for their right to equal education were shot at by police officers.

At the time, the apartheid government established a school system that discriminated against all black students. Learning was made less accessible through the Afrikaans Medium Decree of 1974 which stated that lessons would be split between Afrikaans and English. Indigenous languages were excluded, except for physical, religious and musical instruction.

Imagine being a 7th grader and suddenly being told that you were no longer allowed to learn mathematics, socials studies and science in your own language! Students were required to learn in a language that was unfamiliar for many and oppressive for all.

The original Soweto rioting led to weeks of protesting that resulted in hundreds of deaths and thousands of injuries. Although it took nearly 20 more years for national change, this event inspired the internationally recognized day of the African Child initiated by the Organization of African Unity in 1991.

The theme this year is “Right to Participation: Let Children be Seen and Heard”.