Youth Day – an important history lesson
RANDPARK RIDGE - In classrooms around South Africa, the message of June 16 is still a lesson learned by pupils.
Youth Day is still remembered and commemorated by those who were part of the June 16 Soweto uprising in 1976, those who were affected by its result years later and now, in classrooms across the country.
At Rand Park High School, Youth Day is one of the most important teaching points, said Lisa Palmer, who heads up the history department and who is the grade 10 tutor.
“It represents the turning point in the struggle against Apartheid. It was the climax of the youth embracing Steve Biko’s Black Consciousness Movement and their need to cast off the inferiority complex that Apartheid and Bantu Education aimed to instil. This day became the breaking point of accepting violence against the children of our country. It mobilised the youth and their parents to increase resistance to such a degree that it spelt the end of the Apartheid regime,” Palmer said.
On June 16, hundreds of pupils in Soweto protested against Afrikaans being used as a compulsory language of instruction in schools. This, 40 years ago, led to the deaths of numerous pupils after police moved into Soweto.
According to Palmer the following quote from a survivor sums up how violence against children no longer became accepted: “How do you reply to a demand for a book with a bullet?”
Asked on Twitter what makes one proud of being a young person in South Africa, some were proud to be part of a diverse country, while others felt there is still a long way to go.
https://twitter.com/PrincessTNdaman/status/742861841278337024
https://twitter.com/CallMeVoto/status/742860095567040513
Other comments referred to the #FeesMustFall movement, initiated by students. Their protest was a response to the increase of tertiary education fees.
At Rand Park High School, pupils are reminded of the rights and impact the youth of South Africa has.
“The youth have the right to an education that allows access to opportunity. They are the most powerful resistance group as they have minimal responsibilities and masses of energy and have a responsibility to the youth of [the Soweto Uprising] to honour them for giving their lives so that we may all share in this education,” Palmer said.
Details: Randpark High School, 011 793 1246.
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