From the chanting, fiery, flying rocks and boisterous voices of thousands of university students who again protested feverishly for free education under the #FeesMustFall banner, to the brutal deaths of pupils stabbed on school grounds in KwaZulu-Natal, 2016 has been a bloody year for education.
It has been one full of challenges - within both the higher education and the basic education sectors - and in the new year challenging times may still lie ahead.
The perceived “threat” of #FeesMustFall campaign looms large, with all eyes on what the Presidential Fee Commission comes up with.
But before examining the universities, let’s look at schools in the province, particularly in rural schools, which are facing increasing incidences of violence spilling over from faction fighting in the communities.
MATRIC RESULTS 2016
A 10percent plunge in the matric results is not the kind of start to the year former Education MEC Peggy Nkonyeni dreamt of, but that is what she got - a 60.7percent pass rate for KZN while the national pass rate slumped 5.3percent to 70.7percent last year.
Nkonyeni was fired six months later and replaced by Mthandeni Dlungwane.
The new incumbent is hoping for a 70percent pass rate for the class of 2016, and it may be possible, given that for the first time a group of struggling pupils will be allowed to write their matric year over two years in November and May. The move, which was met with some resistance, will see the pupils who did not write all their exams last year unaccounted for in the pass rate until they sit the rest in May.
The Department of Education also lost its head Dr Nkosinathi Sishi, and Dr Enoch Nzama took the helm. Sishi commented after the release of the poor results last year: “Those of us in the leadership of education must take accountability for the results. It is not meaningful to have subjects that will take you to unemployment,” he said.
Nzama and Dlungwane both strongly believe 70percent is attainable, and according to Nzama, matric results have improved term-on-term since March.
MATHS: the 20% SAGA
An uproar erupted over the Department of Basic Education’s announcement it would let schools pass pupils who achieved 20percent in maths in Grades 7, 8 and 9. The pass mark for maths in the Caps curriculum is 40percent. Under it, maths and two languages are compulsory pass subjects, but the department succumbed to principals who protested that pupils could not pass.
“It has been shown that grade repetition could lead to increased school drop-outs, truancy and have other adverse effects. While the policy is under review, a decision was taken to allow all who passed all subjects but did not meet the 40percent mathematics requirement to progress to the next grade - if they obtained more than 20percent in mathematics,” department spokesman Elijah Mhlanga said last month.
The decision applied only to last year’s Grades 7 to 9, so the maths pass mark remains 40percent until the Caps policy is amended.
VIOLENCE
From young girls slapping each other in the bathrooms to fatal stabbings and brawls, school safety was a primary issue in schools last year.
The Congress of SA Students (Cosas) has led the call for schools to be fenced off and protected by guards. It went as far as to say schools should be manned by well-armed and trained guards because criminals are not afraid of them.
Cosas KZN chairman Siya Phakathi said: “We will not say they must guard with just a isagila (knobkierie), the department must have its own force able to use firearms.
“It’s important that criminals do not target schools because they are afraid of guns,” he said.
This came as university students in campuses countrywide were complaining about police brutality and excessive force used on students during the protests.
A Grade 11 pupil, Ntandoyenkosi Manyoni, was stabbed to death at the Vukuzakhe High School in Umlazi by a Grade 9 pupil, who was reportedly drunk, during a dispute over a girl. The school had been hosting an inter-school sports day.
The matter is before the courts.
This is just one from many reported incidents last year as Dlungwane discovered on his first visit in eFolweni a week after becoming MEC.
“We send our children to school to have an education, not to be killed,” said parent Blessing Khomo at the time.
“We need safety at our schools. We send them to school to get a better education .”
#FEESMUSTFALL
For almost two months, students protested for free education at the universities of Cape Town, KwaZulu-Natal and Wits, among others.
It was the second year in which students marched under the #FeesMustFall banner, but the fee protests this year were marked by more violence and anarchy, with several buildings and, in some cases, libraries and exam venues torched.
DUT, UKZN and UniZulu were all up in flames at some point - although the upheaval at UniZulu was largely labour-related.
Across the country, Wits seemed to lead the charge, with buses torched in the streets of Braamfontein and shops looted.
Passing cars were pelted with rocks and stoned along the busy Alan Paton Drive in Pietermaritzburg when cops and students clashed.
It seemed more was at play than just fees. Police and private guards found litres of petrol bombs in bins across university campuses.
President Jacob Zuma instituted the Fees Commission of Inquiry to establish if free education was feasible. The commission is expected to complete its work in the new year.
BONGINKOSI KHANYILE
It was said the man dubbed the “king” of the #FeesMustFall protest remains the only student behind bars as all who were arrested have been released on bail of up to R7000.
Khanyile, an EFF student leader at DUT, where a student strike lasted two weeks, faces a slew of charges and has been behind bars since September 26 for allegedly assaulting police with rocks, using a slingshot.
He faces charges of incitement to commit public violence, illegal gathering, the possession of dangerous weapons (slingshot), obstructing traffic, causing a nuisance on public roads and possession of explosives (a car tyre).
The student has two other cases to face related to the #EndOutsourcing university worker protests and trespassing for allegedly entering a university residence without permission.
His trial is scheduled to start within the next month for the #FeesMustFall related charges.
The State has submitted video footage to the court depicting Khanyile telling Independent Online he was “proud” students at UKZN had torched a building. In another video, he called on students to “moer the police”.
Courts also heard he had been suspended for two years from MUT for taking part in protests and had been arrested by police in Umlazi.
Khanyile, however, was found to be studying with the aid of a bursary from the Premier’s Office. He had achieved As in all his subjects. Other celebrity protesters included Mcebo Dlamini, the former Wits SRC president who was arrested and denied bail in the lower courts. He was finally granted strict bail conditions.
Khanyile, who was out on bail for breaching his February bail conditions for the matter related to the #EndOutsourcing movement, was found to have breached his earlier bail conditions by magistrate Jackie Jonck in the Durban Magistrate’s Court.
His appeal in the Pietermaritzburg High Court was dismissed recently - he had been denied bail three times.
The EFF has said it would appeal to the Supreme Court of Appeals.
UKZN vs Management
UKZN vice-chancellor Dr Albert van Jaarsveld was accused of racism or “racist tendencies” in a letter signed by seven executives, among them academics John Mubangizi, Cheryl Potgieter, Deo Jaganyi and Renuka Vithal.
Chief finance officer Bulelani Mahlangu, head of student services Sibusiso Chalufu and communications executive Lesiba Seshoka were among those who were angry they had scored poorly in their performance appraisals. A board of inquiry established by the council cleared Van Jaarsveld of the racism allegations and misconduct.