*YCLSA Northern Cape Press Statement* * *
October 9, 2013 ***YCLSA Statement on matric dances* **The Young Communist League of South Africa [uFasimba] in the Northern Cape has observed a disturbing drift in our schooling environment which has a huge societal implication for our parents. This we have also picked up when we were implementing our Right to Learn, Making Education Fashionable, and Knowledge Adorable campaign. The social location of young people and the pressures it reproduces especially for learners has made them to demand expensive garments for their matric farewell putting pressure on the working class and poor families who are exceedingly indebted. That is why as the YCLSA we of the view that matric farewell should also not be elevated as a far important component of their schooling but rather it should (from now on) form part of the education curriculum where those who can afford (more debt or privileged) and those who cannot (poor and excluded) cannot be distinguished. As the YCLSA we are fully conscious that matric presents the opportunity to enter into a whole new terrain of opportunities and new forms struggles after school that is why for us it (matric) should be preparing learners for the world that awaits them. The YCLSA wants the Department of Education to standardize the Matric farewells as part of the educational program, compelling every matriculant to form part of these matric farewells regardless of their socio-economic conditions and make common garments which the School can own and use every year for the farewell function. The YCLSA would like to put more emphasis to all matriculants that it’s not what you wear that defines what you represent, but the content of your character in school and society at large. However, we are not oblivious to the fact that a lot more needs to be done in order to improve the schooling system in our country. These realities are also, unfortunately, a reflection of the reality that mainly confronts education for the majority. It reflects the imbalanced pattern of our education system, and the need for our government to urgently deal with the issue of the norms and standards for education and schools once and for all in order to ensure that we invest resources to urgently alter this skewed practice. Our struggle for a free and better education should encapsulate a learner to participating in the education system without prejudice. As learners are embarking on their last term of schooling for this year and matriculants in particular, we wish them all good luck with their exams. We are requesting parents to be pillars of strength during this period for their children, as they (parents) expect only the best from them (learners), it is important that parents also acknowledge that learners are also only human and that there is no end in learning only a beginning. Issued by YCLSA Northern Cape For more information contact: Lebo Olyn YCLSA Northern Cape Spokesperson Cell: 079 527 5862 -- -- You are subscribed. This footer can help you. Please POST your comments to [email protected] or reply to this message. You can visit the group WEB SITE at http://groups.google.com/group/yclsa-eom-forum for different delivery options, pages, files and membership. To UNSUBSCRIBE, please email [email protected] . You don't have to put anything in the "Subject:" field. You don't have to put anything in the message part. All you have to do is to send an e-mail to this address (repeat): [email protected] . --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "YCLSA Discussion Forum" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
