As we commemorate Day of the African Child!
Today, June 16th 2021, marks a dark day in the history of the liberation movement of Black Africans in Soweto, South Africa; the day in 1976, when white gunmen opened fire on thousands of black children agitating for better education and equal rights in Apartheid South Africa, killing hundreds of them, including 12-year old Hector Peterson.
In 1991 of the same date, the day was declared as the Day of the African Child, observed every year since then. May their innocent souls Rest in Perfect Peace!
We commemorate this day with a heavy heart of grief and wish to raise awareness on the brutal massacre of black children in cold by the security forces of the Apartheid regime. The children were protesting against the segregated and poor quality of their education system.
We are calling on all Africans around the world to remember our fallen heroes with honour, respect and prayers. But more importantly, we want to encourage our Government in particular and African Governments in general to improve the systems of education in fulfillment of the aspirations of the two weeks of uprising in Soweto.
But as we do so, we would like to draw the attention of the our Government, particularly the Minister of Basic Education, Dr. Moinina David Sengeh, to swiftly intervene and change the narrative of the wrong thinking and awkward pattern of activities organized and conducted by Primary School administrators and teachers across the country, in the name of marking this gloomy day.
It should dawn in them that far from being a day for celebration, it is a day for reflection and awareness-raising; children should be told and shown the sad story of their peers who paid the dear price of shedding blood for quality education and equality.
It is irritating and rather annoying for school teachers to see this day as an opportunity to make money by taxing parents to fund odd activities such as parties and picnics; and demanding that school children are clad in so-called African attire, thereby putting parents under pressure of purchasing such attire.
We strongly detest this thinking and behaviour; therefore, we wish to urge the powers that be to take appropriate measures in diffusing this wrong way of doing things. The Government should engage with school administration to better tailor more educative and informative activities to mark June 16th.
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