A dream lay dying

Times columnist and editorial board member Bill Maxwell kept a promise to himself, to become a professor at a small historically black college, to nurture needy students the way that mentors had encouraged him as a young man. His second year started with promise but ended in despair.

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Sneeky said:

Sad indeed.

Not to detract from the topic tibby but I think this local issue is relevant, the Khutsong student boycott.

I would like to understand why and how this is allowed to happen.
What I currently understand is that the kids, or the parents, or both are protesting against being incorporated into the NW province.
The protest includes just not going to school amongst other things.

My first question is how is this tolerated by the institutions that control education in SA and secondly what parent in their right mind takes action that directly negatively impacts on the development of their children? There must be other ways to resolve issues like this.

The only true empowerment comes through education, the rest is all secondary and short term, so how this is believed to be beneficial by the supporters of this action is mind numbing.

To me it looks like a bunch of disrespectful and ungrateful youth running amok quite prepared to do anything except go to school and get stuck in.
Maybe I have it wrong though.

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edc said:

Anyway, an all black educational institute, is a bit racist.

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"Why do they do this to their own buildings?" a white firefighter asked me.

I went inside the dorm to see the damage. Students had stuffed trash cans with paper and fabric and set them on fire. The smoke damage was enormous. The walls were blackened, the windows were smudged and the pungent smell of smoke lingered and stuck to everything.

Even without the fire damage, the place would have looked like a war zone. Holes had been kicked and punched in the walls. Windows were broken, floors were scarred and most of the furniture was damaged. The two dorms routinely underwent major repairs after each semester.

Two of my students, both journalism majors, were desperate to move out of King Hall. The last time I saw them, one had found an apartment and the other was looking for a place he could afford.

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