Shakespeare should fall from school curriculum - Professor

[schumi]

Cape Town – The Bard will fall. To be or not to be in the SA schools curriculum is the question that Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga had to answer when asked about the “decolonisation” of the country's education system.

“Therefore, the consideration of the works of Shakespeare is an aspect of the overall literature review process targeted for 2020 and thus concrete work on this shall only begin in 2018,” Motshekga said in reply to a parliamentary question.

“In response to issues raised by the committee on decolonisation, clarification was given of how the curriculum review process since Curriculum 2005 has included the need for transformation,” Motshekga said.

Professor Chris Thurman from the English department at Wits University, who teaches Shakespeare, had said in a previous report that William Shakespeare no longer had relevance for South African children.

“I’m not a school teacher, but it seems to me there is already an element of choice at school level. There are already learners who don’t encounter Shakespeare within the curriculum at high school and that is fine."

More at: http://www.iol.co.za/news/south-afr...ll-from-school-curriculum---professor-8394832

 

[Tman*]

To BEE, or not to BBBEEE

 

[Ninja'd]

Alas, poor Shakespeare! I knew him well.

 

[Jola]

Alas, poor Shakespeare! I knew him well.

 

[Chevron]

Sigh.

I enjoyed Shakespeare in school.

 

[Kosmik]

Bah, I was my hands of this, out damned spot, out!

 

[Garson007]

Shakespeare is timeless. I'm interested in what they will feature as a replacement.

 

[ScottulusMaximus]

Sigh.

I enjoyed Shakespeare in school.

I hated it, never understood why we had to read a play. Watching it performed is great but reading it(the plays) is crap.

 

[Dan C]

Alas, poor Shakespeare! I knew him well.

I know Shakespears Sister

 

[blunomore]

Shakespeare is timeless. I'm interested in what they will feature as a replacement.

Heaven only knows.

Shakespeare's works are classics. He was a master and he had a huge influence on the English language. He even created new words, FFS.

I am just glad my child is not in a govt school.

 

[Kosmik]

I know Shakespears Sister

Stay!

 

[Kosmik]

I hated it, never understood why we had to read a play. Watching it performed is great but reading it(the plays) is crap.

Our school encouraged us to watch the play or a good film on it. Yes from a language perspective, it was highly important but the actions and settings gave huge context to the words too.

 

[konfab]

That is a shame TBH. Shakespeare is about the closest thing a South African school student would get to philosophy.

 

[Compton_effect]

Shakespeare - it either makes you a better man, or bores you to tears.

 

[Rickster]

Shakespeare - it either makes you a better man, or bores you to tears.

Latter for me, found it an absolute chore to read and understand.

 

[Jola]

Our school encouraged us to watch the play or a good film on it. Yes from a language perspective, it was highly important but the actions and settings gave huge context to the words too.

Do you really understand English if you haven't been exposed to Shakespeare ?

 

[Garson007]

Latter for me, found it an absolute chore to read and understand.

It's the way it is taught. Overly convoluted.

 

[Ninja'd]

I did Afrikaans 1st Language and matriculated in 2004 and was never exposed to Shakespeare in school.

I had to suffer through Kringe in n Bos and Periandros.

 

[Solarion]

Replace Shakespeare with this. Perfect book for students.

 

[blunomore]

Do you really understand English if you haven't been exposed to Shakespeare ?

So true.

And don't forget - Shakespeare's themes! His powerful characters! The lines we quote to this day! He created new English words!