Drum Magazine social history photographs, South Africa edition 902

The Shut-down On African Education – Nelson Mandela outside the Bantu Education Building – A Black cloud is sweeping over African education today. There is a pincer movement closing in on centers of learning. In primary schools that unfortunate Bantu Education Act has arrived! Masses of parents, under the banner of the African National Congress, particularly on the Reef, went on boycott from the fatal day of April 1 by withdrawing their children from schools. And the Governments reply? numbers of children who did not turn up for school by and on April 25 have been banned from schooling anywhere in the Union. As a result, of a total number of 6,948 pupils coming under this ban, 116 teachers in all have been served with a month's notice to leave school. The school-going population outside school has thus been increased immensely. Banned pupils, sacked teachers, half-empty classes.