Education now and education then

Different scenarios prove how our educational system has evolved since 1980.

Scenario 1: Piet and Jan are involved in a fistfight at school.

1980: A group of boys forms a circle around the two fighting boys, cheering them on. After the fight, the two bloodied boys shake hands and the next day they are close buddies again.

2012: The police are called in and they arrest Piet and Jan. All cell phones and videos of the fight are confiscated as evidence. Both are charged with assault. Both are expelled from school. The boys who witnessed the fight undergo trauma counselling. The video of the fight is available on YouTube.

Scenario 2: Piet is a nuisance in class. He cannot sit still and talks continuously.

1980: Piet gets a good spanking. He still can’t sit still because his backside is now on fire. But he gets a grip on himself, completes matric and becomes a successful businessman.

2012: Piet is placed on Ritalin because he is diagnosed with attention deficit disorder. Piet starts to lag behind with his schoolwork and becomes a virtual zombie. He drops out of school in grade 8 and becomes a drug addict and a bum.

Scenario 3: Jan shatters a neighbour’s window with a rock.

1980: Jan gets a good hiding and must work in the neighbour’s garden for a week.

2012: Jan gets a good hiding. His father is charged with child abuse. Jan is placed in foster care. The psychologist convinces Jan’s sister that her father sexually molested her when she was young and he goes to jail. Jan’s mother and father get divorced because his mother has an affair with the psychologist.

Scenario 4: Piet falls on the playground and skins his knee. His teacher dries his tears, puts a bandage on the knee and gives him a hug.

1980: Piet feels better and runs around again.

2012: Piet’s teacher gets arrested for child molestation and is diagnosed as a paedophile. She loses her job and gets a suspended sentence. Piet undergoes therapy for more than five years.

Scenario 5: Jan blows up an anthill with fireworks.

1980: Jan gets a hiding. No more anthill, but everybody is relieved because he solved their problem with the ants.

2012: The help of the secret service and animal protection society are called in and Jan is charged with terrorism and cruelty to animals. His parents are put under surveillance. Their computers are confiscated and Jan father’s name is placed on a list of terrorists and he loses his job.