In a country such as South Africa, where the percentage of black citizens (76.4%) is far greater than the percentage of white citizens (9.1%), its hard to imagine that many black South Africans aren't granted the same educational opportunities as white South Africans. Unfortunately, this is true. At the University of Cape Town, students are experiencing this first hand. An article written by Norimitsu Onishi for The New York Times we hear the story of Ramabina Mahapa, a 23 year old student. Mahapa is from a village of only black South Africans and graduated first in his high school class. He expresses that it was only when he began attending the University of Cape Town that he noticed his the color of his skin and how it reflected the level of education he had received up to that point. Black South African students occupy only 24% of the entire student body and only 5% of the university's faculty is black. Black students ranked at the bottom of all test scores and 1 in 15 of all students who own cars on campus are black. Rallies and protests are taking place so the cries of students to decolonize the campus will be heard.
Lindokuhle Patiwe, student at The University of Cape Town, grew up in a poor township outside Cape Town. [
Credit Joao Silva/The New York Times ]
Original Times Article - http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/09/world/africa/student-protests-in-south-africa-highlight-dissatisfaction-with-pace-of-change.html?ref=world&_r=0
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