Including language includes people

I was not expecting her tears, in fact, I admit, I was a little taken aback. However, I could see that these were not sad tears. Rather, though there had been sadness, now something else was birthing these tears. It was the emotion due to being acknowledged, being heard and being honoured. I was meeting with Nomamela Sijila, the PNPS isiXhosa teacher, to find out more about how isiXhosa had been included in this year’s poetry competition, and her tears were not for herself, but rather they were her response to the inclusion of her mother tongue.

Nelson Mandela said, “If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart”. As Nomamela explained the gradual embracing of isiXhosa by PNPS, I came to see how this wasn’t just a journey about the academic learning of a language, but this was a journey of the recognition of a culture and a people into the school space.

Gender equality works for all our children

“You’ve heard the story of Dr James Barry, haven’t you?” asked Ann enthusiastically, whilst explaining the various ways teachers can create opportunities for children to engage with the idea of gender equality. I had to confess to Ann that I had not but made a mental note to read up about it.

I am glad I did as it is a most remarkable story about a young Irish woman who pretended to be a man so that she could study medicine. This took place in the early 1800s when only males could enter the medical profession. She graduated as a doctor and went on to serve as a military surgeon in South Africa and other parts of the world. Wikipedia explains that she “not only improved conditions for wounded soldiers, but also the conditions of the native inhabitants, and performed the first Caesarean section in Africa by an Irish surgeon in which both the mother and child survived the operation”. She rose to the rank of Inspector General before retiring. It was only after her death that it was revealed that she was in fact a woman.

Gender equality at PNPS

Ann explains that stories like this provide a starting point for conversations with children about whether one’s gender should in any way dictate what you may achieve. The absurdity of Dr Barry’s story also motivates Ann to ensure that no child at PNPS is in any way limited by the straitjacket of gender stereotypes.