Riaan Iningi labantu baseMelika alazi ukuthi yimaphi amazwe i-United States walwa eMpini Yezwe II noma lapho uMthethosisekelo wase-US wamukelwa. Ngikufisela inhlanhla khomba e-Ukraine ebalazweni, kancane kancane Belarus. Babuke bagqolozele bengenalutho uma ubuza ukuthi ubani obamele esishayamthetho sezwe noma imaphi amalungelo avikelwe ngeSichibiyelo soku-1.
Akukho okusha ikakhulukazi ngalokhu. Kusukela ngo-April 4, 1943, i-New York Times yabika ikhasi layo lokuqala ukuthi izifundiswa zasekolishi ezweni lonke zabonisa “ukungabi nalwazi okuphawulekayo ngisho nezici eziyisisekelo zomlando wase-United States.” Phakathi kokunye, leli phephandaba libike ukuthi bangu-6% kuphela abangabiza izifundazwe zokuqala ezingu-13.
Kodwa isimo sibonakala siba sibi kakhulu, hhayi kangcono. Phakathi kuka-2012 no-2019, inani labafundi abenza izifundo ezinkulu emlandweni emakolishi ezweni lonke lehle cishe ngengxenye yesithathu. Ngasekuqaleni kwale nyanga, uMnyango Wezemfundo wase-US ubike a ukwehla okukhulu kolwazi lwabafundi abancane yomlando wase-US kanye nokwehla okungabalulekile kangako kodwa okusakhathazayo olwazini lomphakathi futhi.
I-Opinion Columnist
Nicholas Goldberg
U-Nicholas Goldberg usebenze iminyaka engu-11 njengomhleli wekhasi lokuhlela futhi ungumhleli wangaphambili wekhasi le-Op-Ed kanye nesigaba Sombono WangeSonto.
Bangu-13% kuphela abafundi bebanga lesishiyagalombili abathathwa “njengabanolwazi” emlandweni, ngokusekelwe ku-National Assessment of Educational Progress, ukuhlolwa ngezinye izikhathi okubizwa ngokuthi “ikhadi lombiko laseMelika.” Bangama-22% kuphela abatholakale benolwazi kwezomphakathi.
“Indaba ekhathaza izwe lonke,” kusho uPeggy Carr, ukhomishani Wesikhungo Sikazwelonke Sezibalo Zemfundo, ingxenye yoMnyango Wezemfundo wase-US. “Baningi kakhulu abafundi bethu abadonsa kanzima … ukuqonda nokuchaza ukubaluleka kokubamba iqhaza komphakathi, ukuthi uhulumeni waseMelika usebenza kanjani kanye nokubaluleka komlando kwezehlakalo.”
Abanye abantu abacabangi ukuthi kubalulekile. Bakholelwa ukuthi i-civics ayidingeki futhi umlando uyisihloko sombhoshongo wezinyo lendlovu ezihlokweni zenqubomgomo ezihlotshiswe ngamakhanda kanye nezifundiswa ezibukwayo. Impela lokho izingane zethu ezikudingayo esikoleni esiphakeme nasekolishi, bathi, akuzona izifundo ezingabonakali emaqinisweni angavamile, kodwa amakhono azowabeka endleleni eya emisebenzini nasekukhiqizeni. Ake sizwe nge-accounting! Isayensi yekhompyutha! Ubuhlengikazi! Ukuphatha ukuhlinzeka! Ilapho imfundo iya khona, cha?
Ngethemba ngokuphelele nangokugcizelela ukuthi ngeke. Umlando ubalulekile, kanjalo nokuqonda ngohulumeni wethu nokuthi usebenza kanjani. Ikakhulukazi ezikhathini ezifana nalezi. Siyizwe elikhula ngokwehlukana emhlabeni owandayo womhlaba wonke – futhi kunabantu abanolwazi nababambe iqhaza kuphela abangasebenza intando yeningi efana neyethu.
Vele abantu baseMelika bangaxolelwa ngokuphonsa izandla ngenxa yokukhungatheka njengoba umlando, ezomphakathi kanye nezifundo zezenhlalo sezihlonyiswe ngezimpi zamasiko, nosopolitiki abazithandayo begila izimanga ukuze balawule lokho izingane zethu ezikufundayo.
UMongameli uTrump wayemubi kakhulu futhi, ngokumangazayo, enciphisa kakhulu izigebengu. Njengomongameli wakha a 1776 ikhomishini ukulwa nama-radicals kanye nama-socialists ugcizelela ukuthi baphathe izikole zethu. Wathi izingane zethu zifundiswa “uxhaxha lwamanga olusontekile” nge-United States lapho “abesilisa nabesifazane abayakha bengewona amaqhawe, kodwa babeyizixhwanguxhwangu.” Ufuna izikole zifundise “iqiniso elimangalisayo ngezwe lethu.”
Lokho akuwona umlando; yinkulumo-ze leyo.
UGov. waseFlorida uRon DeSantis, ngakolunye uhlangothi, unethemba lokuwina amavoti ayinhloko eRiphabhulikhi ngokubhebhethekisa nokwandisa ukuhlukana kwezimpi zamasiko. Yingakho esayine imithetho eyahlukene “ephikisana nokuvuka” evimbela ukufundiswa kobulili kanye nokuthambekela kobulili kanye ukuvimbela izifundo lokho kungase kwenze abantu bohlanga oluthile – fundeka kanje: abantu abamhlophe – bazizwe benecala noma bangakhululeki ngezenzo ezathathwa ngamalungu ohlanga lwabo esikhathini esidlule.
Lokho akuwona umlando; ipolitiki leyo.
Ama-Conservatives akhononda, okwamanje, ukuthi yi- kwesokunxele lokho kuletha ukuchema kwayo ezikoleni nasemakolishi e-K-12. Isibonelo esisodwa esiyintandokazi yikharikhulamu ehlongozwayo yezifundo zobuzwe e-California bona, nabanye, abayithola inemibono embalwa, igcwele i-jargon, imelene nonxiwankulu futhi ngokuvamile inepolitiki. (Selokhu yabhalwa kabusha.)
Kodwa uma ngibeka eceleni okwamanje ukuthi ubani okufanele asolwe, nali iphuzu lami: Othisha akufanele bafundise abafundi emakilasini abo ngepolitiki noma yikuphi uhlangothi olulodwa – kwesokudla, kwesokunxele noma maphakathi.
Abafundi kufanele bafunde ngezingxoxo kanye nezinkulumo-mpikiswano, futhi bethulwe ekuchazeni okushayisanayo kanye nemibono eqhudelanayo ebekela inselele imibono yabo abakade benayo.
Ingabe uThomas Jefferson wayengumsunguli omkhulu wentando yeningi kanye nesikhulu sombuso nakuba ayeyisigqila – futhi ingabe leyo mibono ingavunyelaniswa? Ingabe i-United States iyintando yeningi enkulu kunazo zonke futhi enamandla kunazo zonke emhlabeni noma ingabe intando yeningi lapha ekusekelweni kwempilo?
Kungani sinezithombe eziningi kangaka ku-Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee uma iNingizimu ilahlekelwa iMpi Yombango? Ingabe iMpi Yezwe I kanye neMpi Yezwe II yenza icala lokuzihlukanisa noma ukuzibandakanya? Kusukela ekusungulweni kwezwe, ubani osebenze kangcono: abashisekeli bezinguquko noma ama-radicals? Ingabe ama-Black Panthers ayengabalweli benkululeko abangamaqhawe noma ontamolukhuni abahlohla izibhamu?
Ngazo zonke izindlela, ngenisa abafundi emsebenzini wosomlando abalandela imithetho esemthethweni, izazi-mlando ezikhululekile kanye nosomlando abakhulu. Abahlaziyi kanye nabaphikisayo. Ama-boosters nabagxeki.
Ngasiphi isiphetho? Hhayi ukubenza bakholelwe ukuthi umbono owodwa ulungile (noma ukubafaka amaqiniso akhungathekisa ingqondo), kodwa ukubafundisa amakhono okucabanga okujulile azobasiza ukuba balwe indlela yabo ukuze bafinyelele eziphethweni zabo ezinolwazi. Ukubasiza benqabe ukufiphala okulula, okuqhutshwa yimibono ukuze bavune inkimbinkimbi, ukungaqondakali nokuhlukahluka.
I-United States isesimweni esibucayi. Ukhetho luvutha amalangabi, amalungelo okuvota asengozini, ukuvinjelwa kwezincwadi kuyasabalala, iNkantolo Ephakeme ilahlekelwa ukwethembeka futhi kusaqhubeka ukubalwa okusha mayelana nobudlelwane bobuhlanga. Izwe lihlukene phakathi, ukuguquguquka kwesimo sezulu kuncipha futhi abantu baseMelika nhlangothi zonke baphelelwa ithemba kuhulumeni.
Manje yilapho sidinga khona izakhamuzi eziqondayo ukuthi kwenzekani eduze kwazo futhi ezinomongo kanye nohlaka lokubuka izwe, imigomo yalo, impumelelo nokwehluleka kwalo, kanye nendawo yalo emhlabeni. Umlando kanye nomphakathi ngezinye izikhathi kungase kubonakale kungabonakali futhi kungenamsebenzi, kodwa kunendaba.
