Last week, we witnessed the usual annual spectacle of the Minister of Basic Education, Angie Motshekga, announcing the 2022 matriculation results.
It was fascinating to hear everyone waxing lyrical about the top students, schools, and provinces as we celebrated what US educationalist Fredrik de Boer aptly refers to as the “cult of smart”, the idea that academic value is the only value, and intelligence is the only true measure of human worth.
The media bombarded us with pictures of students who, against all odds, had managed to get…
