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VOA标准英语2016--南非学生为什么抗议?

时间:2016-11-20 15:35:25

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AS IT IS 2016-11-17 Why Are South African Students Protesting? 南非学生为什么抗议?

Students have been protesting at universities across South Africa for several months.

At some universities, protesters have clashed with police or security officers.

The website Quartz1 Africa reports that more than 500 college students have been arrested since February. A number of schools have temporarily closed or suspended classes.

The protesters have what sounds like a simple, straightforward2 demand: free and quality education for all. Some are also demanding what they call decolonized education: changes to the study program to make the classes less European-centered.

The student movement is being called Fees Must Fall.

Free education is an idea that many people around the world can respect, and that few people in South Africa seriously disagree with.

Yet the protests are showing no sign of stopping since they began a year ago. In recent weeks, protests have spread to most of South Africa’s 26 universities, with clashes between students and police at some of them.

In September, the government announced that universities may raise fees by as much as 8 percent. The announcement fueled the most recent wave of protests. The protests first began last year when the government announced it would increase school fees by 10 to 12 percent. But the government cancelled its decision as a result of the protests.

A presidential spokesman believes there is no reason for students to be concerned about the rising costs. He says the government has promised to pay for the increase for poor students. That is about 75 percent of the student population.

Promises unmet

Twenty years have passed since the end of apartheid, South Africa’s former system of racial separation. Many studies, including a World Bank study in 2014, found that South Africa is one of the most unequal societies in the world. The World Bank study points to education as a means to reduce the differences between rich and poor.

Students are angry that the ruling African National Congress has failed to act on a promise of free education it made in 1994.

Just a few days ago, a report came out describing suspected corruption3 in the administration of President Jacob Zuma, which seems to further strengthen students’ cause.

Fasiha Hassan is a protest leader at University of the Witwatersrand, also known as “Wits,” in Johannesburg. An American reporter from National Public Radio (NPR) recently asked her whether the closings at universities were helping4 the protesters.

“Nobody’s getting an education. How is that in anybody’s interest?” the reporter asked.

Hassan described the reasons that a free university education is so urgent to South African students. She said that many blacks are receiving a poor quality education compared to whites. Because of this, she said, they have trouble gaining acceptance into universities.

Hassan told NPR that, even when a high school student is accepted into a university, the school is unlikely to pay for housing costs.

These struggling students may sleep in libraries and computer centers, Hassan said. Some months, they don’t have money for food. At her university, students launched a program to feed hungry students.

Many students say that the rise in school fees would make it impossible to return to classes next year.

The ends and the means

Protesters have used a number of methods to get their message heard.

For example, at some universities, they marched into classrooms, angering school administrators5, teachers and students.

In October, an official at the University of Cape6 Town said protesters broke windows, forced open doors, and threw waste products into the halls of a university building.

Most of the protests have been peaceful. But students were shot at two months ago at the University of KwaZulu-Natal.

Security officers fired at the students during what appeared to be a peaceful demonstration7. Police then used tear gas as they were deployed8 to student housing and across the campus grounds. That night, the campus’ law library was set on fire.

Some reports say the fire was set to answer abuse by law enforcement, including the rape9 of a female student.

On October 4, hundreds of student protesters marched through Wits singing a protest song, The Guardian10 newspaper reported.

The police fired tear gas, stun11 grenades, and rubber bullets at students. Some protesters threw stones at security guards. Yet, other students offered flowers to police.

At the end of September, Universities South Africa estimated that $44 million in damages have been done to university property.

Jo Seoka is an Anglican bishop12. He marched in an earlier protest at Wits. He said that police officers militarized the campus. The religious leader also said he believed the police were purposely not wearing identification on their uniforms.

The shape of things to come

Presidential spokesman Bongani Ngqulunga believes that students are competing with one another to make bigger demands. He says the problem is that many of the protests are being led by students who are not members of student government.

Filmmaker and social justice activist13 Rehad Desai is more sympathetic. He says that the student movement is still finding its direction and that the protesters are at the beginning stages of building this movement. “And they want to do that on the basis of as much agreement as possible. Now that takes time, to hear all voices and so on,” he said.

The protesters can agree on one thing:

“None of the students that are protesting want to be repeating the year,” said Thabo Boom, a law student and student council member at Wits.

So how do they get out of this situation? Bishop Ziphozihle Siwa is the head of the South African Council of Churches. He says a neutral negotiator is needed.

Siwa says the most important thing is “to calm the situation, get the police out of there and then continue the negotiations14.” But, he adds that the students’ grievances16 started years before they were born -- when the government created a system to separate black and white, rich and poor.

President Zuma has formed a ministerial team to help bring an end to the clashes.

Words in This Story

fee - n. an amount of money that must be paid

library - n. a place where books, magazines, and other materials are available for people to use or borrow

campus - n. the area and buildings around a university, college, school, etc.

stun grenade - n. a non-lethal explosive device used to confuse a person’s sense; it makes a loud sound and a blinding flash of light.

uniform - n. a special kind of clothing that is worn by all the members of a group or organization, such as an army or team

grievance15 - n. a feeling of having been treated unfairly


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点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 quartz gCoye     
n.石英
参考例句:
  • There is a great deal quartz in those mountains.那些山里蕴藏着大量石英。
  • The quartz watch keeps good time.石英表走时准。
2 straightforward fFfyA     
adj.正直的,坦率的;易懂的,简单的
参考例句:
  • A straightforward talk is better than a flowery speech.巧言不如直说。
  • I must insist on your giving me a straightforward answer.我一定要你给我一个直截了当的回答。
3 corruption TzCxn     
n.腐败,堕落,贪污
参考例句:
  • The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
  • The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。
4 helping 2rGzDc     
n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的,辅助的
参考例句:
  • The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
  • By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。
5 administrators d04952b3df94d47c04fc2dc28396a62d     
n.管理者( administrator的名词复数 );有管理(或行政)才能的人;(由遗嘱检验法庭指定的)遗产管理人;奉派暂管主教教区的牧师
参考例句:
  • He had administrators under him but took the crucial decisions himself. 他手下有管理人员,但重要的决策仍由他自己来做。 来自辞典例句
  • Administrators have their own methods of social intercourse. 办行政的人有他们的社交方式。 来自汉英文学 - 围城
6 cape ITEy6     
n.海角,岬;披肩,短披风
参考例句:
  • I long for a trip to the Cape of Good Hope.我渴望到好望角去旅行。
  • She was wearing a cape over her dress.她在外套上披着一件披肩。
7 demonstration 9waxo     
n.表明,示范,论证,示威
参考例句:
  • His new book is a demonstration of his patriotism.他写的新书是他的爱国精神的证明。
  • He gave a demonstration of the new technique then and there.他当场表演了这种新的操作方法。
8 deployed 4ceaf19fb3d0a70e329fcd3777bb05ea     
(尤指军事行动)使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 ); 施展; 部署; 有效地利用
参考例句:
  • Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
  • The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。
9 rape PAQzh     
n.抢夺,掠夺,强奸;vt.掠夺,抢夺,强奸
参考例句:
  • The rape of the countryside had a profound ravage on them.对乡村的掠夺给他们造成严重创伤。
  • He was brought to court and charged with rape.他被带到法庭并被指控犯有强奸罪。
10 guardian 8ekxv     
n.监护人;守卫者,保护者
参考例句:
  • The form must be signed by the child's parents or guardian. 这张表格须由孩子的家长或监护人签字。
  • The press is a guardian of the public weal. 报刊是公共福利的卫护者。
11 stun FhMyT     
vt.打昏,使昏迷,使震惊,使惊叹
参考例句:
  • When they told me she had gone missing I was totally stunned.他们告诉我她不见了时,我当时完全惊呆了。
  • Sam stood his ground and got a blow that stunned him.萨姆站在原地,被一下打昏了。
12 bishop AtNzd     
n.主教,(国际象棋)象
参考例句:
  • He was a bishop who was held in reverence by all.他是一位被大家都尊敬的主教。
  • Two years after his death the bishop was canonised.主教逝世两年后被正式封为圣者。
13 activist gyAzO     
n.活动分子,积极分子
参考例句:
  • He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
  • He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。
14 negotiations af4b5f3e98e178dd3c4bac64b625ecd0     
协商( negotiation的名词复数 ); 谈判; 完成(难事); 通过
参考例句:
  • negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
  • Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。
15 grievance J6ayX     
n.怨愤,气恼,委屈
参考例句:
  • He will not easily forget his grievance.他不会轻易忘掉他的委屈。
  • He had been nursing a grievance against his boss for months.几个月来他对老板一直心怀不满。
16 grievances 3c61e53d74bee3976a6674a59acef792     
n.委屈( grievance的名词复数 );苦衷;不满;牢骚
参考例句:
  • The trade union leader spoke about the grievances of the workers. 工会领袖述说工人们的苦情。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
  • He gave air to his grievances. 他申诉了他的冤情。 来自《简明英汉词典》

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