The Bantu Education Department was a governmental department created by the Bantu Education Act for the education of blacks in South Africa by the National Party government during the apartheid years.
The approach was that the blacks had a different culture, separate from that of the whites, and that they had to be educated accordingly. Black education initially had a strong missionary presence, especially in the rural areas, and there was much good-will among inspectors and teachers of different races. However, the rigid way in which the policy was applied eventually led to much discontent and hardship.