A conceptual critique of the people's education discourse

Abstract

The struggle on the educational terrain in South Africa has been intimately connected with the broader struggle there for democratic rights and the elimination of apartheid. From an early call for equality in education, the movement of People's Education now calls for a complete transformation of the form and content of education, as well as a change in the way in which it is managed. Education has formerly served as an instrument of oppression, but it carries the potential for liberation and its importance cannot be underestimated. Changing demands relating to education have mirrored changes in the substance of the larger struggle. The manner of conceptualising these demands, and indeed the understanding of what constitutes People's Education are not static, but the reflection and the consequence of changing social circumstances. It is the burden of Mashamba's analysis, excerpts of which are reprinted below, to chart these changes and interpret their significance.