Some policy, process and implementation issues facing science education and training in post‐apartheid South Africa

One of the issues facing the new democratic government in South Africa is that of curriculum reconstruction in science education and training. The years of apartheid rule have seen these areas locked in outmoded, decontextualized forms, which have become dysfunctional for the whole community. The result is a human resource development profile which rests near the bottom of international norms. For its part, the democratic movement has vigorously challenged the policies which have given rise to this situation. Among other areas, the role of technology in the curriculum, both in the education and in the training systems, is under close scrutiny. The paper considers how these situations have arisen, the current position, and possible ways forward, from policy and implementation perspectives, and seeks to locate these within the general agenda of reconstruction and development.