Political change, social integration and curriculum: a South African case study

Abstract

After reviewing general developments in education in South Africa, this paper reports a case study of the perceptions of principals of traditionally African schools on social change, and on how their schools were responding in terms of curriculum change. The case study, which was conducted in the Pietermaritzburg region of KwaZulu‐Natal, explored the social context of opportunity and constraint within which a new curriculum for a ‘New South Africa’ will be realized. The most striking feature of principals’ perspectives was a vivid disjuncture between progressive educational and political rhetoric, and adherence to new right thinking around efficiency, expert‐driven systems and resourcing. The principals’ essential conservatism and the constraints surrounding their situation in African schools suggest that meaningful curriculum change in a democratic South Africa will not easily be achieved.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Volker Wedekind

Volker Wedekind is a lecturer in the Department of Education at the University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, Private Bag x01, Scottsville 3209, South Africa. He teaches sociology and social theory and is researching factors affecting teacher development and change.

Cassius Lubisi

Cassius Lubisi lectures at the Education Department of the University of Natal in Pietermaritzburg. A mathematics educator, he takes a keen interest in the raising of the standard of mathematics education in underdeveloped communities in the midlands of the province of KwaZulu‐Natal.

Ken Harley

Ken Harley is a former secondary school teacher who is currently Professor and Head of the Department of Education at the University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg. His research interests lie in the areas of curriculum studies, teacher education, and sociology and history of education.

John Gultig

John Gultig is a lecturer in education theory at the University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg. His particular interest is the media, both in terms of mass media's impact on learning and in the use of the new media in the development of open learning systems. His recent research has included work on the role of electronic media in education and on new models of an open distance education system in post‐apartheid South Africa.