Crisis of decolonising education: Curriculum implementation in Limpopo Province of South Africa

Abstract

There is a consensus amongst social scientists and public administration practitioners about the importance of decolonising the education system in Africa and South Africa. Decolonising the education system is viewed as a catalyst to create human capital that will promote economic development to end the scourge of poverty. This study was undertaken to evaluate the effectiveness of the implementation of Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) as a tool of decolonising from 2014 to 2016. This is a qualitative and descriptive study based on literature, and key informant interviews (KIIs) were used to gather data. This study has, however, found that implementation of CAPS in Limpopo Province is in a state of crisis. While there are many factors that contribute to this crisis, non-delivery of textbooks to schools remains a crucial factor. Civil society and media have been found to be key in playing oversight role in forcing the state to be accountable by taking it to court to deliver textbooks. However, this study recommends that Vhembe district should be used as a model for the province for effective implementation of CAPS.

Using the School Environmental Education Programme (SEEP) to Decolonise the Curriculum: Lessons from Ufasimba Primary School in South Africa

“…This study resonates well with the concerns of many scholars regarding the need for decolonising the curriculum and the education system in Africa for the benefit of the local people (Costandius et al 2018;Musitha and Mafukata 2018a;Shava and Manyike 2018;Tlali 2017;Uzomah 2018). The findings of this study have confirmed the view of Costandius et al (2018), namely that knowledge systems cannot exist in isolation from global systems.…”

“…Notwithstanding all these initiatives, some rural schools are still unable to take advantage of the opportunities created by the RNCS, due to many factors, including the limited resources available to them (Letsekha, Wiebesiek-Pienaar, and Meyiwa 2013). Musitha and Mafukata (2018a) argue that the curriculum transformation has not really made the vision of basic education a reality, as this initiative has not sufficiently improved the performance of learners. As already highlighted, the low pass rate among Grade 12 students, including the dwindling numbers of those who pass with Science and Mathematics on higher-grade level, bears evidence of this (Le Grange 2007).…”

“…However, these rights do not seem to have been sufficiently realised, because of the skewed education system that was inherited from the apartheid regime. Many studies have lamented the fact that elements of colonial education continue to haunt teaching and learning spaces in Africa (De Beer 2016;Jegede 1995;Musitha and Mafukata 2018a;Uzomah 2018). Odora Hoppers 2017and Tlali (2017) reiterate that certain cultures still dominate in educational spaces, to the extent that others are subjugated and excluded.…”

“…For example, the low pass rate among Grade 12 students illustrates the effect that the skewed inherited system of education has had on all levels of education. It is apparent that, to be able to redress these imbalances effectively, curriculum decolonisation and transformation need to commence at the Foundation Phase and then extend to other levels (Dumbrajs, De Jager, and Bergstrom-Nyberg 2013;Musitha and Mafukata 2018a). This study seeks to address that gap.…”

Decolonisation in the field of public administration: The responsiveness of the scholarship of teaching and learning

“…Various scholars in the academic field of public administration contributed towards decolonisation in PAM by alluding to various constructs that focus on student activism, the original methods of the state in rendering services for the sake of public good, the status of the discipline of public administration, the architecture of African Leadership and Governance, curriculum reform, evidence-based research and post-graduate supervision (Maserumule and Nkomo, 2016;Hanyane, 2016;Musitha and Mafukatha, 2018;Basheka, 2015Basheka, , 2018Latib, 2017). These scholars advocate change in the SoTL which resonates with the idea of creating cultural reference points that aim at recontributing towards the fundamental pedagogy and praxis of governance in public affairs (PA).…”