Restorative Transformation after Lockdown: Freedom and Ubuntu in Civic Education

Abstract

We contend that lockdown restrictions to prevent the spread of Covid-19 in South Africa have exposed deep divisions between citizens and the state, due in part to the neglect of citizenship education and to the neglect of our historical citizenship heritage. We propose in this paper two sources of appropriate normative guidelines, rooted in our common, collective history and ethics, which we ought to promote among citizens to reunite our people. We argue that citizenship education ought not only to be promoted actively in schools but that it must be reformed on the basis of two sets of foundational principles: a) Ubuntu; and b) the Freedom Charter. These encourage integration between citizens and subjects, and between citizens and the state; not to impose false universality from above, nor incoherent heteronomy from below, but to regulate these with cultural and historical continuity in transformation.

Advances made by the University of the Western Cape in the support of remote online teaching and learning for student success and access

“…In addition, those who have access, skills and training will probably contribute to knowledge production, whereas those who do not have access will not (Ndlazi & Allsobrook, 2020). For Du Preez and Le Grange (2020: 99), "context impacts on epistemological access", meaning that knowledge production is often related to socio-economic status.…”