Freirean Utopian Didactic: A Retrospective View of Education in the South African Education Environment

Abstract

This study investigates how the utopian didactic in education can be achieved in South Africa. It is foregrounded by Brazilian educator Paulo Freire’s collective and forward-looking dreams about what education, in the shattered sense of the “now”, can look like if teachers and students participate democratically in the learning process. Education, in a general sense, is a form of learning in which knowledge, skills and habits are transferred and nurtured from one generation to the next. But, in the Freirean utopian didactic, education involves so much more than the mere transfer of knowledge. It is about transformation, both internal (the individual) and external (society). By allowing students to critically reflect and engage in honest dialogue with their teacher, education can lead to social injustices being challenged and, hence, being overcome. Freire’s utopian vision of education is one in which hope and imagination are celebrated in the quest for a better world. This vision is sorely lacking in South African educational environment today, which is still bruised by decades of inequality. Using a literature review, this conceptual article explored whether a Freirean utopian didactic can be applied to the current education system in South Africa and bring about the much-needed transformation. We have examined whether a utopian education can be considered a basic right in South Africa, according to the Constitution, and whether it can be applied more broadly to the African continent. For education to meet the needs of all learners in the education system, a utopian education system based on quality educational skills, values and equal distribution of resources is highly recommended.

Techno-Rationalism and Higher Educational Law: Examining Legal Frameworks in Southern African Universities from a Freirean Critical Pedagogy Perspective

“…Furthermore, what Freire does in his theory is to encourage dialectic engagement, which is to say, he implores any disenchanted community of society to be liberated. This can be illustrated by Freire himself in the following way, when he summarises that social justice and emancipatory violence occur whenever some people restrict others from participating in the process of enquiry ; Pietersen & Plaatjies, 2023). The methods employed are unimportant; removing people from their ability to make their own decisions turns them into objects (Freire, 2021).…”

Integrating African Indigenous Education in the Curriculum: A Learning Curve for South Africa

“…Even though Africans fought for their freedom and independence, it is argued that the so-called "freedom and independence" is a dream, as the colonially established systems of education and Constitution directly and/or indirectly control African values and the norms of African Indigenous peoples. As it stands, African indigenous education is currently marginalized and is on the verge of extinction because of the socio-economic transformation that has been perpetrated under the veil of democracy (Pietersen & Plaatjies, 2023;Samkange et al, 2021). In a bid to restore African indigenous education in South Africa, the authors use the African Renaissance theory.…”

South African Legal Framework to Prepare Pre-Service Teacher Education Programmes: A Freirean Approach

“…This is particularly relevant given the historical inequalities and systemic issues that continue to impact access to quality education in the country even after the demise of apartheid. According to Kromhout et al (2015) and Pietersen & Plaatjies (2023), critical pedagogy can help address the power imbalances inherent in education by fostering critical awareness among learners, promoting democratic participation, and challenging dominant discourses and practices.…”