Social Realist Ontology for Analysing BRICS Educational Governance: A Higher Education Perspective

Abstract

This study advocates a social realist ontological framework as an effective, analytical blueprint for identifying problems and solutions in BRICS, educational governance systems; specifically as related to the higher education domain. The methods of the study include a textual analysis and description of a social realist ontology to illustrate how it may be applied towards mapping human experiences, including our undergoing processes of educational governance and their tangible outcomes in society. The study also highlights media and scholarly texts from BRICS nations to illustrate shared, yet contextually diverse educational challenges in the tertiary system. The value of comparing contemporary BRICS-related educational challenges, within a social realist ontology, is that it was possible to identify similar and diverging mechanisms which BRICS nations applied towards solving them. The results of the study indicate that a social realist ontology is also an applicable methodology for comparing challenges in the higher education sector and diverse educational governance responses to them by BRICS nations. The study highlights that in each nation, social structures including statutory bodies, culture, including those of citizens, as well as agency, including administrators and students, equally impacts on the efficacy of educational governance and its goals. The study concludes that by highlighting the powers of culture, social structures and agency in BRICS nation’s educational governance processes, member states may effectively direct necessary human, social and financial capital where they are needed in educational systems. Further, it was found that a social realist ontology enables BRICS nation-states to compare best practices of educational governance in the higher education sphere in order to learn from each other.

Embracing Plural Curricula Amid Neoliberalism in Contemporary Universities in Africa: Asante’s Afrocentric Idea Revisited

“…The entrenchment of culturally hegemonic curricula shows the influences of neoliberalism on post-colonial university systems not just in South Africa, as reported by Eybers (2019). For instance, the former vice-chancellor of the University of Cape Town (UCT) Mamokgethi Phakeng, lamented how 'black pain' is still being experienced by black students who do not even have first-hand information about apartheid (Etheridge 2018).…”

“…The development of South Africa's higher education, in particular, at the curriculum level since 2015 and the emergent #feesMustFall protests have been defined by practices that have represented a rejection of what could be viewed as Eurocentric principles (Eybers 2019). Questions have thus arisen on the implementation of mainstream curricula that embrace democratisation and justice.…”

“…It can thus be argued that 'real empowerment' at the curriculum level can mainly be understood by how the students concerned are able to acknowledge being part of the curriculum while equally seeing PEER REVIEW their reflection in the curriculum taught (Eybers 2019). Since teaching is mainly construed as a communication process, it can be argued that the academic literacy, lifestyle management and critical thinking associated with the foundation components in ECPs are at the fore of addressing historical intellectual gaps -connecting students with their cultural backgrounds and traditions while ensuring that they understand challenges faced from familiar life and pedagogical practices.…”

“…This paper is written within a context where concerns have been raised by decolonial scholars such as Ndlovu-Gatsheni (2017; whose view on what he calls an "unfolding Euro-modernity" alludes to the deeply entrenched colonial legacy among academics cannot be ignored. Of importance is the view that to free Africa from the clutches of colonial power, culture and knowledge matrices that still define Africa as highlighted by Ndlovu-Gatsheni (2013), there is a need for universities in Africa and South Africa in particular to embrace locally derived and contextual relevant epistemologies that are acceptable (Eybers 2019). The paper's context also draws from the challenges that have characterised the post-colonial African university that Woldegiorgis and Doevenspeck (2013) outline, particularly the historically changing roles of universities and realignment of their roles to the market.…”

“…T H E T H I N K E R | Volume 99:2 / 2024 | Journal ISSN: 2075 2458 many students but are culturally hegemonic with the potential to disrupt the academic project for all students (Eybers 2019). This thus represents a decolonial approach to issues in which ways of disrupting the current Eurocentric-linked curricula are explored particularly from an Afrocentric perspective.…”