Chapter 1
- Introduction
The year 1994 was an historic one for South Africa. She had undergone a metamorphosis of an unusual nature. The iconoclastic experience was the consequence of the elections of 1994. The new image that resulted is the face of democracy. This face has launched new ties with the rest of the world; opened doors to nations; wiped out repressing sanctions; and rejuvenated a country with a moral and spiritual upliftment:
Liberation is thus a childbirth, and a painful one. The man who emerges is a new man, viable only as the oppressor-oppressed contradiction is superceded by the humanization of all men (Freire 1972:25).
With a new democracy, inevitably comes change. This transformation then is the new order. For change to succeed, there has to be remodelling, a paradigm shift. The oppressed now rule. For transformation to succeed the present government must create novel situations. Paulo Freire asks,
How can the oppressed, as divided, unauthentic beings, participate in developing the pedagogy of their liberation (Freire 1972:25)?
The present government has political power to bring about change. Change has to take place in all spheres from land to education. Transformation should be planned “with” the people than “for” them for successful implementation (Freire 1972:25). It should be a collaborative undertaking.
1.2 Background
Policy makers are trying to improve educational practices in South Africa today. The emphasis is on a culture of learning and teaching and discipline. These have been told to educators over and over again. How these are going to be achieved would depend on the educators themselves, parent bodies, governing councils, and non-governmental organisations and of course, on pupils, students and principals. There is room for research in this area.
Since research has one prime goal “discovery” (Leedy 1992:8) the researcher ought to discover, expose and find reasons. Various researchers and investigators have for long done research in education dating from the Middle Ages. The church then “stood firmly astride the practice of empirical investigation” (Leedy 1992:9). Throughout the world research is encouraged from space to education to human life. In the new South Africa with regard to education, as stated in the White Paper,
Every person is guaranteed the right, to freedom of conscience, religion, thought, belief and opinion, which shall include academic freedom in institutions of higher learning (White Paper on Education and Training 1995:43).
In the current dispensation there is a uniform education system for all races, colour and creed. The Bill of Rights states:
Clause 29 (1) everyone has the right-
- to a basic education, including adult basic education; and
- to further education, which the state, through reasonable measures, must make progressively available and accessible.
(The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa 1996:14).