Social justice education aims at realising justice through education. South Africa aspires towards a society that is socially just and where all citizens enjoy fundamental human rights. The higher education sector in South Africa, is expected to contribute towards the realisation of this ideal by promulgating national policy that would inform the training and preparation of student-teachers for social justice education. As such, Initial Teacher Education (ITE) policy has the responsibility to infuse student-teachers with knowledge, competencies, and dispositions that would enable them to apply the principles of social justice education in their practice. With this desk-top study we answer the question: Are South African ITE policies oriented towards social justice education? To answer this question, we analysed the Minimum Requirements for Teacher Education Qualifications Policy (MRTEQ) (2015) and various other foundational ITE policies. We found that these policy documents advocate for the training of student-teachers for social justice education. This they do by promoting certain knowledge(s), contextual awareness, and critical pedagogy as important aspects of social justice education. We make certain recommendations aimed at strengthening student teacher’s orientation towards social justice education.

Authors:
Kevin Teise, Sol Plaatje University, South Africa
Emma Barnett, Sol Plaatje University, South Africa

About the Presenter(s)
Dr. Kevin Teise is a senior lecturer in the School of Education, Sol Plaatje University, where he is teaching undergraduate students.

See this presentation on the full schedule – Monday Schedule

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