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South Africa must embark upon the third epoch of education policy after the failures of the first two epochs: the 1953-1994 ("apartheid") era and the 1994-2021 era (the dawn of democracy and the dismantling of apartheid structures). There were not enough education opportunities to guide all the children of the country to maturity and acceptance of their civilian responsibilities. This paper examines the reasons why the education policies of the first two epochs failed and contributed to a poor, unequal and ineffective school education system. The paper also explores the challenges that the education system needs to confront to create a new education system that will support the attainment of the hitherto unfulfilled expectations and dreams that its citizens carried into the democratic era. The education policy of the third epoch must address critical issues to chart the way to an effective education system. There is a need to reorganize (reset) the education system in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. A streamlined curriculum needs to focus on the essential skills and knowledge the country needs. The system can no longer ignore the need for the adequate provision of vocational and technical education to alleviate the sharply rising unemployment rate of young people and support the growth of the economy. Quality education policy must function despite the lack of funds for the provision of appropriate and functional infrastructure and competent human resources. [For the complete Volume 20 proceedings, see ED622631.]

This paper explores academic promotion practices in higher education institutions. Promotion of faculty members of universities is one of the major mechanisms in maintaining and improving the quality and efficiency of higher education and research activities in the country. Appointment processes are therefore critical to institutional development; therefore, the study argues for the identification of successful practices by exploring the enablers and disablers within the institutional promotion process in South Africa. This qualitative conceptual paper used literature, not limited to books, articles and chapters written on higher education institutions' promotion practices. There is, however, limited research on institutional promotion practices for academic employees within the South African higher education institutions. The study argues for the identification of successful practices to ensure fair and equitable institutional promotion practices by exploring the enablers and disablers within the institutional promotion process in the South African higher education. The paper serves as a foundational piece in understanding that appointment practices can be regulated to ensure fairness and equity. The appointment practices highlight the importance of shifting academic staff profiles in ways that are more representative of a diverse democracy. The inclusion of South Africa demonstrates a gap that exists in the academic promotions within higher education institutions. Findings reveal power-play and micro-politicking within promotion practices in HEIs. The paper serves as a foundational piece in understanding the regulation of fairness and equity in academic appointment practices.

Since the 1960s and before the dramatic announcement of the release of Nelson Mandela on 2 February 1990 (signalling the end of apartheid and the crossing of the proverbial Rubicon (Stone, 2014, p. 3)), the international community assisted the African National Congress (ANC) in its struggle against apartheid and put crucial pressure on the state through economic and other sanctions (Marx, 1992, p. 175). There was, however, abundant economic and other support for the ANC, the liberation organisation widely regarded as the legitimate voice of South Africa's people (Marx, 1992, p. 186). The support was intended to help the ANC to take over and transform all aspects of the government of South Africa and gave the ANC people hope that they could escape the oppression of "apartheid." When the dismantling of the apartheid system began, international concern about South Africa started disappearing (Marx, 1992, p. 175). The need for intervention was "now driven by more mixed and uncertain motivations" Marx (1992, p. 175) like development needs and complicated access to financial and other assistance. Despite all the aid, the South African school education system has been performing poorly since the advent of democracy (comparable to the gaining of independence of other African countries). Hope springing from international aid was replaced by a feeling of disenchantment. Apartheid has undoubtedly added to the constraints to educational development and advancement but this paper will also explore the possibility that international aid may have contributed to the apparent failure of the system. [For the complete Volume 19 proceedings, see ED613922.]

The transition from apartheid to democracy necessitated radical transformation within the South African political, socio-economic and education landscape. Black and coloured students were only fit for unskilled or semi-skilled occupations resulting in under-qualified and poorly trained professionals. Since the inception of democracy, there was a need to respond to the needs of a modern democratic South African society. The need for economic transformation emerged from the inheritance of an economy built on exclusion due to racial division and inequalities. There was a need for curriculum and economic intervention to include fundamental principles of citizenship education to promote human rights, democracy and active citizenry. This paper discusses the manner in which active citizenship education can bring about economic transformation in a modern developing democracy in South Africa. Through a conceptual framework, the paper also demonstrates the evolution of citizenship with the notion of critical emancipation through active citizenship education. [For the complete Volume 16 proceedings, see ED586117.]

The nature of teacher education in South Africa and institutions of higher learning, like the University of the Western Cape (UWC), is reflected by the country's history. The history of the Faculty of Education is intimately tied up with the anti-apartheid and social reconstructionist history of UWC and the apartheid policies of educational segregation. This paper therefore reviews the historical context of the history and manifestations of teacher education within the Faculty in a pre- and post-democratic South Africa. Challenges and opportunities for growth are knotted with the history of the University itself. Although the democratic dispensation had the ambition to produce well trained and professional teachers, the impact of the country's teacher education history has remained visible within institutions of higher learning such as UWC. Teacher education and development in South Africa harbours challenges due to the country's history, therefore time and resources would be required to adjust the educational sector to expected standards. [For the complete Volume 16 proceedings, see ED586117.]

This paper explores academics' interaction in an online forum, situated on the intranet of a South African university, where perceptions of racism within a larger discourse about transformation are shared and debated. The communicative model of democratic discourse directs the interpretation of an emancipatory discursive interaction, following a deductive textual analysis of the forum and interview texts from selected participants. The communicative model discourages normative judgements of others and focuses on an understanding of difference. The findings indicate that participants who engage in a deliberative demonstration of power, do not appreciate diverse social-historical contexts. Discursive interactions which indicate an understanding of participants' contexts are marked by a mitigating and sympathetic approach which allows for doubt in the judgements of participants. These mitigating interactions do however not persuade all participants to critically reflect on limiting opinions, attitudes and ways of interaction. An online curator who invites participants from diverse contexts might make the discourse more nuanced, create the opportunity to understand multiple realities and facilitate a transformative discussion. [For the complete Volume 16 proceedings, see ED586117.]

The United States democratic system includes characteristics of capitalism as well as socialism. Perhaps the most socialistic endeavor of the US is its K-12 public school system; in fact, US public schools are necessary for democracy to thrive and to create an educated and well-informed populace. However, capitalism and socialism are strange bedfellows. The soft underbelly of capitalism--greed--has become a problematic influence for K-12 schools. This paper examines the history of US public schools and the influence of capitalism focusing on problems associated with greed at the individual and corporate level. [For the complete Volume 15 proceedings, see ED574185.]

The paper analyses situations, conditions of social discourse and necessary actions for the implementation of multicultural education in the education system of the countries in transition (Republic of Serbia), from the perspective of interpretative paradigms. In the first part of the paper, the authors explain a theoretical understanding of the term multiculturalism as a public asset, and as the term which does not go in line of the traditional ethical principles. The second part of the paper focuses on the importance of creation of different conditions for the social discourse of the countries in transition in order to make the multiculturalism order not only the ethical option, but also the ethical need. In that sense, the basic thesis of this paper is that education, as a reference point, and the interactive relationship of individuals is the only possible way to understand the world in the continuous change. [For complete volume, see ED567040.]

The question that prompted this investigation into religion education (RE) in Estonia and in South Africa was whether two countries from such totally different parts of the world, with such vastly different populations and cultures though with somewhat parallel histories, had tackled the same or similar problems regarding the provision of RE in their schools, particularly with respect to the matter of tolerance in diverse societies, and in which ways the solutions they came up with agree with or differ from each other. The question was premised by the assumption that people are the same the world over, and that their problems regarding the provision of RE in schools and the quest for (inter)religious tolerance might be roughly the same, of course depending on the prevailing local and historical circumstances. While the upshot of the comparison itself will be available for discussion during the conference presentation, the purpose of this paper will be to present and discuss some of the parallels, resemblances and differences with respect to RE and the issue of (inter)religious tolerance, and to tentatively advance reasons for what has been observed and concluded. At least five (5) themes pertaining to (inter)religious tolerance that emerged from the comparison will be tabled for discussion: intolerance and state domination--societies in transition; diversity an asset, tolerance and nation. [For complete volume, see ED567118.]

I would like to share some reflections concerning the results of several investigations in the field of training of values, citizenship, basic education (primary and secondary school), at national and international contexts. First, I shall present the context in which those researches took place, then I will go to some of the results and in my conclusion I will show the proposals for the construction of global citizenship. [For the complete Volume 12 proceedings, see ED597979.]