Moving from discourse to Praxis: Situating academics at the centre of decolonisation struggle:

A. T. Sibiya; M. Ndaba

doi:10.20853/37-3-4851

A. T. Sibiya University of The Witwatwersrand, Johannesburg
M. Ndaba University of the Witwatersrand

DOI: https://doi.org/10.20853/37-3-4851

Keywords: academics, Africanization, change agents, colonisation, decolonisation, curriculum, knowledge, higher education

Abstract

As part of contributing to the decolonisation debate to reclaim and re-purpose the universities as public good institutions, drawing from Freire’s notion of praxis we argue that there is a need to move from theorisation of concepts or what we refer to as discourses to praxis, and academics must drive the decolonisation project. Unlike students, academics have immense power to influence choices of pedagogical approaches, processes of curriculum design, and knowledge production. Academics enjoy academic freedom. This implies that they have the freedom to teach and conduct research without external control in their area of expertise, which gives them special protection within the classroom and the parameters of their field of expert knowledge. Thus, we argue that the freedom that academics enjoy puts them in a good position to be drivers of the project of decolonising higher education. As key role players on processes of teaching and learning as well as knowledge production in higher education, they have some degree of power that they are better positioned to drive the decolonial project. They can use their roles as teachers and researchers to advance the decolonisation agenda.

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Author Biographies

A. T. Sibiya, University of The Witwatwersrand, Johannesburg

Centre for Researching Education and Labour (REAL)

Mr. Anthony Tolika Sibiya is a Ph.D. candidate and researcher at the University of the Witwatersrand, based at the Centre for Researching Education and Labour (REAL). Research Fellowship at Jakes Gerwel Fellowship; Head of Research and Policy at South African Youth Council. He is a co-author of a book chapter in a book edited by Salim Vally and Enver Motala titled “Education, Economy & Society” published by Unisa Press in 2014. He has presented in various international conferences, including Journal for Vocational Education and Training conferences held in Oxford University amongst others, is a former part-time lecturer and TVET researcher at the Centre for Post-Schooling Education and Training (CIPSET) at Nelson Mandela University. Mr. Sibiya has MA (Sociology), Honours (Public Administration and Policy), and B Admin degree, all from Nelson Mandela University. His research interests are skills development, labour market, youth development and unemployment, education and the world of work.

M. Ndaba, University of the Witwatersrand

SAChi Chair in Teaching and Learning (SACTL)

Mr Mthobisi Ndaba is a Ph.D. Candidate and an Academic Intern at the University of the Witwatersrand based at the Centre for Researching Education and Labour. Mr Ndaba holds a B. Social Work (Wits) and MA. Sociology (Wits). He is a Mellon Mays Fellow with a strong research interest in Higher education and the public good, Academic Development and higher education inequalities. Mr Ndaba’s PhD Research explores the role of academics in higher education’s contribution to the public good at two universities in South Africa.

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Moving from discourse to Praxis: Situating academics at the centre of decolonisation struggle

Abstract

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Author Biographies

References

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