Initiating meaningful conversations will change the South African narrative

This was not easy and reminiscent of 1994 when we made our first foray into a new political future. Speaking at the recently held Dr Chota Matola Memorial Lecture, organised and hosted by Mancosa, Prof Thuli Madonsela, director of the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ), shared her thoughts about what South Africa has achieved in its 30 years of democracy and how we can remain a beacon of hope for the rest of the world.

An exciting, brave, new world

South Africa embarked on an exciting adventure in 1994 and is on the cusp of a similar journey with the current Government of National Unity (GNU).

Madonsela notes that a lot has changed in 30 years: “Thirty years into democracy, South Africa finds itself at a precipice marked by growing social and economic disparities along the contours of past legalised injustices exacerbated by service delivery failures that leave those unable to procure private alternatives destitute," said Prof Madonsela.

She adds that, amid increasing racial, gender and nationality polarisation, among others, there is a palpable hunger for meaningful freedom, a deafening cry for social justice and a growing trust deficit regarding democratic institutions. The 2024 elections laid bare the fact that those that feel left behind are no longer prepared to tolerate the status quo, raising concerns of radicalisation and attractiveness of political entrepreneurship that may undermine intentional rule of law anchored transformative governance.

Geopolitical and health challenges

Additionally, there are wars and rumours of a future war that further threaten global peace and justice while climate change remains a global emergency as the world continues to battle the Covid-19 aftermath. Prof Madonsela adds that, in times like this, ethical leaders anchored in a paradigm of “justice beyond just us” need to rise for transformative action as anti-apartheid leaders such as Dr Chota Motala did in their time.

"As Nelson Mandela said, it is in the hands of current generations to take the baton from those that delivered political freedom and deepen freedom. Key is to ensure all experience the constitutionally promised shared prosperity and other dimensions of ubuntu anchored social justice thus fostering sustainable peaceful coexistence at home and beyond. The 2024 Chota Motala Lecture titled The time is now to serve humanity – a social justice perspective, seeks to deep dive into what ails South Africa and what can South Africa’s people, from all walks of life, do to reclaim the constitutional vision and heal the divisions,” said Prof Madonsela.

Taking the lead

Acknowledging the issues raised by Prof Madonsela, Mohamed Goga, MD of Mancosa, says that institutions need to take the lead in developing a new narrative for South Africa.

"Mancosa is a post-apartheid empowerment institution which caters to all South Africans, particularly those from historically and economically disadvantaged backgrounds. We have always believed that education is a powerful way to shape personal narratives and improve people's lives. Our vision is education for a better world for all, while our mission is impacting lives through innovative education," says Goga.

One of the biggest challenges highlighted by Mancosa is that schools and higher education providers are dealing with students who are becoming increasingly frustrated with how they are being taught and forced to learn. This frustration is then carried over into higher education institutions, as some adopt a cautious approach to tech-based learning instead of embracing it.

"The problem facing teachers is that the pace of change in teaching methodology and the traditional classroom environment has not kept pace with technological advancements. We need to be aware that learners process information differently. The problem arises when they are still being taught using traditional methods. This is causing significant frustration and needs to be addressed," says Goga.

A South African first

Mancosa's stance regarding technology is influenced not only by the frustration it sees among students but also by the future world of work and the fact that the jobs that will exist in 30 years play an equally influential role in this debate.

In line with this, and the fact that a SAP report (Africa's Tech Skills Scarcity Revealed) points out that there has been no improvement in South Africa's chronic shortage of all types of ICT skills across almost all sectors, Mancosa developed the first Postgraduate Diploma in AI offered by a South African higher education provider.

"It is clear that digitisation will play a major role in the future value proposition of higher education institutions. Mancosa feels that it needs to lead the charge to embrace this. Further, in a digitally driven environment, online education serves the important purpose of equipping the South African workforce with the knowledge and skills required to progress in a future world of work," says Goga, who adds that transferable skills such as independent work and workload management, as well as the ability to collaborate with team members to achieve an objective, are highly sought after by global employers.

While the democratisation of information has changed the world as we know it, not all available information is accurate or safe for human consumption. Critical thinking is a skill that educators have always encouraged. This is becoming even more important as educators need to encourage students and learners to interrogate the validity of the information they can access.

However, some institutions are less willing to fully leverage technology's benefits.

Technology has the potential to fundamentally change the way we educate our youth. The biggest concern that educators are currently facing surrounds generative artificial intelligence (AI) and the influence that it will have on the current education model. Historically, education has been presented in a way that teachers and lecturers were custodians of information and were seen as a significant source of truth and critical thinking as students and learners graduated from one phase of their education journey to another.

This trust has now shifted towards technology. As a result, teachers and lecturers are increasingly guiding learners and students through a world where a myriad of information is available at the click of a button. "There has been plenty of fear that technology will replace human jobs. However, as Steven Hawking once pointed out, there will always be a demand for human-based services. Humanity is not in a space where we will replace teachers and lecturers in favour of AI-based learning. However, there is a demand for teachers and lecturers to modernise their approach to presenting education. Educators must step out of their comfort zone and embrace this demand," says Goga, who adds that digital skills form a critical component of the course offering at the Mancosa School of Education.