Abstract
South Africa’s higher education landscape mirrors its history of its relentlessly discriminatory past along racial, gender, social, political and class lines. Within this setting teacher education aims to cultivate its teaching and learning toward the fostering of moral persons who are caring towards the other and concerned with social justice and transformation. In this sense we explored the relationship between human rights education and human rights literacies and how these can be called upon to create one avenue to drive this agenda. In this chapter we use evidence-based findings to unpack the (im)possibilities for human rights literacies as revealed through student-teachers’ views of human rights education. As students’ views may reveal what and how they learned and what the curriculum offered them, we may unlock (im)possibilities for reviving human rights education and supporting human rights literacies through teacher education. We concentrated on the human rights education section in two surveys (S2013_RSA and S2015_RSA) to see how findings might shed light on future directions for teacher education to support human rights literacies, dynamically fluid, and that are continuously developing in response to the South African context. In response to critique against human rights education as stagnant, declarationist and as having lost its critical and transformative edge (Keet et al., South African Journal of Higher Education, 31, 79–95, 2017; Spreen and Monaghan, Human rights education: Theory, research, praxis, 2017; Keet, Human rights education or human rights in education: A conceptual analysis, 2007) we argue that for human rights literacies and human rights education to be supportive of one another, human rights education programmes in teacher education should regard human rights literacies as a disposition toward thinking and practising human rights that occupies the spaces that emerge when one transcends the division between what is legislation (written) and what is lived. For this reason, we recommend transformative pedagogies be included in teacher education programmes for human rights.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Notes
- 1.
Question choices were ‘I fully agree’; ‘I agree somewhat’; ‘I neither agree nor disagree’; ‘I disagree somewhat’; ‘I totally disagree’.
- 2.
Question choices were: ‘I definitely think so’; ‘I mostly think so’; ‘I am neutral about this’; ‘I don’t really think so’; ‘I do not think so at all’.
- 3.
The initiation school is a rite of passage into adulthood practiced in some of the African cultures in South Africa.
- 4.
With reference to institutions (and/or clusters), thirteen of the 23 South African public universities offer a full-time BEd programme for teacher training in one or more of the phases of education on one or more of their campuses: Since 2013, three new universities have been added so that South Africa now has 26 public universities. The phases of school education in South Africa comprise the foundation phase, intermediate phase and senior and further education and training phase.
- 5.
Questions that were asked as closed questions are reported with percentages and/or number of responses. Other questions were asked as open-ended questions, and yet other questions gave a list but allowed participants to select more than one choice (for example languages and belief systems). In the case of the last-mentioned two question types, we report only the number on participants who have indicated a particular identity or have selected a particular answer choice in the format.
- 6.
These students are often referred to as the ‘born-free generation’ who were born right before or into the freedom that came with the new South African democracy in 1994 (Welschen, 2012, p. 13).
References
Ali, A. H. (2011). The power of social media in developing nations: New tools for closing the global digital divide and beyond. Harvard Human Rights Journal, 24, 185–219.
Becker, A., De Wet, A., & Parker, G. (2014). Moving towards understanding one an-other: Cornelia Roux on religion, culture and human rights. Journal for the Study of Religion, 27(1), 234–266.
Beckmann, J., & Prinsloo, J. (2015). Some aspects of education litigation since 1994: Of hope, concern and despair. South African Journal of Education, 35(1), 1–11.
Boezaart, T. (2017). Legislation for the realisation of children’s rights – The Schools Act and beyond. In E. de Waal (Ed.), Pathways to successful schooling: The Schools Act 84 of 1996 twenty years on. Cape Town.
Botha, J., Muller, N. J., & Webber, K. (2016). Institutional research in South African higher education: Framing the contexts and practices. In J. Botha & N. J. Muller (Eds.), Institutional research in South African higher education: Intersecting contexts and practices (pp. 1–22). Stellenbosch: SUN MeDIA.
Calma, T. (2009). ‘Partnership builds success’ An indigenous perspective of education partnerships. Sydney: Australian Human Rights Commission. Retrieved December 01, 2017, from https://www.humanrights.gov.au/news/speeches/partnership-builds-success-indigenous-perspective-educational-partnerships-2009
Carl, A. E. (2012). Teacher empowerment through curriculum development: Theory into practice (4th ed.). Cape Town: Juta.
CHE see Council of Higher Education.
Chen, G. M. (2012). The impact of new media on intercultural communication in global context. China Media Research, 8(2), 1–10.
Council of Higher Education. (2016). South African higher education reviewed: Two decades of democracy. Pretoria: Council of Higher Education.
De Vos, P. (2015). The limits of the law: Human rights and the emancipation of sexual minorities on the African continent. In D. Higginbotham & V. Collins-Buthelezi (Eds.), Contested intimacies: Sexuality, gender and the law in Africa (pp. 1–16). Cape Town: Siber Ink.
De Wet, A. (2012). Girls’ experiences of religious and cultural practices: Human rights violations. In C. Roux (Ed.), Safe spaces: Human rights education in diverse contexts (pp. 169–194). Rotterdam: Sense Publishers.
De Wet, A. (2017). Possibilities of human rights literacies for transformative teacher education. 2017–2019. Research proposal submitted and approved by the National Research Foundation.
De Wet, A., Rothmann, J., & Simmonds, S. (2016). Human rights: Protecting sexual minorities or reinforcing the boundaries of ‘the closet’? South African Review of Sociology, 7(3), 85–109.
Department of Education. (1996). Green paper on higher education transformation. Pretoria: Department of Education.
Department of Education. (1997). Education white paper 3: A programme for the transformation of higher education. Government Gazette, 390, 18515. Pretoria: Government Printers.
Department of Education. (2001). National plan for higher education (NPHE). Pretoria: Department of Education.
Department of Education. (2003). The framework on values and human rights in the curriculum. Pretoria: Government Printers.
Department of Education. (2005a). Student enrolment planning in public higher education. Pretoria: Department of Education.
Department of Education. (2005b). Values and human rights in the curriculum: A guide. Pretoria: Government Printers.
Department of Education. (2008). The report of the Ministerial Committee into Transformation in Higher Education (MCTHE). Pretoria: Department of Education.
Department of Education. (2011). Bill of responsibilities for the youth of South Africa. Pretoria: Government Printers.
Department of Higher Education and Training. (2013). White paper for post-school education and training. Pretoria: Government Printers.
Department of Higher Education and Training. (2015). Higher Education Summit 15–17 October 2015. Addressing systemic higher education transformation. Retrieved February 23, 2018, from http://www.justice.gov.za/commissions/FeesHET/docs/2015-HESummit-Annexure02.pdf
Du Preez, P. (2008). Dialogue as facilitation strategy: Infusing the classroom with a culture of human rights. Unpublished PhD Dissertation, University of Stellenbosch, South Africa.
Du Preez, P., & Roux, C. (2010). Human rights values or cultural values? Pursuing values to maintain positive discipline in multicultural schools. South African Journal of Education, 30(1), 13–26.
Du Preez, P., Simmonds, S., & Roux, C. (2012). Teaching-learning and curriculum development for human rights education: Two sides of the coin. Journal of Education, 55, 83–102.
Hartley, M., & Huddleston, T. (2010). School–community–university partnerships for a sustainable democracy: Education for democratic citizenship in Europe and the United States of America. Strasbourg: Council of Europe. Retrieved January 12, 2018, from https://rm.coe.int/16802f7271
hooks, b. (1994). Teaching to transgress. Education as the practice of freedom. New York: Routledge.
Jansen, J. (2009). Knowledge in the blood. Confronting race and the apartheid past. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.
Keet, A. (2007). Human rights education or human rights in education: A conceptual analysis. Unpublished PhD, University of Pretoria, South Africa.
Keet, A. (2012). Discourse, betrayal, critique: The renewal of human rights education. In C. Roux (Ed.), Safe spaces: Human rights education in diverse contexts (pp. 7–28). Rotterdam: Sense Publishers.
Keet, A., Nel, W., & Sattarzadeh, S. (2017). Retreating rights: Human rights, pre-theoretical praxes and student activism in South African universities. South African Journal of Higher Education, 31(6), 79–95.
Kok, A. (2010). Is law able to transform society? South African Law Journal, 127(1), 59–83.
Kumashiro, K. K. (2000). Toward a theory of anti-oppressive education. Review of Educational Research, 70(1), 25–53.
Kumashiro, K. K. (2004). Uncertain beginning: Learning to teach paradoxically. Theory into Practice, 43(2), 111–115.
Kumashiro, K. K. (2010). Seeing the bigger picture: Troubling movements to end teacher education. Journal of Teacher Education, 61(1–2), 56–65.
Kumashiro, K. K., Sikunder, A. B., Richardson, E., Ricker-Wilson, C., & Wong, P. L. (2004). Preparing teachers for anti-oppressive education: International movements. Teaching Education, 15(3), 257–275.
Lange, L. (2012). The public purposes of the university: A historical view, 1995–2010. In B. Leibowitz (Ed.), Higher education for the common good. Views from the south (pp. 45–57). Stellenbosch: SUN MeDiA.
Leibowitz, B. (2012). Introduction: Reflections on higher education and the public good. In B. Leibowitz (Ed.), Higher education for the public good. Views from the south (pp. xvii–xxvii). Stellenbosch: SUN MeDIA.
Lewis, S., Pea, R., & Rosen, J. (2010). Beyond participation to co-creation of meaning: Mobile social media in generative learning communities. Social Science Information, 49(3), 351–369.
Msibi, T. (2013). Queering transformation in higher education. Perspectives in Education, 31(2), 65–73.
National Planning Commission. (2011). National development plan: Vision for 2030. Retrieved December 12, 2017, from http://policyresearch.limpopo.gov.za/bitstream/handle/123456789/941/NDP%20Vision%202030.pdf?sequence=1
Perumal, J. (2012). Identity, identification and sociolinguistic practices: Implications for human rights curriculum in an emerging democracy. In C. Roux (Ed.), Safe spaces: Human rights education in diverse contexts (pp. 63–82). Rotterdam: Sense Publishers.
Roux, C. (2012). Research proposal: Human Rights Literacy: Quest for meaning. Retrieved November 20, 2017, from http://hrlit.org/documents
Roux, C. (2017). Human rights literacies and students’ paradoxical understandings of tolerance and respect. South African Journal of Higher Education, 31(6), 61–78.
SAHRC see South African Human Rights Commission.
Simmonds, S. (2014). Looking back on curriculum reform in South Africa and beyond. In P. Du Preez & C. Reddy (Eds.), Curriculum studies. Visions and imaginings (pp. 32–55). Cape Town: Pearson.
Simmonds, S. (2017). Teachers as curriculum leaders: Towards promoting gender equity as a democratic ideal. Education Research for Social Change, 6(2), 16–28.
Simmonds, S., & Du Preez, P. (2017). Discourses shaping human rights education research in South Africa: Future considerations. South African Journal of Higher Education, 31(6), 9–24.
Soudien, C. (2015). Looking backwards: How to be a South African university. Education Research for Social Change, 4(2), 8–21.
South Africa. (1996). The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa. Retrieved November 12, 2017, from www.info.gov.za/documents/constitution/1996/a108–96.pdf
South African Human Rights Commission. (2017). Annual report for the year ended 31 March 2017. Retrieved September 20, 2017, from https://www.sahrc.org.za/home/21/files/SAHRC%20Annual%20Report%202017%20HR.PDF
Spreen, C. A., & Monaghan, C. (2017). Leveraging diversity to become a global citizen: Lessons for human rights education. In M. Bajaj (Ed.), Human rights education: Theory, research, praxis (pp. 291–315). Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press (PENN).
Tibbitts, F. (2017). Revisiting ‘emerging models of human rights education’. International Journal of Human Rights Education, 1(1), 2. Retrieved September 20, 2017, from http://repository.usfea.edu/ijhre/vol1/iss1/2
United Nations. (1948). Universal Declaration of Human Rights (The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights). Retrieved March 18, 2017, from http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Education/Training/Pages/Decade.aspx; United Nations Commission on Human Rights on a World Program for Human Rights Education (2004/71).
Universities South Africa (USAf). (2015). Reflections on higher education: Briefing paper prepared for the second national higher education transformation summit. Pretoria: USAf.
Uscinski, J. E. (2009). When does the public’s issue agenda affect the media’s issue agenda (and vice-versa)? Developing a framework for media-public influence. Social Science Quarterly, 90(4), 796–815.
Waghid, Y. (2013). African philosophy of education reconsidered: On being Human. New York: Routledge.
Welschen, S. (2012). The country we are supposed to be: ‘Born free’ South Africans talk about their nation. Amsterdam: Vrije Uiversiteit Amsterdam.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2019 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
de Wet, A., Simmonds, S. (2019). Human Rights Education in the South African Higher Education Context: (Im)possibilities for Human Rights Literacies. In: Roux, C., Becker, A. (eds) Human Rights Literacies. Interdisciplinary Studies in Human Rights, vol 2. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-99567-0_8
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-99567-0_8
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-99566-3
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-99567-0
eBook Packages: Law and CriminologyLaw and Criminology (R0)