The role of human rights education during and post-apartheid in South Africa

• In Event: Unpacking the implementation of human rights curriculum in the global south

Abstract

This presentation will examine the role of human rights education in South Africa. It will trace the progression of human rights education from apartheid to post-apartheid South Africa, including its role in the anti-apartheid movement. While human rights education does not have a significant presence in the required national curriculum for primary and secondary schools in South Africa today, it has been a policy concern of the government since the end of apartheid. Additionally, it has played, and continues to play, a role in both formal and non-formal educational settings including schools and community-based organizations. During apartheid, although not specifically named as such, human rights education was included in the anti-apartheid movement by the ANC, Steve Biko, and others. Thus, drawing on social movement theory, human rights education and other scholarly work, as well as interviews, the presentation will demonstrate that human rights education has had a significant presence in South Africa, including in social movements addressing injustice, and continues to have a presence today. The presentation analyzes the change in emphasis and implementation of human rights education from the apartheid to the post-apartheid era. Through this analysis, it suggests how human rights education may be implemented in post-conflict settings working to promote peace, equity, and justice.

Author

• Sandra Sirota, Columbia University Teachers College