Teachers’ voices must guide education reform, Kagiso Trust webinar told

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Teachers are forced to implement key education policies even though they have no say in drawing them up, and this is harming the quality of schooling, says Professor Hilda Israel, Dean of the Faculty of Education at the University of Mpumalanga.

Speaking at an Education Conversations hosted by Kagiso Trust in partnership with the University of Johannesburg, Israel said Curriculum Assessment Policy Statements (CAPS), the National Curriculum Statement and the Annual Teaching Plan “are all top-down frameworks where teacher input was not respected or valued”.

She added: “If we exclude teachers’ perspectives, are we not saying that we distrust their professionalism? Without their buy-in, these policies will become irrelevant to teachers, students and society.”

Science education expert Professor Kenneth Ngcoza, of Rhodes University, said teachers were “silenced” by colonialism and apartheid and nothing changed when democracy arrived.

“With hopes pinned on curriculum reform, it was expected that teachers’ voices would finally be heard,” he told the webinar on October 24. “However, we still struggle with the tension between curriculum formulation, implementation and attainment because of top-down approaches.”

Kagiso Trust, one of South Africa’s leading development agencies, believes in the transformative power of education and its role in building a more just and sustainable world, says Sizakele Mphatsoe, who heads the Trust’s education programmes.

Opening the webinar, she said it aligned with global efforts to encourage participatory approaches in rethinking education. These include Unesco’s Futures of Education initiative, which aims to catalyse a global debate on how education needs to be rethought in a world of increasing complexity, uncertainty and fragility.

Mphatsoe said the exclusion of teachers from discussions about policy and curriculum reforms is a disservice to them and the entire educational system. “As we envisage a new social contract for education, we must recognise that empowering teachers is not beneficial. It is essential,” she said.

Imposing policies on teachers without considering their input resulted in a lack of trust and buy-in, she said. “And if teachers are not recognised as national assets, then something is drastically wrong.”

Israel encouraged every teacher to become a change agent and to see themselves as a leader. “If we want social systems to change, to transform, to be revolutionised, it starts with a whisper, with one person,” she said. “It’s our responsibility to initiate a new social contract within our profession and start where we are – in our schools.”

By using technology and collaborative efforts, teachers could bridge the gap with policymakers, pushing for reforms that reflect their professional insight, said Israel. “Technology today makes all things possible. But teachers need to use it strategically – start small, send one meaningful idea to your colleagues, gather their support and share it with leadership. This is how change begins. Teachers form a critical mass – they can change social norms and lead our society forward.

Israel said a good place to start was with gaps in the curriculum. “Teachers are working with a generation that needs critical skills for the Fourth Industrial Revolution – critical thinking, communication, collaboration and creativity. Yet the current plans don’t nurture these skills nor encourage the creative voices of teachers.”

Ngcoza said another opportunity lay in bridging the gap between modern science and indigenous knowledge, which was largely excluded from formal curricula. “Indigenous knowledge and Western knowledge are not opposites,” he said. “They have connections, and our task as educators is to show how these systems complement each other.”

Webinar participants said a bottom-up approach to policymaking, informed by teachers’ insights, was essential for effective reform of prescriptive systems such as CAPS, which limited teachers’ creativity and autonomy.

Mphatsoe said: “When teachers feel they are heard and supported, they have huge potential to inspire and uplift the education system. Together, we can create a system that values collaboration, innovation, and above all, the invaluable contributions of our teachers.”

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LINDO MNISI

Lindo Mnisi is a qualified and experienced journalist and communicator, having worked in some of SA's reputable newsrooms. He is the editor of Online Magazine, a platform renowned for its comprehensive coverage of South African content. Online Magazine is a trusted source of information across a diverse array of topics, including business, property, education, music, television, film, travel, fashion, food, sports, and tech.

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