An Intersectionality Perspective on Rural Adolescent Access to Digital Technology in South Africa

The recent COVID-19 pandemic has brought to the fore compounding disparities in the South African education system. The world at large has suddenly been faced with the challenge of blended learning given that COVID-19 has reconstituted the traditional form of education delivery. Much emphasis has been placed on global education, yet due to compounding inequalities stemming from the effects of apartheid, the South African education system has been left further entrenched in the digital divide. It is for this reason that the authors of this chapter illuminate the lack of digital technology, its subsequent effect on adolescents in rural areas, and how it impacts on their ability to learn and compete in the global education sphere. The perspective of Intersectionality theory highlighted in this chapter is used to address the inequalities perpetuated by digital technology on adolescents in rural areas.

Some problems and policies in African education in the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland

Towards the end of 1953, formal steps were taken to join Southern and Northern Rhodesia and Nyasaland into a political Federation. In this very new country, the policy is to work towards an integrated society with freedom for each one, black and white, to develop his capacities to the full.<br><br>In South Africa, the government is controlled by the Europeans. The Africans, on the other hand, hold the reins of government in the Gold Coast. The Federation is opening doors to the African to enable him to develop into responsible citizenship. As Lord Llewellin, Governor-General of the Federation, has stressed, it is neither a black man's country nor a white man's country. "Africans, Europeans and Indians have an equal right to be there, and have a right, when capable of doing so, to have a say in the Government. We are trying an experiment to see if people cannot make a happy land where people can live together in friendship and peace, whatever the colour of their skins."

Some problems and policies in African education in the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland

Towards the end of 1953, formal steps were taken to join Southern and Northern Rhodesia and Nyasaland into a political Federation. In this very new country, the policy is to work towards an integrated society with freedom for each one, black and white, to develop his capacities to the full.<br><br>In South Africa, the government is controlled by the Europeans. The Africans, on the other hand, hold the reins of government in the Gold Coast. The Federation is opening doors to the African to enable him to develop into responsible citizenship. As Lord Llewellin, Governor-General of the Federation, has stressed, it is neither a black man's country nor a white man's country. "Africans, Europeans and Indians have an equal right to be there, and have a right, when capable of doing so, to have a say in the Government. We are trying an experiment to see if people cannot make a happy land where people can live together in friendship and peace, whatever the colour of their skins."

Decolonization of Higher Education in South Africa

Western education still dominates the education terrain across Africa. For some people, the dominance is nothing but ‘academic imperialism,’ which is believed to have relegated African scholars to mere conduits of knowledge through which European and American scholarship and interests are protected and promoted. Consequently, a dissident voice is resonating in the African educational system, particularly South African education system, demanding the recognition of ‘home-grown’ knowledge to solve home-grown problems. This article engages the debate about decolonization of higher education in South Africa and asks the fundamental question of whether or not it is possible to achieve a fully decolonized curriculum in a society that is already cloaked and engulfed by capitalism and Western ideologies.

A Political History of Educational Development through International Organizations

International aid to African education is a complicated system involving thousands of organizations and billions of dollars. From global policy provisions to school block construction, the scale of educational development in Africa encompasses a range of solutions unlike those seen in any other region of the world. African classrooms are molded through local, national, regional, and global forces in ways unknown elsewhere. Understanding international aid to African education through a historical lens allows for an informed exploration of theoretical foundations and their impact on today’s realities. A political history emphasizes the oft-times hidden assumptions of aid and development while revealing necessary shifts for future disruption.

Is Decentralisation a Suitable Response to Improve South African Rural Education?

South Africa (SA) has a decentralised education system. It is generally assumed that decentralisation improves the effectiveness and efficiency of education by responding to the needs, values, and expectations of both local and rural communities. A large part of SA could be described as rural and a large number of learners attend rural schools. This makes rural education a significant part of the South African education context. With education being decentralised, and with decentralisation being heralded as the panacea to the problems faced by rural communities as well as rural education, the assumption is that rural education should be of a high quality. This desk-top paper assesses the potential of decentralisation to improve the quality and effectiveness of South African rural education. This it does by locating decentralisation within neoliberalism which this paper argues is the impetus behind the decentralisation of South African education, and the reason for the decline in the quality and effectiveness of rural education. The paper also highlights certain tensions between the various decentralised spheres of governance, namely the central and provincial Departments of Education and school-level governance structures. The paper further indicates how these tensions potentially hamper the effectiveness and efficiency of rural education. The paper concludes with some recommendations aimed at improving rural education.