School of Education Studies

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Browsing School of Education Studies by Author "Barnett, E. P."

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    Conceptualising education for ecological democracy in Lesotho: An African philosophy of education perspective
    (University of the Free State, 2022) Mutebi, Richard; Barnett, E. P.; Kruger, F.
    Climate change is a global threat that has brought us to the edge of ecological precarity. The crisis we face due to climate change impacts all aspects of human life, a reality which raises substantial concerns while highlighting our communities' relationship with the environment. Natural factors such as volcanic eruptions, changing ocean currents, solar variations, and internal variability are experienced in different countries. These natural factors are inducing climate change at an alarming rate. Such natural factors have been identified among those responsible for the climate-related disasters experienced by various countries in the recent past. Therefore, we are compelled to articulate and put in place structures to mitigate the causes of climate change to the changes already occurring. This qualitative study explored the potential contribution of the African Philosophy of Education, grounded in communitarianism and expressed through the concepts of ubuntu and ukama, to conceptualising education for Ecological Democracy in the Lesotho education policy context. The study adopted a transformative paradigm to address the main research question: What potential does the African Philosophy of Education offer to conceptualise education for ecological democracy within the context of the Lesotho education policy? A qualitative approach supported by a literature review, document and policy analysis unpacked the African Philosophy of education and its communitarianism concepts of ubuntu and ukama. As a literature review study, the study did not have participants but was guided by Samuel's guidelines on policy reading and Gagnon and Labonte's framework of analysis. I analysed the content of selected documents that address climate change in Lesotho and the Lesotho educational policy landscape to conceptualise the potential of Lesotho education for ecological democracy. Analyses of the documents revealed that climate change mitigation in Lesotho is possible when citizens are motivated to work through communities to maintain and preserve the Basotho cultural identity grounded within the African Philosophy of Education and its incorporation of the African ideas of ubuntu and ukama. By communitarianism living and observing democratic governance, people in communities learn to cooperate and collaborate, and care for the environment, and this will benefit not only humans but also non-humans through the creation of structures allowing harmonious living between humans and non-humans, and contribute to the knowledge of ecological democracy.
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    Exploring the potential of Lesotho education policies to promote a sense of communitarian belonging
    (University of the Free State, 2022) Manka, ‘Maqenehelo; Barnett, E. P.
    Lesotho education system continues to impart foreign values through an inherited education that is purely academic and examination type that favours cognitive domain while marginalising inter alia psychomotor skills. Furthermore, a strong anthropocentric focus and the subsequent preference for individualism, feeds into a disconnection between students and the community spaces in which they find themselves. In order to tone down these educational problems, the Lesotho education system was undergoing a review of primary and secondary education through the promulgation of policies to give all Basotho access to relevant and quality education fully responsive to the country's needs. The study aims to explore the potential of Lesotho education policies for the development of a sense of communitarian belonging. This implies that the study works towards determining the extent to which policies are attuned to the immediate place in which students find themselves in which a localised web of life that incorporates humans and non-humans in a place is promoted. A sense of communitarian belonging depicts an African communal way of living, where there are embedded relationships established from a social and a physical connection of humans to the biophysical world. In addition, a sense of communitarian belonging is grounded on the geographic, cultural and relational experiences that are inherent in a place. African communitarian belonging exhibits morals informed by ubuntu and ukama. This conceptual study seeks to answer the following research question: What is the potential of Lesotho education policies to promote a sense of communitarian belonging? Pursuant to this question, African communitarianism is examined and unpacked to conceptualise education in the Lesotho policy context, as founded on a sense of communitarian belonging. A qualitative approach and research methods such as a literature review, document analysis and policy analysis would enable exploration of the potential of Lesotho education policies to promote a sense of communitarian belonging. For this study, no participants were involved but content analysis of the selected policies was undertaken to address the central question of the study through the adoption of themes derived from the conceptual framework. The findings from document analysis revealed that Lesotho Constitution 1993 lays the foundation of laws and policies in the country hence it expects policies developed in education to introduce education that is responsive to the needs of the Basotho nation which is framing education from the community spaces in which students live. It was revealed that the Constitution aspires to promote moral development, but is silent on education framed from the community spaces in which students live and has excluded the skills and dispositions that would enable students to contribute meaningfully in their communities. The findings revealed that Lesotho Vision 2020 alludes to a sense of communitarian belonging as it aspires for teaching of environmental education in all levels, thus it considers the need for students to interact and learn from their immediate place, promotes cultural heritage and aspires for norms and values that define the Basotho nation and provide skills and dispositions that would enable students to unleash their potential. The findings from policy analysis found out that Lesotho Education Act 2010 was meant to enact matters pertaining to education, it was enacted to legalise free primary education. In this context the Act 2010 is silent on the education framed from the community places in which students live. The analysis of that Curriculum and Assessment Policy 2009 revealed that the policy has adopted curriculum aspects that refer to the teaching and learning that considers the community spaces in which students live. In this aspect CAP 2009 intends to root teaching and learning content from the environment thus, the student's lived experiences are acknowledged, the awareness of the self and others and the personal, social and spiritual learning envisions to inculcate moral values that are pertinent in students personal and social growth. The findings further revealed that CAP 2009 anticipates to provide students with skills and dispositions that would enable them to fit in the world of work, it envisions to provide students with skills that places primacy in the survival of the students.