A critical analysis of the ideological foundations of South African education in the transitional process from a deterministic to a democratic education system
English: In order to critically analyse the ideological foundations of South African education, a link was established between the nature of the transition from a closed to an open society and the emergence of an ideology. It was concluded that only when the differentiation of culture into different life spheres (inter alia, science, the arts, the school and the state) takes place in accordance with the distinct structure by which each sphere is constituted, such life spheres will coexist alongside each other. However, when one life sphere is accredited the status of the supreme source of authority, then other life spheres are regarded as subservient to the elevated sphere. In this regard it appears that the elevation of a life sphere to a supra-modal status constitutes the emergence of an ideology. While the latter represents a hierarchical view of society, a structurally pluralist view of society where all life spheres coexist alongside each other, appears to be anti-ideological. The impact of an ideology on school-typical education apparently results in the school not being granted the lawful right to function in accordance with its own sphere of competence and school-typical authority. Rather it is placed in a subservient position to the supposedly supreme authority, being misused for other than school-typical (ideological) purposes. Against this background an attempt was made to engage in a critical exposition of the way in which the school, as a relative autonomous social institution, functioned in different periods in the history of South African education. In the attempt to not only expose ideological thought-patterns, but also to penetrate to the presuppositions that underpin such thought-patterns, an argument was put forward in favour of the adoption of the critico-rationalist attitude, as well as the application of transcendental critique. Six critical questions proposed by the critical rationalist, Karl Popper, appeared to be helpful in exposing the ideological thought-patterns in a society. Although it was found that the exposure of such thought-patterns assists man in becoming more resistant against ideological indoctrination and manipulation, it was by virtue of transcendental critique that it was possible to the penetrate to the roots of such thought-patterns. Thus, by adopting the critico-rationalist attitude and by virtue of applying transcendental critique, it was possible to critically analyse the ideologicalfoundations of South African education. A critical exposition of the nature of South African education under the ban of the apartheid regime (1948 - 1994) revealed that school-typical education was primarily (mis)used to promote the ideology of apartheid. Simultaneously it was possible to determine that ideological thought-patterns during this dispensation were regulated not only by the absolutisation of a particular nation to the status of a supreme authority, but also by a fusion between the Christian principle (central commandment of love) and the absolutised nation. As such, it was concluded that when the school was mobilised as an ideological state apparatus, its structural uniqueness, as well as its terrain of competence was disregarded and violated. A critical review of the struggle against the oppressive apartheid regime also involved the exposition of the way in which school-typical education was mobilised as an ideological apparatus. It was concluded that this period was interspersed with ideological thought-patterns regulated by an elevated will of the people. Simultaneously, however, it was also possible to determine that the last appeal for the justification of norms and ideals were not to be found in the will of the people, but within the supposedly free autonomous human personality and human reason. The ideology of revolutionary populism therefore had a profound impact on school-typical education: since the will of the people was regarded as the supreme authority, and while it was the will of the people to liberate themselves from the oppressive apartheid regime, school-typical education was utilised as a tool of liberation. School-typical education was therefore, once again, reduced to an ideological apparatus and the school was not granted the right to function in accordance with school-typical aims. After the 1994-elections South African education was plunged into a process of radical transformation. While education in South Africa had for many years been misused for ideological purposes, transformation is aimed at establishing a non-racist and equitable system. When viewed against the background of conclusions drawn from the previous chapters, it is evident that transformation can only succeed once it allows school-typical education to function according to its own sphere of competence and authority. However, a critical analysis of educational transformation revealed the presence of ideological thought-patterns. Similar to the ideology of revolutionary populi srn, it appeared that ideological thought-patterns were being directed by an overemphasis on the will of the people. It can thus be anticipated that if the will of the people continues to be regarded as the supreme authority, school-typical education will once again be driven and directed, not by its own distinct structure, but by the will of a social collective entity called the people.
Afrikaans: Ten einde te kom tot 'n kritiese analise van die ideologiese onderbou van Suid-Afrikaanse onderwys, was dit nodig om die relasie tussen die aard van die oorgangsproses vanaf 'n geslote tot In oop samelewing, en die ontstaan van 'n ideologie vas te stel. In dié verband is daar tot die gevolgtrekking gekom dat indien die differensiasie van kultuur in 'n verskeidenheid lewensfere (inter alia, wetenskap, die kunste, die skool en die staat) in samehang met die besonderse struktuur wat die bestaan van elke lewensfeer moontlik maak, geskied, lewensfere in neweskikking tot mekaar sal bestaan. Sou 'n bepaalde lewensfeer egter met die status van 'n superieure outoriteit geakkerediteer word, dan word alle ander lewensfere aan die superieure sfeer ondergeskik gestel. In dié opsig wil dit voorkom asof die akkreditering van 'n lewensfeer met supra-modale status verband hou met die ontstaan van 'n ideologie. Terwyllaasgenoemde 'n hierargiese visie op die samelewing impliseer, blyk dit asof 'n struktureel-pluralistiese samelewingsvisie nie alleen die neweskikkende bestaan van lewensfere impliseer nie, maar dat sodanige visie ook anti-ideologies van aard is. Die impak van 'n ideologie op skool-tipiese onderwys lei skynbaar tot In situasie waar die skool nie die reg geniet om in samehang met sy eie bevoegdheidsfeer, en aan die hand van skool-tipiese gesag, te funksioneer nie. Dit blyk eerder dat wanneer die skool in 'n ondergeskikte posisie tot 'n genaamde superieure outoriteit geplaas word, dit tergelykertyd ook vir ander as skool-tipiese doeleindes misbruik word. Teen hierdie agtergrond is 'n poging aangewend om te kom tot 'n kritiese uiteensetting van die wyse waarop die skool, as 'n relatief-outonome sosiale instelling, tydens verskillende periodes in die Suid-Afrikaanse onderwysgeskiedenis gefunksioneer het. In In poging om ideologiese denkpatrone bloot te lê, en om ook tot die vooronderstellings wat sodanige patrone onderlê deur te dring, word daar ten gunste van die toepassing van kritiese rasionalisme, asook transendentale kritiek geargumenteer. Ses kritiese vrae, soos voorgestel deur Karl Popper, blyk behulpsaam te wees in die blootlegging van ideologiese denkpatrone. Alhoewel dit aangevoer kan word dat die blootlegging van sodanige denkpatrone die mens noop om meer weerstand teen ideologiese manipulasie en indoktrinasie te bied, is dit egter by wyse van transendentale kritiek moontlik om tot die wortels daarvan deur te dring. Dus, by wyse van die aanneming van die krities-rasionalistiese houding, en deur die toepassing van transendentale kritiek, blyk dit moontlik om tot In kritiese analise van die ideologiese onderbou in Suid-Afrikaanse onderwys te kom. 'n Kritiese uiteensetting van die aard van Suid-Afrikaanse onderwys tydens die apartheidsregime (1948-1994) toon dat skool-tipiese onderwys primêr misbruik is om die apartheidsideologie te bevorder. Terselfdertyd was dit moontlik om vas te stel dat ideologiese denkpatrone gedurende hierdie periode nie alleen deur die verabsolutering van 'n spesifieke nasie tot superieure status, maar ook deur 'n fusie tussen die Christelike beginsel (die sentrale liefdesgebod) en die verabsoluteerde nasie, gereguleer is. In dié verband is tot die gevolgtrekking gekom dat die skool nie alleen as 'n ideologiese staatsapparaat gemobiliseer is nie, maar dat die strukturele integriteit, sowel as die bevoegdheidsfeer van die skool misken en geskend is. 'n Kritiese oorsig van die stryd teen die onderdrukkende apartheidsregime gee 'n aanduiding van die wyse waarop skool-typiese onderwys as ideologiese apparaat gemobiliseer is. In dié verband is daar tot die gevolgtrekking gekom dat hierdie periode deurspek was met ideologiese denkpatrone wat deur die verabsoluteerde wil van die mense gereguleer is. Tergelykertyd is vasgestel dat die laaste appel vir die regverdiging van norme en ideale nie as sodanig in die wil van die mense te vinde was nie, maar eerder in die sogenaamde vrye, outonome menslike persoonlikheid en rede. Om hierdie rede het die ideologie van revolusionêre populisme In diepgaande impak op skool-tipiese onderwys gehad: aangesien die wil van die mense as die hoogste gesag voorgehou is, en terwyl dit die wil van die mense was om hulself van die onderdrukkende apartheidsregime te bevry, is skool-tipiese onderwys as In bevrydingsmiddel gemobiliseer. Skool-tipiese onderwys is gevolglik tot In ideologiese apparaat gereduseer, wat impliseer dat die skool weer eens nie die reg gegun is om in samehang met skool-tipiese doelstellings te funksioneer nie. , Na die 1994-verkiesing is Suid-Afrikaanse onderwys midde-in In radikale transformasie proses geplaas. Aangesien onderwys vir baie jare vir ideologiese doeleindes misbruik was, is huidige transformasie daarop afgestem om In nie-rassistiese en billike stelsel daar te stel. Teen die agtergrond van die uiteensetting van voorgaande gedagtes, blyk dit dat transformasie slegs suksesvol kan wees indien skool-tipiese onderwys die reg geniet om binne die grense van In eie bevoegdheidsterrein te funksioneer. In Kritiese uiteensetting van onderwystransformasie toon egter die teenwoordigheid van ideologiese denkpatrone. Soortgelyk aan die ideologie van revolusionêre populisme, wil dit voorkom asof ideologiese denkpatrone deur In oorbeklemtoning van die sogenaamde wil van die mense gereguleer word. Dit kan derhalwe geantisipeer word dat indien daar voortgegaan word om die wil van die mense as In superieure outoriteit voor te hou, skool-tipiese onderwys weer eens deur In eksterne outoriteit, en nie deur In eie unieke struktuur nie, gereguleer sal word.