TOWARDS AFRICANIZING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS (SDG) 4: SCHOOL LEADERSHIP REFLECTIONS ON EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABLE FUTURES
Department of Education Leadership and Management, Faculty of Education, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa
Mukateko Louisa Sithole
Department of Education Leadership and Management, Faculty of Education, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa
Abstract
The outcry for quality education for all remains an issue almost three decades later in a democratic South Africa, demeaning the youth of 1976 who fought in response to the general poor-quality Bantu education offered to Black South African learners. The authors of this paper engaged in an ongoing discussion with six township school principals about quality education and what it might look like for the South African context over the period of one year. These discussions were in response to the alarming statistics of unemployment, increasing poverty and inequality, and the concurrent hopelessness plaguing youth. A qualitative case study research approach within an interpretive paradigm was adopted. Thematic analysis generated findings that describe quality education as education for lifelong learning, differentiated and offering possible futures, nurturing enterprise, creativity, and innovation, and offering innovative and third-space learning environments. The paper concludes that education for a sustainable future should be inclusive, adaptable, flexible, and integrated so that learners can be prepared for future worlds.
Keywords
SDG 4; Quality Education; Lifelong Learning; 21st Century Skills; Education for Sustainable Futures; Ubuntu
