Emerging from an online meeting of the U21 Senior Academic Developers Group held in 2024, where the focus was the issue of Curriculum Transformation, we are pleased to share a case study from the University of Johannesburg (UJ). In it, Kirti Menon, Senior Director of the Division for Teaching Excellence, delves into the systemic considerations underpinning curriculum reform at UJ.
Situated in South Africa's economic hub, UJ has navigated the complex terrain of curriculum reform within the context of the apartheid legacy and the subsequent democratic shift post-1994.
Historical Context and Initial Reforms
Pre-1994, South Africa's education system was steeped in apartheid, with a hierarchical structure that limited access to certain fields of study for the majority based, on race, including a deliberate strategy to prevent the pursuit of STEM qualifications, with structural barriers in place in the school system and at university level.
The post-apartheid era led to an emphasis on equality, equity, redress, access, and employability. These informed the transformation of curricula, teaching, and learning.
The period 2015-2016 witnessed a resurgence of activism with movements, like #Fees Must Fall and #Rhodes Must Fall, challenging universities to reassess their reforms. Despite structural changes and allied policy interventions, the reality was that significant curriculum changes had not been effectively implemented.
In South Africa, the debate around decolonisation is particularly pertinent in light of its history, requiring universities to redefine curricula to resonate with African contexts and experiences. The curriculum today is a site of contestation, influenced by various pressures including the need to embed Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), develop cognitive and critical learning skills, and addressing decolonisation.
Approach to Transformation at UJ
Structural policy interventions led by government focused on qualification types and outcomes. They don’t deal directly with the content of curricula. So, UJ initiated extensive conversations within faculties to foster a comprehensive understanding of curriculum reform.
Decolonisation prompts questions about the meaning of decolonising knowledge, its implications for higher education, and how meaningful change might be made effective in teaching and learning. This meant reviewing knowledge production, research agendas, disciplinary boundaries, assessment criteria, course content, and teaching approaches. Emphasis was placed on integrating multiple knowledge systems and valuing indigenous knowledge. See UJ Decolonisation Charter (https://www.uj.ac.za/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/9_decolonisation-charter-approved-by-senate-1-june-2017.pdf).
UJ also developed Guidelines for Curriculum Transformation that focused on seven key standards:
- Academic Leadership: Faculties and academics must own the project of decolonising the curriculum.
- Transparency: Being open to interrogating the curriculum and how it is constructed.
- Access: Recognising the need of epistemological access for students.
- Context: Movement away from monolithic perspectives and locating curriculum, teaching and learning in the context of Africa.
- Critical review: Using peer and other forms of review and student inputs to facilitate curriculum changes.
- Curriculum reform: locating and acknowledging knowledge from marginalized knowledge systems
- Process: Recognizing that decolonising the curriculum is not a destination but an ongoing process.
These standards aim to ensure that curricula are constantly interrogated and aligned with both global and local debates. Ultimately curriculum transformation and decolonisation are complex and multifaceted processes that are ongoing at UJ, aided by continuous dialogue and reflection. Changes in curriculum content have begun to reflect African contexts more deeply, though the journey towards profound transformation continues.
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- Amber Bartlett