Any curriculum is by its very nature situated as well as contextual and co-determined by place and time. I will commence my presentation by firstly reflecting on the role that education/curriculum should be playing in a transforming society such as South Africa. Put differently, what is the role of education in a transforming society and how could we as a society embrace educational approaches that could facilitate social transformation and the building of a more just, equitable and humane society. The Rhodes and Fees Must Fall movements by students in South Africa during 2015/2016 have placed the curriculum at the centre of deliberations about transformation and decolonisation in South Africa. Secondly, I will argue that given our history where Apartheid and separation was legally enforceable and where almost every facet of our lives were determined by race-based politics it is unavoidable to teach for social justice. In teaching for social justice, I will argue that critical pedagogy is indispensable as a vehicle to confront this racial past. Lastly, I will argue that if we want to transform the curriculum in meaningful ways, we have to adopt alternative conceptualisations of knowledge and embrace a “pluralisation of knowledge” which is more in line with the imperatives in a postcolonial society. This is a conceptual paper, and I will argue with the many contemporary theorists who advocate for social justice and a schooling system and curriculum whose function should be the cultivation of compassionate citizens who are deeply moved by a sense of justice and the creation of a more equal and humane society. If we do not transform the curriculum in meaningful ways, the dream of a “rainbow nation” will remain a pipe dream.

Sylvan Blignaut is Professor in the Department of Postgraduate Studies in the Faculty of Education at Nelson Mandela University. He was the Director of the School of Educational Research and Engagement in the Faculty of Education during 2016-2018. He is a C-2 rated researcher with the National Research Foundation in South Africa. His research interests centre on curriculum policy and theory, educational change,teacher epistemologies and decolonisationof higher education.During 2010-2011 he was a Fulbright Postdoctoral fellow in the USA,at the University of Washington in Seattle, where he focused on social justice issues in the curriculum. He has lectured a course work M Ed degree in Curriculum Policy, Development and Management at centres across Southern Africa.Sylvan has published extensively in national and international journals and has also supervised many PhD and M Ed students to completion.