Reflections on teaching for social justice at a South African University of Technology

Abstract

Despite the fact that educational technology is not a panacea for preparing graduates for the local and global environment, we live in an age in which students should be able to function effectively in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Essential skills such as creativity, critical thinking, self-reflexivity, cooperation, and communication need to be better linked with educational technology. In order to build technology from an African point of view, one must first engage in conversations about what technology means to Africans through the lens of their Indigenous Knowledge Systems. I have come to the realisation that the lack of ubuntu in African society is the single most fundamental barrier that Africa faces as a continent (Waghid, Waghid & Waghid 2018). People will make judgments that are responsible and ethical if they are given the opportunity to speak their opinions. Therefore, it is the responsibility of academics to do research or collaborate on the development of alternative methods in order to ensure that language does not construct or maintain uneven power relations in a classroom, but rather causes disruptions in these relationships (Waghid & Ontong 2022). I am of the view that language is a crucial aspect in all areas of research, regardless of whether one takes a translanguaging or bilingual approach to the problem. In addition to giving students a significant amount of freedom and flexibility, the most important aspects of designing a curriculum are putting an emphasis on the creative potential of students, allowing them the freedom to re-imagine their own futures, and giving students a substantial amount of autonomy (Waghid & Hibbert 2018; Waghid 2022). To assist educational institutions in functioning cohesively throughout the ongoing industrial revolution and beyond, I propose that students be recognised as key components in the restructuring of educational curricula. This would help educational institutions prepare students for careers of the future.