Need to re-imagine South African education

The Global Institute for Teacher Education and Society (GITES) Symposium is more than just an annual event; it serves as a catalyst for creating sustainable scholarly networks that transcend disciplinary and institutional boundaries. The symposium was recently held at the Granger Bay Campus.

The annual GITES symposium was established in 2023 to create an inspiring platform for academics, teachers, policymakers, and community members to engage in vital discussions about the contemporary issues facing South African education and beyond. The discourse emphasises the crucial need to cultivate social justice in education, fostering a united community of practice that brings together all stakeholders in society to drive meaningful change.

This year’s symposium was themed: Can Educational Equity and Quality be advanced in both the Global South and North within the context of Artificial Intelligence? The inspiring speakers included Prof Muhammad Khalifa from Ohio State University, Dr Robyn Whittaker from Africa Voices Dialogue, and Prof Andrew Hargreaves from Boston College and the University of Ottawa.

Prof Zayd Waghid, GITES Director, said this symposium had a strong internationalisation aspect by drawing attendees from across the globe, including Africa, Europe and Asia. Waghid said this year’s speakers had made a significant contribution to the field of education. “The perspectives of the keynotes provided much food for thought and dialogical engagement that were both insightful and provocative around the need to re-imagine South African education within the context of Artificial Intelligence towards realising equity and social justice.”

Waghid, Assoc Prof in the Faculty of Education, noted that one of the major highlights of the event included the work that the Africa Voices Dialogue has made concerning establishing a network of leading African scholars in debating contemporary issues influencing Africa and how the organisation has navigated around some of the major issues towards promoting equitable and quality education in several African schools. Khalifa’s talk on the influence of colonisation on education and its link to Artificial Intelligence was both provocative and necessary in creating discomfort around “our positions as educators”.

“Hargreaves' talk was an emotional one that enabled the audience to situate themselves in the stories that he presented through a humanistic pedagogy.”

He added that the GITES symposium was a catalyst for building sustainable scholarly networks that extend beyond disciplinary and institutional silos. “As GITES continues to grow, it envisions a ‘glocal’ (global and local) approach to education that values shared commitment, cultural responsiveness, and inclusivity.”

Written by Aphiwe Boyce
Email: BoyceAp@cput.ac.za