Social Justice Policy and its Implementation in Public Education

The context for this book is post-apartheid South Africa’s vision for a renewed society based on equality, freedom and social justice for all citizens. Using case studies, it examines the role of education in this effort. It interrogates how effectively education for social justice has moved from legislative and policy intention to become part of the lived experiences of teachers and students in their everyday work in schools.

Chapters spotlight social justice education across multiple South African contexts focused largely on schools but also a number of non-school contexts. It explores the changes that took place in the post-apartheid period through the lenses of context, curriculum, and community to provide a holistic approach. The dismantlement of apartheid education policy that took place across South Africa tells one side of the story. The other side of the story, that is the main focus of this book, seeks to understand the extent to which priorities related to social justice policies became part of school level values and practices.

While the book focuses on South Africa, there are important lessons here for the global community. Achieving social justice in education is an integral aspect of multiple Sustainable Development Goals (SDGS). Fairness, equity and justice in its broadest sense need to characterise education systems and schools globally. The South African story can help those struggling with similar issues as we move towards 2030 and beyond.