The changing dynamics in the 21st century globally in terms of epistemologies, technology, environment, economy, and social challenges have ramifications on learning systems. Such dynamics calls for diversity and rethinking of innovative teaching and learning (T&L) strategies. It is on that note that this chapter focuses on such challenges based on the current pandemic. Available research indicates a top-down approach from the state and those in leadership, and lecturers themselves utilise Western pedagogy in teaching. This chapter reports on a qualitative study of self-reflection of two African female students with their lecturer about the teaching pedagogy that they would prefer as African female students in the midst of a global crisis. The findings revealed that democratically reached decisions on T&L can work in any context and gives ownership of all those involved. The study concludes that using ubuntulising alongside other Western teaching pedagogies can promote students' full participation and can be applicable in varied contexts, even within poverty-stricken settings.
TopIntroduction
Educational systems have made great strides in creating an inclusive educational system however, the corona virus (COVID 19) context has exposed severe inequalities that exist among the South African populace. With the lock down executed by the President of the Republic of South Africa from the 26 of March till the 16th of April 2020 and prolonging it to the 30th of April many institutions are closed and students are at home. As a result, educational institutions have had to shift from traditional teaching, being face-to-face teaching to E-Learning (Mlambo, Mlambo & Adetiba, 2021). It is within the context of the corona pandemic that the normative of contact Teaching &Learning (T& L) has displaced or questioned how the authors of this paper conceptualise T&L. However, it has been seen that the pandemic could create new solutions and innovation within the higher education (HE) institutions. Technology has transformed society as a whole however, compelling questions remain about how technology can be implemented and its impact of T&L within HE. Hence the paper focuses on the debate on the T&L process in ensuring that all students are accommodated in T&L. Ashby (1966) expressively enunciated dimensions of the development of the transfer of HE from the colonial power to the colonies. Hence this article contends that, historically, the education system of South Africa, from the missionary to the colonial era, apartheid and beyond, continues to corrode the principles of Ubuntu and the cultural context within which these values are found.
This is indicated by the continual outcry of students in HE about being excluded in important decisions that affect their education (Le Grange, 2014; and Mbembe, 2016). But the major problem is that the struggle of fighting to be accommodated in HE in terms of curriculum, socially, economically - student leadership ends up politicising educational issues and is not expressive of the voices of those they represent especially during this era of COVID 19. The issue is that the higher structures in universities usually have a tendency of silencing students’ voices regarding how students want to be taught. As explicitly articulated by Maphiswana & Noyoo (2000) and Hlatshwayo (2020) the shortcomings in HE are the hesitancy of some South African universities to address known discriminatory norms and practices in the curriculum which further alienate and oppress African students and staff voices. This also is exacerbated by the fact that within South Africa’s HE institutions, there is limited a link between policies that aim to increase inclusiveness and the experiences of students and staff (Engelbrecht, 2020, Bozalek & Boughey, 2012). Pedagogies used are also discriminatory as they adhere mostly to colonial and privileged class standards.
COVID 19 has intensified the inequalities that exist in HE as students are expected to shift from contact to remote T&L. In the face of the pandemic, new era of teaching-learning approaches required innovative methods to fill the gap created by traditional teaching (Gadre, 2022). The first-generation approaches to technology-based education was grounded on simulating the physical class format and pedagogies over the internet, therefore, delivering the classroom experience digitally (Singh, 2003 cited by Sekome & Mokoele, 2022).
Therefore, restructuring is necessary whereby teaching pedagogy accommodates all students and lecturers are equipped with skills to deal with disempowered African students. One of the effective ways of doing that is to draw from the ethics of Ubuntu especially of participation where we use a bottom- up approach and record voices of African students themselves and hear how they want to be taught which is the lacuna that exists in academia.