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The right to basic education for all in South Africa: Implications for school principals
Full text linkIt is now globally accepted that all children have the right to basic education as a fundamental human right. This right must not only be guaranteed, but also fulfilled holistically to meet all children’s educational needs. This occurs when its three dimensions, namely, access, quality and safe conditions are equally addressed. In other words, the right to basic education is fulfilled when all children have access to quality education in a safe school environment. For this reason, the state has a duty to promote and protect this right entirely. In South Africa, the state has put in place a legislative and policy framework to meet its obligation in this regard. However, despite the state’s efforts in creating child-friendly school conditions, children in schools still experience challenges that negatively impinge upon their educational rights. Such challenges include school dropout, grade repetition together with poor academic performance and achievement. The problem is rooted in the disconnection between access to education, school safety and quality education, putting the spotlight on the school principal’s leadership. This paper concludes that refocusing on the application of the school leadership theory has the potential to reduce the problem. https://doi.org/10.19108/KOERS.82.3.233
Perceptions of Reformational Philosophy – an Empirical Study
Full text linkThis is a presentation of the findings of a 2016 survey of Reformational scholars. There were a total of 119 respondents; the majority were male, over 25 and living in North America, although there were a significant number from South America. The way they came into contact with Reformational philosophy, what attracted them to it, and what they perceive as its strengths and weaknesses are examined. The respondents were self-selecting and it was accessible only to those who had access to the Internet, but despite this it provides an interesting perspective on Reformational philosophy by those sympathetic to it.
https://doi.org/10.19108/KOERS.82.1.228
Neoliberalism and education: A reformational-pedagogical perspective (part 1)
Full text linkThis article forms yet another link in a series of studies and publications from the pens (computers) of South African reformational educationists regarding the so-called –isms deemed to be threats to the Christian (Biblical) orientation to education (including teaching and learning). In this, the first part of the article, a brief overview is given of how these reformational educationists have so far attended to the various “-isms” that they perceived to be threats or challenges to Christian education. This is followed by an attempt to define the concept “neoliberalism” and to indicate what it means in general, and in particular, in educational context. This part of the article paves the way for a critical analysis of neoliberalism as a “philosophy of education” and of its transcendental preconditions in the second part.https://doi.org/10.19108/KOERS.82.1.227
Managing plagiarism of South African Honours students: Does an intervention have any effect?
Full text linkThe aim of the study was to investigate whether an intervention to address post-graduate student plagiarism in an Honours programme in Human Resource Management at a South African university had an impact one-year later. In a quasi-experimental design, the sample comprised 34 students in a control group and 70 students in two intervention groups. Student essays were examined for different types of plagiarism at two different times and compared by means of Wilcoxon Signed-Rank and Kruskal-Wallis tests. Findings indicate that students who were exposed to both parts of an intervention evidenced less plagiarism in their essays one year later than those who were exposed to only one part of the intervention or no intervention at all.https://doi.org/10.19108/KOERS.82.1.230
Understanding the relationship between human rights abuse, state dysfunction and postcolonial sovereignty in Africa
Full text linkThis article explores the interrelationship between the phenomena of state dysfunction, human rights abuse and postcolonial states in the African context. The incidence and extent of state dysfunction and human rights abuse are evaluated empirically, which reveals that dysfunctional states in Africa are generally guilty of neglecting human rights. I attempting to understand this apparent correlation, the politico-juridical construct of negative sovereignty, as formulated by Robert Jackson, is analysed with specific reference to postcolonial African states. The analysis suggests, paradoxically, dysfunctional states may utilise the same normative precepts that served as justifications for decolonisation (such as self-determination and non-intervention) to obfuscate or obstruct the scrutiny of human rights domestically. From these insights it is posited that functional states, both in institutional and political terms, may serve as the most effective bulwark of human rights in Africa, and that the phenomenon of state dysfunction as it relates to domestic human rights violations warrants more consideration.https://doi.org/10.19108/KOERS.82.1.230
Die onvoltooide reformasie van Martin Luther (1483-1546) ?n Verkenning van die filosofiese grondslae van sy denke met spesiale aandag aan sy tweerykeleer
Full text linkAbstractThe incomplete reformation of Martin Luther (1483-1546); a reconnaissance of the philosophical foundations of his thinking with special reference to his two-kingdom doctrineDuring the past five hundred years the studies written from a theological perspective on Luther’s thinking could fill a whole library, while not much is available about the deeper worldviewish-philosophical presuppositions of his intellectual development.Therefore this investigation traces the relevant late medieval influences on his thinking, especially the philosophy of William of Ockham (1285-1349). Special attention is given to the three phases in Luther’s development and his much debated two-kingdom doctrine, distinguishing between the rule of God’s left and right hand.Questions like the following will be discussed: When and why did this double-focus view of reality originate? What were the real issues which Luther tried to solve with such a paradigm? Could it be maintained in the light of God’s threefold revelation in creation, in Scripture and finally in Christ? Could it be regarded – as some contemporary Reformed theologians suggest – as a genuine Reformational approach? Should it not rather be viewed as an unfinished reformation, calling for continuous reformation? SamevattingDie afgelope 500 jaar het, in vergelyking met die magdom teologiese literatuur, min oor die diepere lewensbeskoulik-filosofiese grondslae van Luther se denkwêreld die lig gesien. Tot ?n mate is dit verstaanbaar omdat hy primêr ?n hervormer van kerk en teologie was.Ter herdenking van die gebeure op 31/10/1517 handel hierdie ondersoek oor die invloed van die laat-Middeleeuse filosofiese denke, in besonder dié van Willem van Ockham (1285-1349), op die reformator van Wittenberg. Daar word aangetoon hoe hy deur drie hoof fases ontwikkel het en daarna word spesiale aandag gegee aan sy bekende en omstrede leer van twee ryke, dié van God se linker- en regterhand.Onder andere die volgende vrae word in dié verband gestel. Wanneer en waarom het hierdie dubbelfokusvisie op die werklikheid ontstaan? Wat was die probleme wat Luther met so ?n paradigma wou aanspreek? Kan so ?n lewensvisie in die lig van God se drievoudige openbaring in die skepping, die Skrif en Christus gehandhaaf word? Kan dit – soos sekere Gereformeerde teoloë vandag weer suggereer – as werklik reformatories beskou word? Moet Luther se Christelike lewensbeskouing nie eerder gesien word as ?n onvoltooide reformasie wat tot verdere reformasie roep nie?https://doi.org/10.19108/KOERS.82.2.234
Cur crux: is the method significant?
Full text linkWhile most recognise the centrality of the cross to Christianity, there is not the same consensus as regards its meaning. Then while it is clear that the suffering and death of Jesus was instrumental in salvation, why did he die in the horrible way that he did? Crucifixion was the preferred method of execution for political offence by the Romans, and by its horror was intended to deter. Paul understands that the crucified, by being hung, bears a curse, which is carried by Christ so that people can be blessed in the declaration of justification. The actual suffering and death was due to enforced immobility, a total loss of freedom, and is the ultimate in the process of self-emptying by the son of God in incarnation. As such it is an appropriate penalty for sin which is an abuse of the liberty given to humanity. These three reasons for the cross then relate to the main theories of the atonement which are aspects of a full understanding. Union with Christ in his suffering is then atoning.https://doi.org/10.19108/KOERS.82.1.230
Bourdieu, Rancière, Inequality and Education
Full text linkThis paper is an exploration of the respective approaches of Pierre Bourdieu and Jacques Rancière to education, specifically the question, whether education has a significant ‘effect’ or influence on social inequality. Bourdieu’s work is presented in terms of his well-known and related concepts of cultural capital and habitus, where the latter is understood as a largely unconscious cultural predisposition or attitude that is the result of cultivation as a function of cultural capital, that is, the symbolic-cultural manifestation of distinctive class taste. It is argued that, although Bourdieu is critical of inequality in French society, his research has shown that it is endemic to that society, and that education, which begins at home and continues through school to university – including ‘ordinary’ universities as well as the prestigious ‘grand écoles’ of France – is the main mediating institution in the establishment, reinforcement and legitimation of social inequality in the highly stratified French society. In contrast to Bourdieu’s work, which seems to be unable to move beyond the description and theorisation of a society that is (apparently irredeemably) characterised by inequality, for Rancière equality may be approached as an ‘hypothesis’ in need of confirmation, and there are several strategies to pursue this, one of which is to adopt the principle of ‘ignorance’ on the part of the teacher, in order to demonstrate the ability of students to ‘teach themselves’ once they have the requisite material – a reference to Joseph Jacotot, who adopted this approach in 19th-century France, with unexpectedly affirmative results. Furthermore, Rancière criticises Bourdieu for supplying the means to ‘distribute the sensible’ in a hierarchical manner, effectively excluding workers from the ‘polis’, on the grounds that they do not share the capacity of ‘logos’ with other citizens (such as the elites). Rancière therefore claims that Bourdieu simply accepts the immutability of hierarchical class divisions in society. The usefulness of these two thinkers’ work for education in South Africa is explored in this paper. https://doi.org/10.19108/KOERS.82.1.231
John Calvin on the gifts of the Holy Spirit in his commentary on Acts
Full text linkJohn Calvin is often considered to have taught the cessation of the extraordinary gifts of the Holy Spirit. This certainly does not give the complete picture of how Calvin wrestled with those passages from Scripture which deal with the extraordinary gifts. In his commentary on the book of Acts Calvin makes a conscious effort to show that in most of the cases where the gifts of the Spirit are mentioned, the focus is not on the gifts in a general sense, but in an extraordinary sense. These extraordinary gifts had been limited to the initial phase of the church. The reasons that Calvin provides for this cessation is somewhat ambiguous. On the one hand Calvin indicates a very specific, divine purpose for the gifts, which limits its usefulness and existence until the point when the purpose had been achieved. However, there are also passages where one gets the impression that the cessation of the gifts was not necessarily divinely intended, but was due to human error. Of great importance is the way Calvin subsequently applies these texts to the readers of his own day.
Johannes Calvyn oor die gawes van die Heilige Gees in sy kommentaar op Handelinge
Dikwels word aangeneem dat Johannes Calvyn die beëindiging van die buitengewone gawes van die Heilige Gees voorgestaan het. Dit gee egter nie die volle prentjie van hoe Calvyn met daardie Skrifgedeeltes, waarin die buitengewone gawes behandel word, geworstel het nie. In sy kommentaar op die boek Handelinge wys Calvyn bewustelik daarop dat in die meeste gevalle waar die gawes van die Gees genoem word, die fokus nie op die gawes in ’n algemene sin is nie, maar eerder op die gawes in ’n buitengewone sin. Hierdie buitengewone gawes is beperk tot die beginfase van die kerk. Die redes wat Calvyn vir hierdie beëindiging aanvoer, is egter dubbelsinnig. Aan die eenkant wys Calvyn op ’n baie spesifieke, Goddelike doel met die gawes, waardeur hulle bruikbaarheid en voortbestaan beperk word tot die tyd toe die doel bereik is. Aan die anderkant, egter, is daar ook gedeeltes wat die indruk skep dat die beëindiging van die gawes nie noodwendig Goddelik bepaal is nie, maar ’n gevolg was van menslike sonde. Van groot belang is hoe Calvyn hierdie tekste vervolgens toepas op die lesers van sy eie tyd.
https://doi.org/10.19108/KOERS.82.2.235
John Calvin, 2 Samuel 2:8-32 and Resistance to Civil Government: Supreme Equivocation or Mastery of Contextual Exegesis?
Full text linkAbstract
Over the years, it has been the considered view of some scholars that John Calvin regarded popular armed resistance to duly appointed but abusive civil rulers as illegitimate in the world of the 16th century and, by analogy, in the world of today. Instead, they are of the view that the legitimacy of forceful resistance to a tyrannical civil magistrate as subsequently developed by the later Huguenots, Scottish Covenanters and English Parliamentarians was rooted in the thought of Theodore Beza as it allegedly diverged from that of Calvin. They apparently base this view exclusively on a reading of the Institutes 4.20.24-30. This paper examines whether Calvin’s sermons on 2 Samuel, preached in 1562, puts to rest accusations of equivocation raised by the infamous “perhaps” of paragraph 31; and if so, whether they evidence a development in Calvin’s thought which stands in irreconcilable contradiction to the position expressed in the last chapter of the Institutes.
Opsomming
Johannes Calvyn, 2 Samuel 2:8-32 en weerstand teen die burgerlike owerheid: uiterste dubbelsinnigheid of beheersing van kontekstuele eksegese?
Deur die jare was dit die oorwoë mening van kenners dat Johannes Calvyn gewapende weerstand teen die regmatige – hoewel onderdrukkende – owerheid as onwettig in die wêreld van die 16de eeu beskou het, en dat dit daarom ook onwettig vir vandag is. Daarenteen is hulle van mening dat die regmatigheid van gewelddadige weerstand teen die onderdrukkende owerheid, soos dit later deur die Hugenote, Skotse ‘Covenanters’ en Engelse Parlementariërs ontwikkel is, eerder in die denke van Theodore Beza gegrond was, na bewering in afwyking van Calvyn. Oënskynlik word hierdie mening uitsluitend gebaseer op ’n lesing van die Institusie 4.20.24-30.
Hierdie artikel ondersoek of Calvyn se preke oor 2 Samuel, gehou in 1562, die aantyging van dubbelsinnigheid wat deur die berugte “miskien” van paragraaf 31 opgeroep word, kan weerlê. En indien wel, of hierdie preke ’n ontwikkeling in Calvyn se denke aantoon, wat in ’n onversoenbare teenstrydigheid staan met die posisie wat in die laaste hoofstuk van die Institusie ingeneem word.
https://doi.org/10.19108/KOERS.82.2.235