With the fall of apartheid in South Africa, expectations were high for the enfranchisement of the acutely underdeveloped majority in South Africa. But problems abound, and this educational study looks critically at the educational situation and puts forth a number of proposals that could produce better results in contemporary South Africa. Abdi urges that beyond the celebratory platforms of the political triumph over apartheid, there must be effective and culturally inclusive programs of education for the development of the highly disenfranchsed majority in South Africa. Deliberate programs of colonialism and apartheid in South Africa resulted in inferior education, cultural marginalization, political oppression, economic exploitation and resulting underdevelopment in the lives of the disenfranchised majority. In addition to historical and contemporary analysis, this study looks at the possibilities of formulating and implementing new programs of education and development that could effectively deal with such current problems as chronic unemployment, skyrocketing crime rates, stagnating learning systems, and the continuing formations of a huge underclass that may be losing its stake in the promised post-apartheid project.

There is increasing recognition of the important role culture plays in the framing and delivery of education and development in the South. Whether this is in the reciprocal and synergistic relationship between theory and practice or the links between research and policy, it is clear that at the heart of successful educational development is a recognition of the importance of culture. This book critically reviews the relationships of culture, education and development both from a theoretical and methodological perspective and also from the perspective of the teacher, researcher and policy maker on the ground. The importance of context is stressed throughout with a series of case studies of educational developments drawn from a range of national settings. Issues such as education and poverty elimination, local and global knowledge transfers, and the role and discourse of development assistance to education are examined from the perspective of culture and context. Of particular value to the education researcher and policy maker, whether working in the North or South, this book provides a timely reminder of the importance of culture in the development of education.

11 Motives and motivations for mature women's participation in higher education in Ghana -- Introduction -- Conceptualising the study -- Mature women's motives and motivations for HE participation -- Method -- Research context and participants -- Results and discussion -- Motivations for returning to study -- Parents' motivation -- Partners' encouragement, socio- economic status and childcare arrangements -- Geographical relocation and social networks -- Motives for entering HE -- Higher education as a tool for breaking the cycle of poverty -- Personal development -- "Everybody was going, so I wanted to go"--Conclusions -- Concluding remarks -- 12 Epilogue - reflections on cultural responsiveness -- Index

Addressing the challenge of developing effective schools in this daunting yet exciting period of transformation in South Africa, this book aims to provide some insights and guidelines on how to proceed with school development. The values at the heart of this book are those central to a democratic South Africa and include the exercise of basic human rights by all individuals, a fair distribution of resources, participative decision making, access to necessary information on the part of people affected, and accountability on the part of those in authority. This is a handbook for principals, teachers, and other persons or groups interested in the holistic development of schools--particularly within the context of a developing South Africa.

“Africa and Beyond: Arts and Sustainable Development is a massive undertaking by thoughtful theorists and practitioners in the creative/cultural industry. The combined effect of the volume is to disabuse the fixed, prevailing conception of the role of culture in society; a view that consigns the arts to the periphery of social life, devoid of any meaningful contribution to the alleviation of poverty and general development. Contrary to this view, the volume presents a more comprehensive, meaningful, insightful set of perspectives and paradigms that ascribe agency to creative/cultural products in all facets of human development. The usefulness of the volume extends beyond the industry itself. It is meant for a broader readership and is therefore highly recommended for specialists and the public at large.” – Professor Mokubung Nkomo, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Tshwane University of Technology, South Africa