HED4805
Assignment 4 2025
Unique #: 182074
Due Date: 22 August 2025
Detailed solutions, explanations, workings
and references.
+27 81 278 3372
, QUESTION 1
“PEOPLE’S EDUCATION FOR PEOPLE’S POWER” AND THE STRUGGLE
FOR EQUALITY DURING APARTHEID
Introduction
The phrase ―People‘s Education for People‘s Power‖ emerged during the 1980s
in South Africa as a response to the crisis in black education under apartheid. Far
from being a vague or politically expedient slogan, it represented a
comprehensive, grassroots educational philosophy rooted in the struggle for
equality, social justice, and democratic transformation. However, in later years,
the phrase has often been misrepresented or oversimplified for political purposes.
This essay analyses the historical context, objectives, and impact of People‘s
Education, illustrating how it was a strategic and ideological counter to apartheid
education.
Context of People’s Education in the 1980s
During the 1980s, apartheid education reached a critical juncture. Following the
1976 Soweto Uprising, resistance to Bantu Education intensified. The slogan
―Liberation Now, Education Later‖ captured the growing frustration among black
students who saw the education system as a tool of oppression. By the mid-
1980s, parents and teachers began to worry about the long-term impact of these
school boycotts, fearing that a generation of youth would be denied access to
education and economic opportunities (Kruss, 1988:8).
Out of this crisis, the movement for ―People‘s Education‖ emerged. It was a
deliberate attempt to reject apartheid education and to create a new educational
paradigm aligned with the goals of the liberation struggle. It sought to prepare
learners not only for academic success but also for participation in building a
democratic South Africa (Mkhatshwa, 1985:61).
Core Principles of People’s Education
Varsity Cube 2024 +27 81 278 3372
Assignment 4 2025
Unique #: 182074
Due Date: 22 August 2025
Detailed solutions, explanations, workings
and references.
+27 81 278 3372
, QUESTION 1
“PEOPLE’S EDUCATION FOR PEOPLE’S POWER” AND THE STRUGGLE
FOR EQUALITY DURING APARTHEID
Introduction
The phrase ―People‘s Education for People‘s Power‖ emerged during the 1980s
in South Africa as a response to the crisis in black education under apartheid. Far
from being a vague or politically expedient slogan, it represented a
comprehensive, grassroots educational philosophy rooted in the struggle for
equality, social justice, and democratic transformation. However, in later years,
the phrase has often been misrepresented or oversimplified for political purposes.
This essay analyses the historical context, objectives, and impact of People‘s
Education, illustrating how it was a strategic and ideological counter to apartheid
education.
Context of People’s Education in the 1980s
During the 1980s, apartheid education reached a critical juncture. Following the
1976 Soweto Uprising, resistance to Bantu Education intensified. The slogan
―Liberation Now, Education Later‖ captured the growing frustration among black
students who saw the education system as a tool of oppression. By the mid-
1980s, parents and teachers began to worry about the long-term impact of these
school boycotts, fearing that a generation of youth would be denied access to
education and economic opportunities (Kruss, 1988:8).
Out of this crisis, the movement for ―People‘s Education‖ emerged. It was a
deliberate attempt to reject apartheid education and to create a new educational
paradigm aligned with the goals of the liberation struggle. It sought to prepare
learners not only for academic success but also for participation in building a
democratic South Africa (Mkhatshwa, 1985:61).
Core Principles of People’s Education
Varsity Cube 2024 +27 81 278 3372
