Introduction
An education system exists to serve the interests of society. African leaders derive a delegated authority to empower learners with knowledge. However, when the school fees are high, many learners cannot pursue their studies, and the value of learning institutions to the citizens diminishes (Christie, 1985). A working environment where people work for long hours with punitive wages negates the economic gains of having resources because they add little value to the citizens’ well-being (Nyamnjoh, 2015). South African agency structures improved substantially after the apartheid because it was no longer sustainable to run the country by coercion and discrimination of the black people, who are the majority. The focus of this paper is to look at the ways in which agency works and the importance of recognizing that there are various ways that agency is demonstrated in practice, such as the post-apartheid protests.
Post-Apartheid Practices
A post-apartheid movement fronting concerns about the high cost of education emerged to compel the white leaders to submit to their quest for alternative ways of running the country’s affairs. The Fees Must Fall movement mobilized members across universities in the country (Hodes, 2017). Its members believed they could differentiate between the governance structures before and after apartheid. Changing the administration structures could help realize the organization’s ultimate goals.
Adjusting physical structures used during the apartheid was the first milestone in rebuilding new South Africa. The existing ones reminded the people about violating their rights, and using them in their previous form could deter progress in forgetting the past (Hodes, 2017). Those structures promoted inequality, and the post-apartheid period should deconstruct the negativity created by the previous government (Hodes, 2017). The new system would represent hope for the country, structures that undermine equality in serving the citizens were destroyed, and new ones were raised, mirroring the contemporary post-apartheid society.
In line with the transformation agenda, the institution’s structural adjustment was necessary to confirm the end of the apartheid error. Learning facilities Initially developed for whites only were prominently visible in the white neighborhood (Hodes, 2017). The sculptures on the walls reminded non-whites about their status in society (Hodes, 2017). Since those structures presented the white culture for the new regime to use them post-apartheid, it was appropriate to restructure these facilities to reflect that they served all people’s interests.
As the need to do things differently emerged, concerns about the curriculum students studied in schools were in the limelight. Institutional leaders believed that the most critical change to overcome apartheid and its implication on the South-African society was changing the curriculum in schools, especially for humanities, to reflect the country’s culture (Hodes, 2017). The curriculum changes in the post-apartheid period had a significant impact because they enabled the native South Africans to study their culture and history (Hodes, 2017). These adjustments to the content learned in school helped preserve apartheid history and its downfall. The education system mirrors the agency precepts, reflecting what the South African students believed about their country.
Conclusion
In conclusion, contemporary social theory is heavily influenced by the post-apartheid movements’ concerns with power inequalities and how they arise and persist in the knowledge economy. The movement is also a result of South African academics in the democratic age, as seen by its interpretations of equity and reparation as well as its involvement and conflict-resolution strategies. Despite widespread societal misery, local governments should continue to work to address the effects of their poor educational promotion for all people.
References
Christie, P. (1985). The right to learn: The struggle for education in South Africa. Raven Press of South Africa.
Hodes, R. (2017). Questioning ‘fees must fall.’ African Affairs, 116(462), 140-150.
Nyamnjoh, Francis. (2015). Introduction: Academic Freedom in African Universities. Pax Academica.