Teaching values in education as a political act for social change

Abstract

The concept of values education has gained popularity and is amongst one of the fastest growing approaches in the world, supported by policy makers, educationists and governments. It plays a fundamental role in the development of an active citizenry of a country; and encourages adults to model values and to give time for reflective practices that empower individuals to be effective students and good citizens. In line with this, the shift towards the democratic dispensation in South Africa has far reaching implications in the dominant value system. The purpose of this article is to explore the role of the schools in promoting social change. Drawing from critical pedagogy framework and Bourdieu’s Social Reproduction Theory, this article argues that teaching values education, as a political act, can serve to challenge, enforce, or reconstruct societal norms and values.