Work

The (possible) influence of neoliberalism on learner ill-discipline in South African schools

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Neoliberalism absolutises economic and market rationality and foregrounds values that serve the economy's exclusive needs. As a result, it not only alters the aims and objectives of education but also erodes, marginalises and replaces authentic pedagogical and social values with marked values such as individualism, competition, performance, self-interest, self-reliance, accountability, etc. These market values negatively affect school discipline by transforming what it means to be a teacher and a learner. In addition, it also changes the teacher-learner relationships, with both teachers and learners being disengaged from the teaching and learning process. This conceptual paper argues that South Africa's adoption of neoliberal education policies negatively impacted teacher and learner value systems and teacher-learner relationships, resulting in a decay in social values in schools and creating a favourable context for exacerbating ill-discipline in South African schools. It proposes Ubuntu as an ethical and moral framework for restoring teacher-learner relationships and reversing neoliberalism's negative influence on learner discipline in South African schools.

Source: Perspectives in Education

DOI: 10.38140/pie.v43i1.7646

Author: Kevin Teise

Institution: Sol Plaatje University

Language: English

Topic: Education Discipline and Inequality

Subfield: Education

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Quality education, Peace, justice, and strong institutions

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $190