15/02/2022
STEVE BIKO’S 38TH ANNIVERSARY FOCUSES ON EDUCATION
Sep 23, 2015
The importance of education in uplifting society took centre stage during this year’s Steve Biko Lecture- a collaborative effort between the Steve Biko Foundation (SBF), DUT and Umtapo Centre.
This year’s lecture commemorated the 38th anniversary of the death of Stephen Bantu Biko; the father of the Black Consciousness Movement and one of South Africa’s most iconic struggle icons, as well as his beliefs on education.
The annual conference’s theme was Education for Liberation- Is it a myth or is there a possibility of realisation of this dream?
According to literature, Biko’s ideas encouraged selflessness, determination and a sense of invoking self-reliance among black people. Biko played a major role in the importance for informal and community through the emphasis he placed on the role played by consciousness and awareness-raising in his work as an activist.
This year’s keynote address was delivered by Professor Enver Motala, a researcher at the Nelson Mandela Institute for Rural Education and Development.
Prof Motala said education was a critical catalyst in uplifting society, adding that the challenges faced by the country’s education system need a united effort from every member of society. “We have to think about the kind of society we want; a society we need to struggle for and the framework of education which will drive us towards that society. Education and society are inseparable,” he said.
Reflecting on the cases he deals with in his role at the Nelson Mandela Institute for Rural Education and Development, he Prof Motala said the current school system was working against marginalised communities, also saying that ideas from communities that seek to improve education are being ignored.
source: https://www.dut.ac.za/steve-bikos-38th-anniversary-focuses-on-education/ #:~:text=%E2%80%9CWe%20have%20to%20think%20about,are%20inseparable%2C%E2%80%9D%20he%20said.