The influence of indigenous African education in attitudes towards authority - with special reference to the Zulus
The area of concern in this study is the impact of indigenous African education in attitudes towards authority. Questions this study seeks to answer are: 1. Why was there respect for authority in African society before the influence of other cultures? 2. Why did attitudes towards authority change in African society after the influence of Western culture? 3. What can be done to improve the situation? Society is in a dilemma. The study tries to investigate the degree of deterioration of order and discipline in African society as a result of negative attitudes towards authority. The youth have gained the upper hand with the old (adults) and parents relegated to the background as they are accused of accepting the status quo. Political organisations have found a fertile milieu in the school arena and pupils are extremely politicised as never before. The school situation in some areas is chaotic with unrest being the order of the day. This situation is aggravated by the apartheid system of South Africa where the Africans are the disadvantaged group politically, educationally and economically. A literature review and interviews will be of great assistance in the investigation. This study falls within the scope of philosophy of education since it aims at revealing underlying causes of changes in attitudes towards authority as a result of indigenous as well as Western education.
Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations