Page 99 - World Heritage and Tourism Innovation

Sibiya Thandeka Education and Heritage

partly due to the country’s symbolic nature of curric- policies to address particular social issues by utilising
ulum changes. In the wake of South Africa’s demo- the curriculum seems to be an inevitable practical tra-
cratic elections in 1994, the then minister of education jectory. This is reflected by the coastal part of Leba-
launched national processes that aimed to transform non and Syria, which, according to Bellos et al. (2021)
the curriculum and purge its apartheid-subjugating and Bou (2021), the tourism industry will thrive and
matter. However, these changes did not legitimately be shielded from threats such as terrorism, conflict
usher in change; instead, they exposed the symbolic and political corruption, and become a smart and
and superficial transition, argues Jansen (1999). The sustainably worthwhile investment if there is a visi-
gaps in the curriculum implementation are visible ble political will to transform tourism, a process that
generally across the curriculum, including the Tour- is contingent on the power of education as a reform
ism subject. tool (Airey & Tribe, 2006). This perspective portrays
South Africa’s Tourism curriculum seems ad- and regards the youth as the custodians of heritage,
vanced and detailed compared to countries that im- which is achievable through a meaningful education
plement the IGCSE Curriculum, like Kenya, Lesotho, system. Considering this view, this paper understands
India and the UK, because its objectives include con- that Tourism education or Tourism curriculum can
tent that discusses culture and heritage, mapwork and promote sustainability and economic development
marketing the country (Department of Education, since sustainable tourism has become a popular trend
2014). However, it still does not occupy the same sta- worldwide, according to UNWTO (2020a; 2020b;
tus as other subjects in the school curriculum. Teach- 2020c; 2020d).
ers and school managers’ perception of the Tourism
subject, according to Nhlapo et. (2019), poses a chal- A Self-reliance, Community-based Curriculum
lenge of rendering it an easy subject for those learn- The self-reliance community-based concept in ed-
ers who are struggling in the STEM subject. This at- ucation is a philosophy linked to Tanzania’s former
titude is also popular among teachers in Lesotho. In statesman, Julius Nyerere, which he popularised
2011, when the subject was introduced in the country, across the African continent after recognising that
learners did not hesitate to elect it as part of their high the Western-based education system was not bene-
school curriculum package. Teachers who participat- fiting Africans, instead, it was turning Africans into
ed in a study conducted by Nhlapo et al. (2019), Leso- dependent individuals. He further criticised it as
tho also holds similar sentiments about the Tourism being theoretical and lacking practical skills (Nyer-
subject resembling a dumping site for learners strug- ere, 1967). He campaigned to adopt a community
gling with other elective subjects. participation-based curriculum. In this light, one of
According to Sean (2010), there is a general feeling the participants agreed that tourism as a vocation-
that Tourism is a generic subject that utilises everyday al subject should be taught in a way that triggers an
knowledge. While this may be true to some degree, it entire community’s awareness of tourism attractions
still threatens to tarnish the image of the subject and available in their communities. Nhlapo (2018) argues
water down its significance. Dube (2014) argues that that communities are an asset which can assist schools
these phenomena present a paradox because while and learners in reaching a state of self-reliance, which
the government designates the subject as an integral is an idea that is also supported by Kretzmann and
contribution to the economy, on the ground, it is per- McNight (1993; 1996) and Moeller and Bielfeldt (2011).
ceived as a soft discipline, which may be interpreted According to Russell (2009), communities play a sig-
to mean that it has no significant value, which this a nificant role in improving local education in Mexico,
direct opposite of the sentiments shared by this study. Nicaragua, Ethiopia, Ghana, and Kenya. Communi-
Based on the above claims in the South African con- ty participation is a well-documented concept (Fan
text, it can be argued that the extent of commitment & Williams, 2010; Moeller & Bielfeldt, 2011; Barron,
and support from key decision-makers to formulate 2013; Fathi, 2014).

Proceedings of the 7th UNESCO UNITWIN Conference | 95