COVID-19 Forces a System Change – Rethinking Schooling towards a ‘Learning Society’ Framework

Abstract

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has impacted every aspect of society, placing immense pressure on South African education institutions and families to find ways to cope and re-negotiate schooling amid the stark disparities that exist in South African society. In an unprecedented move, the Department of Basic Education announced that families could opt to homeschool their children during the early phase of the pandemic. Illich (2002) states that the two essentials for an educational revolution are the development of a new understanding of the educational style of an emerging counterculture and a new orientation for research. The pandemic has presented these very essentials. Illich (2002) further states that the first step towards establishing a learning society would be to conceptualise how learning in this new framework might unfold and which institutions could be used to manage and support this decentralised approach to learning. This paper uses the theoretical framework approach to explore the literature and debate around the concept of a learning society. It also explores how the tenets of natural learning can be considered the bedrock of a learning society. The devolution of power in this framework can address the challenges posed by the current system as it has the potential to transform individuals and create a thriving learning society.