Policy Reform in a Colonial Setting: A Historical Discourse Analysis of George Stark’s Advocacy for Technical-Vocational Education
Godsend T. Chimbi 
and Loyiso C. Jita
Issue: Vol.4 No.6 9th June 2023 Article 2 pp.714-725
DOI: https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.2023462 | Published online 9th June, 2023
© 2023 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Colonial education is often criticized for being conservative, static, oppressive, and irrelevant to the needs and interests of the colonized people. This theoretical paper, however, disrupts the established narrative of condemnation by challenging scholars of curriculum reform to take a fresh look at colonial education policy. This study teases George Stark’s policy of technical-vocational education for Africans by employing critical policy historiography as the theoretical framework and historical discourse analysis as its methodology. Two questions drive this theoretical paper: What were the central tenets of George Stark’s curriculum reform policy in Rhodesia, and what lessons can be drawn from this policy to inform contemporary education reform in Zimbabwean secondary schools? From the research findings, it cannot be disputed that Stark’s reform policy for African education in colonial Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) was fervently racist and discriminatory, as it was framed within the overarching scope of white hegemony. But his advocacy for a practical technical-vocational curriculum for Africans seems pragmatic, visionary, and prophetic. These findings become more compelling when considering the current clarion call for worldwide technical-vocational education. As if policy planners are scavenging nuggets from Stark’s widely condemned colonial script, the Zimbabwe government is currently piloting a reform initiative to transform secondary education from an academic to a practical-oriented curriculum. In light of these findings, it appears there are several lessons to be drawn from Stark’s colonial policy for technical-vocational education to inform current curriculum reform and practice in Zimbabwe and globally.
Keywords: Curriculum reform, colonial education, critical policy historiography, historical discourse analysis, technical-vocational education
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Dr. Godsend T. Chimbi holds a PhD in Curriculum Studies from the University of the Free State, South Africa where he graduated in June 2019. He is a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow under the SANRAL Chair in Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Technology Education, University of the Free State. His research interests are in curriculum reform implementation, classroom practice and history pedagogy. Since embarking on the Post-Doc Research Fellowship in February 2020 he has so far published 15 articles.
Prof Loyiso C. Jita obtained his PhD in Curriculum, Teaching and Educational Policy at Michigan State University, USA. He is a Professor in the School of Education Studies where he is also the SANRAL Chair in Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Technology Education at the University of the Free State. Professor Jita has published over 120 articles on instructional leadership, teacher development, curriculum reform, Science and Mathematics education. He has presented over 50 papers at local and international conferences. He is currently the Dean of the Faculty of Education and the editor-in-chief for the accredited journal, Perspectives in Education (PIE). Email: jitalc@ufs.ac.za
Chimbi G.T. and Jita L.C. “Policy Reform in a Colonial Setting: A Historical Discourse Analysis of George Stark’s Advocacy for Technical-Vocational Education.” E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences 4, no.6 (2023): 714-725. https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.2023462
© 2023 The Author(s). Published and Maintained by Noyam Publishers. This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
