Curriculum Digitalization and the Fourth Industrial Revolution: An Assessment of the Prospects and Challenges of South African Education
Phemelo Olifile Marumo 
, Thabang Richard Motswaledi & Ikedinma Amoge Hope
Issue: Vol.5 No.9 Special Issue Article 7 pp.83-92
DOI: https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.2024597 | Published online 29th August, 2024
© 2024 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
The shift from traditional paper-based teaching to digital methods has sparked discussions about reshaping and enhancing the curriculum. There has been ongoing debate among scholars about the preparedness of South Africa’s education system for digital teaching and the implications of the fourth industrial revolution. The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the significance of a digital society, highlighting the need for transformation within the education system. The fourth industrial revolution has prioritized technological advancement and digitization across various sectors, emphasizing the importance of initiating these changes at the educational level, thus calling for a review of the curriculum. Thus, this study aims to explore the potential prospects and challenges facing South Africa’s education system in the context of digitizing the curriculum and coping with the fourth industrial revolution. It used a qualitative research method, analyzing accredited journal articles, reports, and books to gain insights into the subject matter. The findings of the study suggest that challenges such as inadequate funding, unpreparedness of the sector, and lack of technological development in the education sector are hindering the progress of digital curriculum development, particularly in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. The study therefore concludes that the education sector has overlooked the significance of the fourth industrial revolution, which became evident during the pandemic. Henceforth, the study recommends that to effectively implement curriculum digitization, the industry needs to embrace technological advancements in line with the fourth industrial revolution. In addition, technological development in the education sector be prioritized, making curriculum digitization easier to implement for both learners and educators, especially in the face of challenges like the COVID-19 pandemic.
Keywords: Curriculum Digitalization, COVID-19, The Fourth Industrial Revolution, Prospects, Challenges of the South African Education System.
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Prof. Phemelo Olifile Marumo is a Senior Lecturer and Deputy Director in the Faculty of Humanities, School of Philosophy, at Northwest University. He primarily focuses on the philosophical perspectives in teaching and learning. He is an active member of various academic committees and has worked with NWU’s Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) in the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL). Prof. Marumo’s research area of interest is African Philosophy and its attributes. He has contributed to several book chapters and has published in different accredited local and international journals.
Thabang Motswaledi is a temp lecturer at the Department of Political Studies and International Relations at North West University. He recently graduated his MA in political studies with cum laude where he investigated the responses of SOE’s to the energy crisis in South Africa and Nigeria through a comparative study. Henceforth, he is currently pursuing his doctoral degree in political studies, specializing in human security, energy poverty, and the political economy of energy in South Africa as well as the African continent.
Ikedinma, Amoge Hope, teaches political science at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria. She is currently an Associate Professor, whose research interests cover international relations, African politics, development and gender studies, and foreign policy.
Marumo,Phemelo Olifile, Thabang Richard Motswaledi & Ikedinma Amoge Hope. “Curriculum Digitalization and the Fourth Industrial Revolution: An Assessment of the Prospects and Challenges of South African Education,” E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences 5, no.9 Special Issue (2024): 83-92. https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.2024597
© 2024 The Author(s). Published and Maintained by Noyam Journals. This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
