EDUCATION SYSTEMS IN THE 21st CENTURY ARE ENGINES OF INEQUALITY, from a pedagogy of convenience to a pedagogy of resilience

147pp., colour illus., graphs, paperback, Self Published, No Place, 2026

ISBN: 9781049280929

Sigamoney Naicker argues that modern education systems systematically reproduce inequality through curricula that assume uniform readiness and assessment that rewards prior advantage, positioning vulnerable children as deficient rather than underserved, and offers an alternative approach that begins with context, prioritises relationships, and recognises dignity, identity, and the lived realities of children as central to learning.

Professor Sigamoney Manicka Naicker grew up in a working-class apartheid township, an experience that profoundly shaped his lifelong commitment to social justice in education. He was the first National Director of Inclusive Education in South Africa, and currently serves on a Ministerial Committee reviewing inclusive education in South Africa. His books include Education and the Working Class, is there hope for an inclusive approach? (2024).