{"id":97019,"date":"2026-04-09T13:09:44","date_gmt":"2026-04-09T13:09:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/dbe-proposal-to-lean-on-afrocentricity-in-history-lessons"},"modified":"2026-04-09T13:15:36","modified_gmt":"2026-04-09T13:15:36","slug":"dbe-proposal-to-lean-on-afrocentricity-in-history-lessons","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/dbe-proposal-to-lean-on-afrocentricity-in-history-lessons","title":{"rendered":"DBE Proposal to Lean on Afrocentricity in History Lessons"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"color: #ff6600\"><strong>Africa-Press &#8211; South-Africa. <\/strong><\/span>South Africa\u2019s proposed changes to its history curriculum are reigniting debate over how the country\u2019s past should be taught in schools.<\/p>\n<p>The Department of Basic Education is considering a shift away from a Eurocentric narrative towards a more Afrocentric approach, with greater focus on African empires, oral histories and liberation movements.<\/p>\n<p>The changes would also move emphasis away from individual historical figures to broader concepts such as revolutions and global movements.<\/p>\n<p><b>Move away from Eurocentric narratives<\/b><\/p>\n<p>The proposed curriculum adjustments aim to reduce the dominance of figures like Jan van Riebeeck, traditionally portrayed as central to South Africa\u2019s early history.<\/p>\n<p>Journalist and author Nick Dall said the shift away from a Eurocentric narrative is not necessarily a problem.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI definitely don&#8217;t think there&#8217;s an issue with moving away from a Eurocentric narrative in theory,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>However, he cautioned that not all proposed changes are without concern, pointing to reduced emphasis on certain figures in South African history.<\/p>\n<p><b>Concerns over how history is taught<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Dall said the bigger issue may not be what is included or excluded, but how history is presented in classrooms.<\/p>\n<p>He warned that many pupils view South African history as uninteresting, often preferring global topics like World War II.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s an idea that South African history is boring,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>He argued that the country\u2019s past is filled with extraordinary stories that could engage learners if taught effectively.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe stories I uncovered about South African history are so outlandish&#8230; they were facts.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><b>History could become a compulsory subject<\/b><\/p>\n<p>One of the key proposals is to make history a compulsory subject from Grade 10 to Grade 12.<\/p>\n<p>Dall described this as a positive step, saying a deeper understanding of history could help improve social cohesion.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cUnderstanding our history is the key to South Africa getting along a bit better,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>But he warned that making history compulsory could backfire if the subject is not taught engagingly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf the new curriculum is sort of mired in theory&#8230; it could end up being an annoyance to students.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><b>Debate over individuals vs concepts<\/b><\/p>\n<p>A major shift in the proposed curriculum is the move away from teaching history through individuals, towards broader concepts and themes.<\/p>\n<p>Dall said storytelling remains a powerful teaching tool, particularly for younger learners.<\/p>\n<p>He argued that focusing on individuals can help illustrate wider historical themes and make the subject more relatable.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf it&#8217;s all theoretical, it&#8217;s much harder to approach,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>He pointed to figures like Miriam Makeba as examples of how personal stories can bring history to life.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHer life story will tell you the history of apartheid.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><b>Call for balance in new curriculum<\/b><\/p>\n<p>The debate highlights a broader tension between correcting historical bias and maintaining a well-rounded global perspective.<\/p>\n<p>While some have welcomed the shift towards African-centred history, concerns remain about whether it could limit learners\u2019 understanding if not carefully balanced.<\/p>\n<p>Dall said the success of the new curriculum will ultimately depend on how it is implemented in classrooms.<\/p>\n<p>He stressed that South Africa\u2019s history offers compelling, diverse stories that can engage learners, if taught in a way that resonates.<\/p>\n<p><strong>For More News And Analysis About <span style=\"color: #ff6600\">South-Africa<\/span> Follow <span style=\"color: #ff6600\">Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Africa-Press &#8211; South-Africa. South Africa\u2019s proposed changes to its history curriculum are reigniting debate over how the country\u2019s past should be taught in schools. The Department of Basic Education is considering a shift away from a Eurocentric narrative towards a more Afrocentric approach, with greater focus on African empires, oral histories and liberation movements. The [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":97018,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,3],"tags":[275],"class_list":["post-97019","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-community","tag-south-africa-2"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.1 (Yoast SEO v27.0) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>DBE Proposal to Lean on Afrocentricity in History Lessons - South Africa<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"South Africa\u2019s proposed changes to its history curriculum are reigniting debate over how the country\u2019s past should be ta ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/dbe-proposal-to-lean-on-afrocentricity-in-history-lessons\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"DBE Proposal to Lean on Afrocentricity in History Lessons\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"South Africa\u2019s proposed changes to its history curriculum are reigniting debate over how the country\u2019s past should be ta ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/dbe-proposal-to-lean-on-afrocentricity-in-history-lessons\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"South Africa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-04-09T13:09:44+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-04-09T13:15:36+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/sites\/31\/2026\/04\/sm_1775727883.434052.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"630\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/dbe-proposal-to-lean-on-afrocentricity-in-history-lessons#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/dbe-proposal-to-lean-on-afrocentricity-in-history-lessons\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"DBE Proposal to Lean on Afrocentricity in History Lessons\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-09T13:09:44+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-09T13:15:36+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/dbe-proposal-to-lean-on-afrocentricity-in-history-lessons\"},\"wordCount\":546,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/dbe-proposal-to-lean-on-afrocentricity-in-history-lessons#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/sites\/31\/2026\/04\/sm_1775727883.434052.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"South-Africa\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"community\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/dbe-proposal-to-lean-on-afrocentricity-in-history-lessons#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/dbe-proposal-to-lean-on-afrocentricity-in-history-lessons\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/dbe-proposal-to-lean-on-afrocentricity-in-history-lessons\",\"name\":\"DBE Proposal to Lean on Afrocentricity in History Lessons - 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