About the Conference

A s South Africa completes its first "Decade of Democracy", the year 2004 is regarded as a year of celebration, reflection, critique and renewed commitment to the future. Under the theme of "a people united for a better South Africa and a better world" all sectors of our society are asked to look "Back" at the past and to celebrate achievements, whilst and the same time, acknowledge the major challenges.

In the case of education, despite the volumes of new policies and mixed attempts at their implementation, the profile of our society still reflects gross inequalities and many people have not been able to pursue their education and realise their full potential.

Over the past decade educationalists have made significant contributions to education. Contributions made include development of theory, evaluations, empirical work, policy formulation and critique of policy and policy implementation.

South Africans are also being challenged to look to the "Future" by learning from the past, as we approach the second "Decade of Democracy". One of the greatest challenges for educationalists is to promote sound theoretical foundations for education policy and practice, to develop models that enhance the relationship between policy and practice and to make further contributions through empirical studies, evaluations and theory building.

It is therefore the intention of this conference to generate discussion about theories, models and strategies that provide relevant, plausible and challenging possibilities for the future.

T he aim of the conference is to reflect on the past decade of education practice, research, policy development and implementation in South Africa and to encourage discussion and debate about education and training for the future.

The conference invites papers that:

• review the achievements, failures, continuities and discontinuities in our educational histories
• reflect on how the experiences of the past inform the future possibilities
• reflect on the past and future role of academics and intellectuals in shaping the educational field
• explore the likely future trends in the educational field
• review contributions to policy formulation, policy critique and policy implementation
• identify interventions, good practice, and research projects which can enhance the role of education in our democracy
• generate recommendations that will provide a guide for action for the next decade
• develop models for policy and practice

Register as a Delegate or Speaker...