Chazan (2022) defines education as the deliberate, systematic, and sustained effort to transmit, provoke, or acquire knowledge, values, attitudes, skills, or sensibilities, as well as any learning that results from the effort. This definition establishes the educational process as an act of imparting and receiving knowledge and gaining skills, values, and attitudes for those embarking on the journey of education. Judging from this definition, it is clear that education is a process effectively imparted and acquired through theoretical and practical forms of learning. In its nature, education is a process of sharing ideologies (theoretical) and modeling those ideologies into reality (practical). In short, education is based on both theoretical and practical learning.
As a result, when nations design and establish their various curriculum systems, theoretical and practical learning determines the teaching and learning processes in schools. This is because effective learning occurs when what is known as facts can be put into practice and acted upon. The absence of one learning component either theoretical or practical learning within the institution defeats the attempts of executing the mandate of sustaining effective learning. In concurrence to this, Wrenn & Wrenn, (2009) posit that educators in professional or service-related fields desire their students not only to learn theory and understand why theories are important but also to learn how to apply the theoretical frameworks in practice. This statement emphasizes the significance of a curriculum system that incorporates both theoretical and practical learning components with the objective to create effective teaching and learning processes.
It is no secret that education in South Africa, especially basic education, is largely theoretical, and practical learning is dismally overlooked. Technical subjects in schools happen to taste this practical component of learning; however, it is only limited exposure as theory is more emphasized. Lack of explicit practical learning is privy to the discontentment and disengagement students experience in schools. This one-sided learning (focusing on theoretical components) can be referred to as imbalanced learning. This uneven learning will inevitably result in student discouragement and dejection. Wrenn and Wrenn, (2009), argue that difficulties encountered with attempts to transition from theory to practice are caused by the teachers’ failure to integrate theory and practice in ways that are relevant and meaningful to the student. In the South African context, this claim is irrelevant as the curriculum system is designed to prioritize theoretical learning above practical learning. Briefly, this is more of a curriculum issue than educators’ failures to strike balance between theory and practical learning.
Even in the institutions of higher learning, practical learning or Work Integrated Learning (WIL) in South Africa has been undermined for the longest of times. An explicit and effective WIL program like in the Bachelor of Education for most courses in universities would be a struggle and still is to a certain extent. Institutions of higher learning (universities) failure to implement effective WIL programs automatically concludes the debate on whether the institutions of basic learning (schools) are struggling or not. This problem validates the labor market frustrations as they lament an unskilled workforce as a direct product of these education institutions. It is Wrenn & Wrenn, (2009) who reveals the anecdotal accounts of students in internships who are unable to make this transition from theory to practice with confidence and effectiveness. This exposes the shortcomings of the curriculum system that lacks effective theoretical and practical integration within its teaching and learning processes.
Unfortunately, striking an effective balance between theoretical and practical learning is difficult, if not impossible, unless the curriculum system is appropriately personalized. For instance, the CAPS curriculum system’s failure to balance both theoretical and practical learning is the result of the failure to personalize the curriculum system. With an already personalized education curriculum system, successful implementation of theoretical-practical learning is possible. As students are separated by their career trades of choice, it is possible and easy to collaborate with various labor market institutions and industries as funders and donors of different faculties within the school because the school curriculum is appropriately distributed rather than when the curriculum is a mass affair. All this is inspired by Hutchings (1990:1) who argues that what is more important about education is the capacity to perform, to put what one knows into practice. This proves that every time one learning component (theory or practical) is missing, insufficient education takes place.
Unfortunately, the practical learning component is the one most overlooked, yet it is the best component. Ramnani (2011) contends that practical education is better because it makes one capable enough to know how things happen in the real world. The best part of practical application is that, whatever is learned through practical experience will remain with us for a longer period of time. In practical application, we learn the facts in an interesting manner, which is the best part of learning. Ramnani (2017) further argues that today’s education system needs more emphasis on the practical approach. Practical knowledge can give the best exposure to learning. The continual scrutiny of the South African education curriculum system (CAPS curriculum) stems from such reasons — the concerns about the lack of a practice-based or skill transference learning strategy in classrooms.
It is for arguments such as these that the Personalized Education Curriculum System (PECS) is advocating for an explicit theoretical-practical curriculum system that will solve curriculum irrelevancy into curriculum relevancy. The PECS is intended to save students from the monstrous curriculum that drives them to study subjects they will not need in the future. PECS is a disruptive education curriculum system that, by design, will end the confusion surrounding curricular disagreements. PECS is clear on the 50% pass requirement standards. PECS aspires to restore the worth and dignity of our educational system through proper adherence to the demands of society. PECS allows students to taste a glimpse of workplace experience while in school. That’s what makes PECS unique and highly relevant to inspire the education community of our nation, South Africa, and the whole of Africa. And that is how we believe the education system can be fixed.
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Bibliography:
Ramnani, M. 2017. Theoretical Knowledge Vs Practical Application. https://vesim.ves.ac.in/vesimblog/student-blog/185-theoretical-knowledge-vs-practical-application.html
Wrenn, J. & Wrenn, B. 2009. Enhancing Learning by Integrating Theory and Practice. International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education. Vol. 21, No. 2, pp, 258-265. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ899313.pdf.
Hutchings, P. (1990). Assessment and the way it works: Closing plenary address, Association of Higher Education Conference on Assessment, Washington, DC.
Chazan, B. (2022). What Is “Education”? In Principles and Pedagogies in Jewish Education. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham