Economic Transformation and Emancipation through Active citizenship

The transition from apartheid to democracy necessitated radical transformation within the
South African political, socio-economic and education landscape. Black and coloured
students were only fit for unskilled or semi-skilled occupations resulting in under-qualified
and poorly trained professionals. Since the inception of democracy, there was a need to
respond to the needs of a modern democratic South African society. The need for economic
transformation emerged from the inheritance of an economy built on exclusion due to racial
division and inequalities. There was a need for curriculum and economic intervention to
include fundamental principles of citizenship education to promote human rights, democracy
and active citizenry. This paper discusses the manner in which active citizenship education
can bring about economic transformation in a modern developing democracy in South Africa.
Through a conceptual framework, the paper also demonstrates the evolution of citizenship
with the notion of critical emancipation through active citizenship education.