The nature of critique and educational discourse

Since 1994, South African society has been set on the road to becoming a democratic society. This transformation has far reaching implications for educational thought and practice. The present ANC led government has advocated the establishment of an educational discourse conducive to critical thinking as an integral part of its education programme. In this article, I reflect on the nature of 'critique', in an attempt to suggest what kind of critical discourse in education would best be able to contribute to those attempts being made to lay the foundations of a critical civil society in a democratic South Africa. (South African Journal of Education: 2002 22(1): 70-75)