Praxis to Policy: Embedding Transformative and Indigenous Paradigms in a National Literacy Campaign

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Bibliographic Details
Title: Praxis to Policy: Embedding Transformative and Indigenous Paradigms in a National Literacy Campaign
Language: English
Authors: Veronica McKay
Source: International Journal for Transformative Research. 2025 12(1).
Availability: Paradigm Publishing Services, a company of De Gruyter Poland. Nowogrodzka 4/3, 00-513 Warsaw, Poland. Tel: +48-22-245-3355; e-mail: contact@pps.pub; Web site: https://paradigmpublishingservices.com/
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 10
Publication Date: 2025
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Descriptive
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Indigenous Knowledge, Literacy Education, Models, Intervention, Literacy, Minority Groups, Social Justice, Social Change, Educational Cooperation, Adult Literacy, Adult Reading Programs, Inclusion, Community Education
Geographic Terms: South Africa
DOI: 10.2478/ijtr-2025-0001
ISSN: 2353-5415
Abstract: This article contributes to the discussion on how transformative and Indigenous paradigms can be incorporated into policy and practice. It shows how these paradigms can be meaningfully integrated into the design and delivery of education programmes to ensure that interventions are not only technically effective but also relational, participatory, and emancipatory, especially in contexts characterised by historical marginalisation and structural inequality. Using the dual lenses of Mertens' Six Steps for Transformative Research and Chilisa's Eight Rs of Indigenous Inquiry, this article examines the South African Kha Ri Gude (Tshivenda for "Let Us Learn") Literacy Campaign as a national example that embodies these principles. Delivered in all 12 official South African languages, including South African Sign Language, the campaign reached over 4.7 million adults through a decentralised, community-based model delivered by approximately 40,000 volunteers. Drawing on my experience as CEO of the campaign, this article presents a praxis-oriented reflection on the potential of transformative and Indigenous paradigms for implementing large-scale education interventions that achieve both redress and epistemic justice. This article affirms that embedding these paradigms from inception to evaluation can help realise a project's transformative potential.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2026
Accession Number: EJ1493419
Database: ERIC
Description
Abstract:This article contributes to the discussion on how transformative and Indigenous paradigms can be incorporated into policy and practice. It shows how these paradigms can be meaningfully integrated into the design and delivery of education programmes to ensure that interventions are not only technically effective but also relational, participatory, and emancipatory, especially in contexts characterised by historical marginalisation and structural inequality. Using the dual lenses of Mertens' Six Steps for Transformative Research and Chilisa's Eight Rs of Indigenous Inquiry, this article examines the South African Kha Ri Gude (Tshivenda for "Let Us Learn") Literacy Campaign as a national example that embodies these principles. Delivered in all 12 official South African languages, including South African Sign Language, the campaign reached over 4.7 million adults through a decentralised, community-based model delivered by approximately 40,000 volunteers. Drawing on my experience as CEO of the campaign, this article presents a praxis-oriented reflection on the potential of transformative and Indigenous paradigms for implementing large-scale education interventions that achieve both redress and epistemic justice. This article affirms that embedding these paradigms from inception to evaluation can help realise a project's transformative potential.
ISSN:2353-5415
DOI:10.2478/ijtr-2025-0001