Professor Pitika Ntuli has urged the South African government to introduce heritage studies into the school curriculum, proposing that lessons involve not only regular teachers but also older community members. Ntuli made this call on Heritage Day, emphasising the importance of connecting learners to their cultural roots through active community participation.
“I would advise the government that the issue of heritage studies to be introduced in schools and introduced in a manner that it is going to be taught not only by the regular teachers, but the curriculum should include the older members of the communities who would be invited to carry this forward,” Ntuli told eNCA on 24 September 2026.
Ntuli also criticised the existing education system, stating, “We don’t have our own education system. We are a photocopy of the Oxbridge thing,” highlighting the need for an education framework that better reflects South African identities and histories.
Heritage as a theme is currently integrated within South Africa’s history curriculum, particularly under the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS). According to a Department of Basic Education curriculum document, heritage teaching includes local examples and heritage investigations designed to foster a sense of belonging and continuity among learners. The document notes, “Heritage can provide a sense of belonging and continuity by connecting such people to their roots and their shared cultural values.”
Heritage studies in the curriculum are not entirely new. As early as 2010, South African curriculum materials reflected heritage as a key theme in history teaching, including heritage investigations particularly in the Further Education and Training (FET) band. Academic research in 2013 highlighted heritage as a complex but integrated component within Grade 10 history curricula. More recently, a peer-reviewed paper published in June 2023 argued that formally incorporating heritage studies into secondary school history could improve historical awareness, intellectual development, and social cohesion among learners.
Though the Department of Basic Education’s curriculum embraces heritage from an educational standpoint, Ntuli’s proposal goes further by calling for explicit heritage-focused studies delivered with community involvement, aiming to bridge educational content with lived cultural experience.
Currently, there is no public confirmation that the government has adopted or implemented Ntuli’s exact proposal, including the role of community elders in formal classroom settings. The calls remain a public recommendation and part of the broader ongoing debate about how best to recognise and embed heritage in South African education.
Heritage Day remains a symbolic moment to reflect on national identity and cultural diversity. Ntuli’s appeal places renewed focus on how schools might enhance this reflection through curriculum reform that deepens learners’ connection to their own communities and histories.
CapeFlats.co.za will continue to monitor the Department of Basic Education for any developments on this proposal and the integration of heritage studies in South African schools.