South African teachers’ perceptions of learners’ human rights: Implications forclassroom management

Abstract

This interpretivist research paper discusses the teachers’ perceptions of learners’ human rights and their implications forclassroom management. Since the abolishment of corporal punishment, most teachers believe that learners’ human rights are being prioritised owingto this, classrooms are places of violence and teachers’ classroom management strategies ineffective. This paper uses the lens of critical emancipatory research (CER), which has a mission to critique and challenge, reform, and empower; it promotes social fairness and strengthens democratic ideals. This qualitative paper purposivelyheld focus group interviews with fifteenteachers in public secondary schools in the Lejweleputswa District. Thispaper answers two questions: What are teachers’ perceptions of learners’ human rights in a school context?andWhat implications dolearners’ human rightshave forclassroom management? The data wereanalysedthematically. The findings demonstrate that teachers lack knowledge ofhuman rights education. Consideringthe findings, this study suggests that teachers need urgent and continuous training on human rights education.