Curriculum Digitalization and the Fourth Industrial Revolution: An Assessment of the Prospects and Challenges of South African Education
The shift from traditional paper-based teaching to digital methods has sparked discussions about reshaping and enhancing the curriculum. There has been ongoing debate among scholars about the preparedness of South Africa’s education system for digital teaching and the implications of the fourth indu...
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Noyam Journals
2025-08-01
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| Series: | E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://noyam.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/EHASS2024597.pdf |
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| author | Phemelo Olifile Marumo Thabang Richard Motswaledi Ikedinma Hope Amoge |
| author_facet | Phemelo Olifile Marumo Thabang Richard Motswaledi Ikedinma Hope Amoge |
| author_sort | Phemelo Olifile Marumo |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The shift from traditional paper-based teaching to digital methods has sparked discussions about reshaping and enhancing the curriculum. There has been ongoing debate among scholars about the preparedness of South Africa’s education system for digital teaching and the implications of the fourth industrial revolution. The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the significance of a digital society, highlighting the need for transformation within the education system. The fourth industrial revolution has prioritized technological advancement and digitization across various sectors, emphasizing the importance of initiating these changes at the educational level, thus calling for a review of the curriculum. Thus, this study aims to explore the potential prospects and challenges facing South Africa’s education system in the context of digitizing the curriculum and coping with the fourth industrial revolution. It used a qualitative research method, analyzing accredited journal articles, reports, and books to gain insights into the subject matter. The findings of the study suggest that challenges such as inadequate funding, unpreparedness of the sector, and lack of technological development in the education sector are hindering the progress of digital curriculum development, particularly in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. The study therefore concludes that the education sector has overlooked the significance of the fourth industrial revolution, which became evident during the pandemic. Henceforth, the study recommends that to effectively implement curriculum digitization, the industry needs to embrace technological advancements in line with the fourth industrial revolution. In addition, technological development in the education sector be prioritized, making curriculum digitization easier to implement for both learners and educators, especially in the face of challenges like the COVID-19 pandemic. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-ea627950d7fa40d68a7c19f64820f4f6 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2720-7722 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-08-01 |
| publisher | Noyam Journals |
| record_format | Article |
| series | E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences |
| spelling | doaj-art-ea627950d7fa40d68a7c19f64820f4f62025-08-20T03:09:31ZengNoyam JournalsE-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences2720-77222025-08-01598392https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.2024597Curriculum Digitalization and the Fourth Industrial Revolution: An Assessment of the Prospects and Challenges of South African EducationPhemelo Olifile Marumo0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5221-1286Thabang Richard Motswaledi1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3484-1815 Ikedinma Hope Amoge2https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8404-6468School of Philosophy, North West University, South AfricaDepartment of Political Studies and International Relations, School of Government Studies North West University, South Africa.Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, NigeriaThe shift from traditional paper-based teaching to digital methods has sparked discussions about reshaping and enhancing the curriculum. There has been ongoing debate among scholars about the preparedness of South Africa’s education system for digital teaching and the implications of the fourth industrial revolution. The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the significance of a digital society, highlighting the need for transformation within the education system. The fourth industrial revolution has prioritized technological advancement and digitization across various sectors, emphasizing the importance of initiating these changes at the educational level, thus calling for a review of the curriculum. Thus, this study aims to explore the potential prospects and challenges facing South Africa’s education system in the context of digitizing the curriculum and coping with the fourth industrial revolution. It used a qualitative research method, analyzing accredited journal articles, reports, and books to gain insights into the subject matter. The findings of the study suggest that challenges such as inadequate funding, unpreparedness of the sector, and lack of technological development in the education sector are hindering the progress of digital curriculum development, particularly in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. The study therefore concludes that the education sector has overlooked the significance of the fourth industrial revolution, which became evident during the pandemic. Henceforth, the study recommends that to effectively implement curriculum digitization, the industry needs to embrace technological advancements in line with the fourth industrial revolution. In addition, technological development in the education sector be prioritized, making curriculum digitization easier to implement for both learners and educators, especially in the face of challenges like the COVID-19 pandemic.https://noyam.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/EHASS2024597.pdfcurriculum digitalizationcovid-19the fourth industrial revolutionprospectschallenges of the south african education system. |
| spellingShingle | Phemelo Olifile Marumo Thabang Richard Motswaledi Ikedinma Hope Amoge Curriculum Digitalization and the Fourth Industrial Revolution: An Assessment of the Prospects and Challenges of South African Education E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences curriculum digitalization covid-19 the fourth industrial revolution prospects challenges of the south african education system. |
| title | Curriculum Digitalization and the Fourth Industrial Revolution: An Assessment of the Prospects and Challenges of South African Education |
| title_full | Curriculum Digitalization and the Fourth Industrial Revolution: An Assessment of the Prospects and Challenges of South African Education |
| title_fullStr | Curriculum Digitalization and the Fourth Industrial Revolution: An Assessment of the Prospects and Challenges of South African Education |
| title_full_unstemmed | Curriculum Digitalization and the Fourth Industrial Revolution: An Assessment of the Prospects and Challenges of South African Education |
| title_short | Curriculum Digitalization and the Fourth Industrial Revolution: An Assessment of the Prospects and Challenges of South African Education |
| title_sort | curriculum digitalization and the fourth industrial revolution an assessment of the prospects and challenges of south african education |
| topic | curriculum digitalization covid-19 the fourth industrial revolution prospects challenges of the south african education system. |
| url | https://noyam.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/EHASS2024597.pdf |
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