On Youth Month, June 2026, St Benedict’s College, Bedfordview, hosted the annual Embrace Symposium. They were drawing 100 delegates from 24 schools into a bold conversation about the future of South African education.
Far beyond symbolic gestures, the symposium issued a powerful call to action: integrate local heritage, indigenous knowledge systems, and authentic identity into everyday schooling. That will ensure that learners experience true belonging.
This year’s theme was “Let’s Meet Under the Tree: Using Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Pedagogy as Pathways to Social Healing in Education.” It challenged educators to move from theory to practice, weaving African wisdom, languages, and community‑based learning into curricula.
Key Highlights
- Indigenous Knowledge Systems: Psychologist Erick Kabongo reframed IKS as wisdom beyond textbooks — oral storytelling, family structures, and community practices. It is urging schools to normalise diverse stories daily, not just on Heritage Day.
- Belonging in Practice: Executive Head Andre Oosthuysen shared St Benedict’s open hair policy. It allows boys to wear Afros, dreadlocks, or ponytails as an authentic identity. Despite resistance, the school remains committed to transformation.
- Language and Identity: Professor Connie Makgabo and attorney Chris Harrison warned against linguistic exclusion. They are calling for the revitalisation of African languages and urging parents to preserve mother tongues at home.
- Brave Spaces: Teacher Tebogo Maneli urged schools to cultivate spaces for rigorous, uncomfortable conversations on race and identity as well as rejecting imported terms like “people of colour” in favour of direct, honest language.
- Empathy in Action: Broadcaster Dan Corder shared how empathetic teachers transformed his life and challenged elite schools to move beyond performative compliance toward radical community engagement.
- Shared Belonging: Breakout sessions enabled delegates to exchange practical strategies, reinforcing their role as custodians of educational transformation.
The Embrace Symposium proved that transformation is not about symbolic recognition. It is about daily lived belonging — where every learner can bring their full self to school.
Next year’s symposium promises to tackle even more challenging topics, continuing the journey toward authentic, inclusive education in South Africa.
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