A Reflection on Sustainable Curriculum Practices and Emancipatory Postgraduate Supervision

Professor Sechaba Mahlomaholo’s impact in engaged scholarship has significantly influenced the dialogue on sustainable learning settings, highlighting education’s transformative potential and ability to elevate underprivileged communities. This study examined how sustainable curriculum practices are a liberatory approach to postgraduate supervision, using Africana Critical Theory (ACT) as the lens for the study. The project utilised the methodology of Critical Participatory Action Research (CPAR), with twenty-five master’s and Doctoral (PhD) students and five supervisory staff members. The research incorporated team-building exercises, SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis, and free attitude interviews (FAIs) to investigate the dynamics and outcomes of this educational approach. The actions were documented through data rigorously examined through three tiers of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA). These revealed three significant findings: improved student agency in research, heightened collaboration among academic disciplines, and a marked transition towards community-focused research agendas. These findings underscore the necessity of curricular approaches designed to empower and indicate substantial implications for curriculum reformers seeking to rectify systemic educational disparities. This study emphasises the advantageous role researchers play in fostering community transformation, hence promoting a more equal and just society in alignment with Professor Mahlomaholo’s ideology. This study encourages scholars to think and elaborate on these issues, promoting a more comprehensive application of these modalities to cultivate global optimism, peace, inclusivity, freedom, and equality within academic environments. Keywords: Emancipation, Curriculum Practice, Postgraduate, Equality, Freedom