Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/1959.3/195384

Title

Advocating service learning for responsible citizenship among public management students at universities of technology in South Africa

Author(s)

Dorasamy, Nirmala N.;  Pillay, S.

Abstract

An effective and efficient public sector is largely dependent on employees who undertake responsibility to provide qualty public services. It can be argued that public management students as future employees in the public sector, need to be educated for responsible citizenship. Service learning can sewrve as a catalyst for developing responsible citizenship among public management students, since higher education institutions in South Africa are expected tp promote social and economic development. This article investigates how service learning as an experiential form of learning, which has its roots in community service, meets community needs, enhances teaching and learning and contributes toward responsible citizenship. Successful service learning necessitates the identification of real community needs and structured experiences, whereby students grow and learn from it. By being linked to specific community experiences, service learning contributes to increased knowledge, skills and inderstanding of challenges within communities. This article further explores the extent to which service learning within public management as a discipline, has been adopted by universities of technology in South Africa. It is argued that while public management students are expected to engage in experiential learning within the public sector, community based learning should be included as a compulsory component of experiential learning. It is contended that service learning can make a significant contribution toward enhanced socially responsible citizenship, an important value underpinning and public servant. This article suggests that the development of socially responsible citizenship as a learning outcome for public management as a discipline, is integral toward sustaining a lifetime commitment to community service, improving personal development skills and building good character within the South African public sector.

Publication type

Conference paper

Research centre

Swinburne University of Technology

Source

Academic salon session paper presented at 'Historic global challenges', the 17th World Conference on Cooperative and Work-Integrated Education (WACE), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, 14-17 June 2011, Abstract book, p. 5

Publication year

2011

Keyword(s)

Experiential learning;  Public management;  Responsible citizenship;  Service learning;  South Africa

Publisher

World Association for Cooperative Education

ISSN

2152-0518 (abstract book ISSN)

Publisher URL

http://www.waceinc.org/philly2011/

Copyright

Copyright © 2011 WACE.