The historical construction of policy as discourse: the report of the commission of technical education and vocational education in South Africa 1945-1948

Abstract

The following research 'aport presents an outline of !~e De Villiers Commission Report of 1948, and contains biographical information concerning its authors. The Report intended to refine and establish policy guidelines for technical and vocational education in the 1940s. The research will attempt a review of the relevant literature which examined the Report and its hlstorlcal context. In addition, it will be argued that the limitations of some of the literature can be countered by reflecting on the discursive production of educational knowledge in South African policy. Furthermore, it will be proposed that two areas of concern, namely race and gender, are categories that are often under-investigated In relation to an analysis of official documents. It.is hoped that this account will contribute to the continued debate concerning what is frequently perceived as the dichotomous relationship between vocational and "general" education.