She said South Africa had initiated plans to teach the country's young minds of the South Africa's place in African politics, with a view to providing a proper perspective on the role that the continent played in helping the country to fight an oppressive regime and end apartheid.
An outbreak of xenophobic attacks, which targeted mostly African refugees, put then President Thabo Mbeki on the international spotlight and threatened to outdo the country's transition to democracy.
The attacks, which displaced more than 6,000 foreigners out of an estimated population of 3 to 5 million foreign nationals living in South Africa, even threatened South Africa's efforts to stage the 2010 World Cup.
Motshekga said the ministry of education had introduced teaching programmes, including manuals for teachers and learning materials for use in schools, to help learners understand the rights of refugees and other human rights issues.
â?The curriculum includes a greater focus on South Africa within the African co ntinent, particularly through the social science and history curricula which include a strong focus on African history,' the minister told African education ministers.
The African ministers, from countries that have suffered from the effects of conflicts, have been meeting in the Kenyan resort city of Mombasa to discuss ways of using education to ensure peace in society.
The meeting was convened by the Tunis-based education think-tank, the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA).
Meanwhile, the South African Minister has said the country faces significant cha llenges in using its schooling system to fight the ills such as violence against foreigners and building a more cohesive society, which values the rights of all, including the rights of women.
'A greater focus is needed in monitoring and evaluation of the system in relat ion to human rights abuses, and understanding the impact of programmes that have been introduced in schools,' the minister said.
The xenophobic attacks which rocked major towns and cities in May 2008 signaled an urgent need for South Africa to address poverty among the urban poor. The attacks saw the looting and the destruction of property owned by foreigners in the country.
The government insists its programmes for peace education kicked off in early 2004 and have been structured along the guidelines provided by the UN Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), which has provided the teaching manuals.
Mombasa - 16/09/2009
Pana
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