Beyond Multicultural Education: Integrating Intercultural Education and Ethical Leadership for Inclusive South African Schools

Dean Collin Langeveldt; Menias Mashaba

doi:10.17770/eid2026.1.83

Beyond Multicultural Education: Integrating Intercultural Education and Ethical Leadership for Inclusive South African Schools

Authors

Dean Collin Langeveldt Department of Education Studies, Faculty of Education, Sol Plaatje University, Kimberley, South Africa https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4160-1809
Menias Mashaba Department of Education Studies, Faculty of Education, Sol Plaatje University, Kimberley, South Africa https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8839-3763

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17770/eid2026.1.83

Keywords:

multicultural education, intercultural education, ethical leadership, inclusive schooling, South Africa

Abstract

Despite numerous post-apartheid policy reforms, South Africa’s education system continues to grapple with deep-rooted inequalities that disproportionately affect historically marginalized communities. Although multicultural education has been promoted as a solution, it has not sufficiently addressed these disparities. The study explores how the combination of intercultural education and ethical leadership can transform South African schools into truly inclusive environments. It identifies a research gap in the limited exploration of how intercultural education, when combined with ethical leadership, can drive systemic transformation, an area overlooked in existing studies on multicultural education. Drawing on Banks’s Comprehensive Multicultural and Intercultural Education Theory, Shields’s Transformative Leadership Theory, and Ainscow’s Inclusive Education Theory, the study employs a conceptual research methodology to combine educational research findings (1994-2024) and policy documents with theoretical frameworks to establish an educational transformation model. Findings highlight the need to move beyond superficial cultural recognition, foster ethical leadership for social justice, and create robust support structures to sustain change. Evidence indicates that combining intercultural education with ethical leadership results in enhanced student performance at schools, particularly for disadvantaged learners. This research advances inclusive education discourse by proposing a framework that unites intercultural education principles with ethical leadership, offering evidence-based strategies for educational leaders and policymakers seeking systemic transformation in the post-apartheid context.

Supporting Agencies

Sol Plaatje University

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