mindset.

Credit: Paulo Freire (1921-1997) and Miles Horton (1905-1990) et al

Note: This post was drafted with the support of ChatGPT on 10 June 2025.

Summary:

Critical Theory can be a complex set of ideas to explain. At its heart, critical theory helps us  see unfair rules and systems in places like schools, workplaces, or the world. It teaches us to ask questions like:

• “Who made these rules?”

• “Who do the rules help, and who do they hurt?”

• “How can we make things more fair for everyone?”

paul mallett believes critical theory leads to critical questioning of the status quo and being brave, thoughtful, and kind in response. Once injustice is identified it is about working together to make sure there is action to address the injustice and ensure everyone gets treated with respect and has a fair shot.

Critical theory encourages leaders to look deeper, listen better, and change systems, not just symptoms. For tender-minded leaders, it’s a call to lead with heart, humility, and fierce honesty—so more people can thrive.

Concept detail

• Fairness Isn’t Just About Being Nice—It’s About Power. Understand who benefits and who is left out in your organisation’s systems and structures.
• Listen to the Margins. Those who are excluded or unheard often have the clearest insight into what needs to change.
• Challenge the “Way Things Have Always Been”. Just because something is normal doesn’t mean it’s right. Ask hard questions with compassion.
• Change Starts with Awareness. You can’t fix what you can’t see. Help others notice the invisible rules that shape outcomes.
• Be Willing to Sit with Discomfort. Real change requires hearing uncomfortable truths. Growth often starts where comfort ends.
• Language Matters. Words can include or exclude. Speak in ways that invite dignity, clarity, and justice.
• Don’t Mistake Silence for Consent. Just because no one complains doesn’t mean things are fair. Create spaces where people feel safe to speak.
• Use Your Power to Lift Others. Leadership is about creating platforms for others, not just standing on your own.
• Bias Lives in Systems, Not Just in People. Focus on fixing unfair rules, policies, and habits—not just individuals.
• Kindness and Courage Go Together. Be gentle with people but firm about the need for justice. Change leaders must care deeply and act boldly.

Real world application:

Case Study:  Critical Theory and the Transformation of Education Policy in South Africa

For decades, South Africa operated under apartheid, a legal system that separated people by race. White students attended well-funded schools with trained teachers and modern resources. Black students, by contrast, were forced into “Bantu Education”—a system designed to limit their learning and keep them in low-status jobs. After the end of apartheid in 1994, scholars and policymakers began using Critical Theory—especially theories of race, power, and systemic injustice—to examine the legacy of unequal education.

They asked questions like:

• Who designed this system, and why?

• Who continues to benefit from it?

• How do race, class, and geography still shape educational opportunity?

• How can we reimagine education to promote justice, not just access?

This critical lens showed that reforms needed to go deeper than simply desegregating schools—they had to reshape funding, curriculum, teacher training, and language policy to reverse systemic harm.  Resulting Policy Shifts:

1. Equitable Funding Formula. A new system allocated more government funding to schools in poor and rural areas—largely serving Black students—to redress historic disadvantage.

2. Curriculum Redesign. Old textbooks that reinforced Eurocentric views were replaced with materials that honored African languages, history, and culture.

3. Language-In-Education Policy. The government promoted mother-tongue instruction in early years, recognizing the cultural and cognitive benefits of teaching in a child’s first language.

4. Anti-Racism and Equity Training for Teachers. New teacher development programs helped educators confront bias and build inclusive, learner-centered classrooms.

5. Access to Higher Education. The policy emphasis shifted to include financial aid and admissions support for students from previously marginalized communities.

While challenges remain, these reforms have:

• Expanded access to education for millions of South African children.

• Improved equity in resource distribution.

• Empowered young people to see themselves reflected in the curriculum.

• Sparked broader social dialogue about justice, identity, and history.

Why This Matters.  This case shows how Critical Theory helped people go beyond surface fixes to address root causes of injustice. It provided tools to name structural oppression, imagine a different future, and design policy that lifts people up—especially those historically held back.