Jonathan Jansen is a South African academic and prolific author known for his work in education. He has authored many books, including the bestselling Letters to My Children (2012). Jansen has also written on higher education, race, and institutional reform.
Jonathan David Jansen was born in Montagu, Western Cape. He attended the University of the Western Cape and graduated in 1979 with a Bachelor of Science in Botany and Zoology. He later completed a Higher Education Diploma (1982) and a Bachelor of Education (1984) at the University of South Africa.
In 1987, he obtained a Master of Science degree from Cornell University, focusing on curriculum and instruction in science education. In 1991, he completed a PhD in International Development Education with a minor in Political Science at Stanford University.
Jansen began his career as a high school biology teacher in the Cape. He later moved into academia, holding several senior positions in South African universities. Jansen became a Distinguished Professor of Education at Stellenbosch University and was previously President of the Academy of Science of South Africa. He has received honorary doctorates from four universities, including the University of Edinburgh.
Jansen has written extensively on the challenges facing education in South Africa. His award-winning book Knowledge in the Blood (2009) examined how white South African students come to terms with their country's past. In The Decolonisation of Knowledge (2022), he explored global debates on education reform. His latest book, Corrupted (2023), examines dysfunction in South African universities. "I saw this coming two or three years ago," Jansen said in an interview. "Our universities were going to implode because they were just another public institution." He was trying to explain why university corruption persists despite interventions.
Jansen has received worldwide recognition for his work. He has been inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and named a Chin Yidan Global Fellow at Harvard University for 2024.
Despite South Africa's challenges, Jansen remains hopeful. "We have a tremendous capacity as South Africans to bounce back," he said. He believes the country's people, resilience, and history are reasons for optimism.
Photo credit: jonathanjansen.org
Jonathan David Jansen was born in Montagu, Western Cape. He attended the University of the Western Cape and graduated in 1979 with a Bachelor of Science in Botany and Zoology. He later completed a Higher Education Diploma (1982) and a Bachelor of Education (1984) at the University of South Africa.
In 1987, he obtained a Master of Science degree from Cornell University, focusing on curriculum and instruction in science education. In 1991, he completed a PhD in International Development Education with a minor in Political Science at Stanford University.
Jansen began his career as a high school biology teacher in the Cape. He later moved into academia, holding several senior positions in South African universities. Jansen became a Distinguished Professor of Education at Stellenbosch University and was previously President of the Academy of Science of South Africa. He has received honorary doctorates from four universities, including the University of Edinburgh.
Jansen has written extensively on the challenges facing education in South Africa. His award-winning book Knowledge in the Blood (2009) examined how white South African students come to terms with their country's past. In The Decolonisation of Knowledge (2022), he explored global debates on education reform. His latest book, Corrupted (2023), examines dysfunction in South African universities. "I saw this coming two or three years ago," Jansen said in an interview. "Our universities were going to implode because they were just another public institution." He was trying to explain why university corruption persists despite interventions.
Jansen has received worldwide recognition for his work. He has been inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and named a Chin Yidan Global Fellow at Harvard University for 2024.
Despite South Africa's challenges, Jansen remains hopeful. "We have a tremendous capacity as South Africans to bounce back," he said. He believes the country's people, resilience, and history are reasons for optimism.
Photo credit: jonathanjansen.org
years of life: 29 September 1956 – present
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