What question did this study set out to answer?

The aim is to address the gap between knowledge of injustice and the action taken against it through moral education.

May 24, 2026Open Access

Cultivating moral eyes: bridging the knowledge-action gap of privilege and injustice among students in African universities

Key Points

The aim is to address the gap between knowledge of injustice and the action taken against it through moral education.
Conducted dialogues and self-location activities with 72 students from four African universities.
Focused on cultivating moral awareness of injustice.
Engaged students in discussions about social restitution as personal and communal responsibility.
Students reported increased awareness of injustice and understanding of their moral responsibility.
The self-location activity encouraged reflection on personal actions and societal roles in addressing injustice.
Participants identified everyday acts of social restitution as a basis for actionable change.

Abstract

When opposing injustice, the failure to recognise wrong or translate knowledge into action are two problems with which moral education has to contend. The notion of 'social restitution' can be a helpful concept in addressing these challenges because it locates restitution at the level of interpersonal and communal moral responsibility. This is important because restitution is often seen almost exclusively as a government or institutional endeavour. This paper describes a study conducted amongst 72 students from four African universities in Sierra Leone, South Africa, Nigeria and Cameroon that includes dialogues and a self-location activity whose aim was to cultivate moral awareness of injustice. This process of self-location also provided a helpful basis for action based on everyday acts of social restitution.

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