Willem Adolf Landman was born on 27 June 1923 at Olifantsfontein in the
district of Pretoria. His formal education started at a small farm
school near Olifantsfontein and at the end of 1941 he matriculated at the
Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool, Pretoria.
He commenced his studies at the University of Pretoria in 1942 and in
1944 he completed a BSc degree in biological sciences. In 1945 he obtained
the Transvaal Teachers' Diploma with distinctions in Prinsciples of Education,
Organisation and Administration, Child Psychology and Methodology of Biology.
Willem Landman's studies served as testimony of his special interest in
the human sciences. He completed the following degrees at the University of Pretoria:
- MEd degree (1954 with distinction)
- DEd (1962 with distinction)
- BA (Hons) (Philosophy) (1966 with distinction)
- MA (Philosophy) (1967 with distinction), and
- DPhil (Philosophy) (1970).
In recognition of his important contributions to education in South Africa,
three universities conferred honorary doctor's degrees upon Prof Landman:
- The Rand Afrikaans University (1995)
- University of the Orange Free State (1995) and
- University of Pretoria (1997).
Willem Landman served the Transvaal Education Department for 15 years:
as assistant teacher, vice principal and later as senior lecturer at the
Pretoria Teachers' Training College where he lectured Domestic Science
students in the methodology of Natural and Applied Sciences.
In 1962 he assumed duties as lecturer in the Department of Educational
Psychology of the University of Pretoria and was promoted to senior
lecturer in 1963. During 1966 and 1967 Prof Landman held a chair in
Pedagogics (Assignment: Didactic Pedagogics and Research Methodology)
at the University of Port Elizabeth.
On 1 January 1968 he succeeded Prof CK Oberholzer as professor and head
of the Department of Philosophy of Education at the University of Pretoria.
Under his leadership this department developed into the Department of
Fundamental Pedagogics. He was promoted to Deputy Dean of the Faculty
of Education - a position he occupied until his retirement in June 1988.
From June 1988 to June 1990 he filled a temporary full-time post as lecturer
and researcher at the University of Pretoria. Between July 1990 and December
1993 he served as part-time senior researcher at the Institute of Educational
Research at the University of South Africa.
Prof Landman acted as study leader for 28 doctorandi - of whom 11 eventually became
professors.
His biographical details appear in "International Who's
Who in Education" (Cambridge, England).