Educational subsidies are becoming important mechanisms in promoting access to education among many countries. In Ghana, subsidy for Secondary Education is available to all students irrespective of their income backgrounds with the government granting only partial subsidies. Despite the strong political commitment to redress historical inequities in educational funding mechanisms, policy actions in relation to Secondary Education Financing in Ghana appear to fall short of achieving the desirable goals when viewed through a vertical equity philosophical perspective. It was against this background that this study sought to explore the management of educational subsidies in public Senior High Schools in Ghana and its implications for enhancing meaningful access and participation in Secondary Education. Although the education financing field presents a landscape and proliferation of theories, this study employed the vertical equity theory as its theoretical foundation. The study employed the concurrent triangulation research strategy by incorporating both positivist and interpretivist paradigms (combining both qualitative and statistical analysis). This was necessary because of the wide range of data needed to draw the necessary conclusion on effective funding mechanism for Secondary Education. Heads of Senior High Schools, management of the Secondary Education Division of the Ghana Education Service and parents of students at the secondary school level participated in the study. Both primary and secondary data were collected. Interview guides were used in the collection of qualitative data while statistical data were collected from EMIS. Statistical data analysis was done using Microsoft Excel. The qualitative data from the interviews were thematically analysed using data transcription. The study found out that, social accountability mechanisms to monitor how heads of schools utilised their allocated funds are highly ineffective due to lack of transparency. There were weak internal controls and monitoring systems. The releases of the subsidy have been unduly delayed due to government inability to release the funds on time. The subsidy as a mechanism of financing Secondary Education in Ghana is quite inequitable; giving students with different needs the same amounts of resources. There is the need to verify the enrolment figures submitted by heads of schools for the subsidies before disbursement of funds are made while ensuring that the relevant stakeholders are involved in the management of the funds. Government alone cannot afford to provide secondary education hence a cost sharing policy seems to be the optimal choice in providing adequate funds to schools. However, it is essential to ensure that the poor who lack the ability to pay in a cost sharing system are targeted and their education paid for by the government. Again policies in relation to education financing must consider the principles of equity, affordability, adequacy and efficiency. The implication therefore is the formulation of an objective, targeting mechanism to cater for those who cannot pay.

Essa dissertação procurou refletir sobre qual é o lugar ocupado pelos bebês e crianças pequenas com deficiência nas ações e políticas públicas promovidas pelo Estado na educação brasileira. A necessidade em saber quem são essas crianças; quantas são nos sistemas de ensino; suas demandas diante do direito à educação e se elas possuem algum espaço nas instituições de educação infantil, foram os grandes motivadores que nos levou a constituição dessa pesquisa. Para tal reflexão, o trabalho que aqui se apresenta, buscou, a partir da coleta e análise de documentos oficiais como leis, decretos, portarias, normativas, diretrizes e convenções; de dados estatísticos produzidos pelo governo federal por meio do Censo Demográfico Populacional de 2010 e suas projeções; e das Sinopses Estatísticas dos Censos Escolares de 1996 a 2016, lançar luz sobre as situações de deficiência na primeira infância, a partir do recorte proporcionado pela educação. O percurso metodológico tomou como referencial a análise de conteúdo, pautada por Bardin (2011), que consiste em uma técnica metodológica passível de ser utilizada nos mais variados tipos de comunicação, sejam eles discursos, dados estatísticos ou outras produções. Partindo dos dados levantados, concluímos que o lugar atribuído aos bebês e as crianças pequenas com deficiência pelo poder público, e pela sociedade de um modo geral, é o vazio da invisibilidade. Essas crianças, ao longo de toda história, foram direcionadas a ocupar um não-lugar, um espaço onde os direitos sociais e a cidadania lhes são negados. Como parte do processo metodológico, investigamos se a academia, por meio de suas pesquisas e produções, tem voltado seu olhar sobre essas questões. Realizamos buscas nos bancos de teses e dissertações da Universidade de São Paulo e da Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior, além de artigos publicados nos periódicos: Revista Brasileira de Política e Administração da Educação, publicada pela ANPAE, e Revista Brasileira de Educação, publicada pela ANPED assim como nos Anais dos trabalhos apresentados em encontros dessa última instituição sobre o tema discutido nesse trabalho , na Revista Brasileira de Educação Especial e na revista Inclusão: a Revista da Educação Especial, publicada pelo MEC. A análise dos trabalhos selecionados, dessas bases de dados, por meio de categorias pré-estabelecidas decorrentes do foco dessa dissertação, constituíram-se em um elemento que reedificaram a invisibilidade de bebês e das crianças com deficiência no contexto social e nas pesquisas acadêmicas. Por fim, uma das grandes contribuições que se faz presente no trabalho, ao publicizar o não-lugar, imposto aos bebês e as crianças com deficiência nos ambientes escolares, é pautar as reflexões e debates necessários sobre a continuidade histórica de exclusão que estamos conduzindo essa faixa da população nas políticas públicas de educação e em seus direitos sociais; assim como indicar a urgência de estudos na área que possam vir a contribuir com as discussões e construções de políticas públicas efetivas que possibilitem o acesso e a permanência das crianças de zero a cinco anos de idade com deficiência ao direito à educação de qualidade. / This thesis sought to reflect on the place that is occupied by disabled babies and small children in the actions and public policies promoted by the State in the Brazilian education. The great motivation for this investigation came from the need to know who are these children; how many there are in the school systems; what are their specific demands in the face of the right to education and if there is room for them in child education institutions. For such issues, the work presented here started with the collection and analysis of official documents such as acts of law, decrees, directives, regulations, guidelines and conventions; statistical data produced by the federal government through the 2010 Populational Demographic Census and its projections; and the Statistical Synopses of the 1996 and 2016 School Censuses, with the purpose of shedding light over the situations of disability in early childhood based on the angle provided by education, whose methodological framework was content analysis as set by Bardin (2011), consisting of a methodological technique usable in a variety of types of communication, either discourses, statistical data or other productions. Upon gathering the intended data, I have concluded that the place assigned by the public authorities and society in general to disabled babies and small children is the void of invisibility. Such children throughout history have been urged to take a nonplace, a space where the social rights and citizenship are denied to them. As part of this methodological process, I looked into the academia to check if through its studies and productions these issues have been dealt with. I searched the databases of thesis and dissertations kept by the University of São Paulo and by the Division for Higher Education Personnel Improvement in addition to the articles published in the journals: Revista Brasileira de Política e Administração da Educação, edited by ANPAE, and Revista Brasileira de Educação,edited by ANPED, as well as in the Annals of the papers presented in the meeting of the latter institution about the topic in question here, in the Revista Brasileira de Educação Especial and in journal Inclusão: Revista da Educação Especial, edited by the Ministry of Education. The analysis of the Works found in those databases turned out to be an element that confirms the findings so far achieved; that disabled babies and small children are invisible in the social context and the academic journals cooperated with such invisibility. Finally, one of the great contributions that can be found herein, by publicizing the nonplace inflicted on to disabled babies and small children in the school environment is to encourage most-needed reflections and debates about the historical continuity of exclusion that keeps being adopted for this segment of the population in the public education policies and in their social rights; as well as to highlight the urgency of studies in this area that may add to the discussions and the making of effective public policies that will allow for the access and permanence of disabled children aged zero to five years old to their right to quality education.

Submitted by Maria Aparecida (cidazen@gmail.com) on 2017-05-04T13:02:08Z No. of bitstreams: 1 RAYANA PEREIRA SOTÃO ARRAES.pdf: 929825 bytes, checksum: c0ff57576facb193781ec406cebfd96c (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-05-04T13:02:08Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 RAYANA PEREIRA SOTÃO ARRAES.pdf: 929825 bytes, checksum: c0ff57576facb193781ec406cebfd96c (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-01-29 / The Constitution of 1988 expressly guaranteed the State's commitment to promote education, culture, sport and recreation to citizens. Similarly, in order to achieve the goal of promoting the Republic development, it disciplined economic order in particular session and expressly tutored private property and free enterprise. Although the operation of educational and cultural activities has been authorized to the private sector with significant autonomy, leaving the state the role of monitoring the compliance of the exercise of such activity to the values of society - such as the exercise of the social function of property - State interference upon free initiative of the entertainment business sector has been gigantic, on the grounds of democratization of education and culture, as with federal laws 9870/99 and 12.933 / 2013. This paper analyzes such laws, seeking to identify the incompatibility thereof with the Constitution, as well as demonstrating the negative consequences to democracy, the economic environment and access to education and culture, in that it interferes with administrative and financial autonomy of private enterprises of the branches pointed out, to ensure the rights to education and culture, transfering this burden to the private sector. / O texto constitucional de 1988 trouxe expressamente o compromisso do Estado em promover a educação, cultura, esporte e lazer aos cidadãos. Da mesma forma, com o intuito de concretizar o objetivo da República de promoção do desenvolvimento, disciplinou a ordem econômica em sessão específica e tutelou expressamente a propriedade privada e a livre iniciativa. Embora a exploração de atividades educacionais e culturais tenha sido autorizada à iniciativa privada com significativa autonomia, restando ao Estado o papel de fiscalização da conformidade do exercício de tal atividade aos valores da sociedade – tais como o exercício da função social da propriedade – a interferência do Estado na livre iniciativa do setor empresarial de entretenimento tem sido agigantada, sob a justificativa de democratização da educação e da cultura, como acontece com as leis federais 9.870/99 e 12.933/2013. O presente trabalho analisa as referidas leis, buscando apontar a incompatibilidade das mesmas com o texto constitucional, bem como demonstrando os reflexos negativos à democracia, ao cenário econômico e ao acesso à educação e à cultura, na medida em que interfere na autonomia administrativo-financeira das empresas privadas dos ramos apontados, sob a justificativa de garantia dos direitos à educação e à cultura, por via reversa de transferência deste ônus à iniciativa privada.

Vor einhundert Jahren eröffnete die Wissenschaftlerin und Sozialreformerin Dr. med. Maria Montessori in Rom ihre erste Kindertagesstätte, das „Casa dei Bambini”. Inzwischen gibt es allein in Deutschland ca. eintausend Kindergärten und auch Schulen, die nach ihrem Konzept arbeiten. Der Beitrag will auf die Zusammenhänge zwischen dem Menschenrecht auf Bildung, dem pädagogischen Konzept der Maria Montessori und ihrem natur- und verhaltenswissenschaftlich begründeten Ansatz der Lernforschung hinweisen. / One hundred years ago the scientist and reformist Dr. med Maria Montessori established her first kinder garden, called “Casa dei Bambini” in Rome. By now there are approximately one thousand kinder gardens and schools established in Germany which follow the concept of Maria Montessori. The article tries to point out the connection between the human right to education, the pedagogical concept of Maria Montessori and her nature- and behaviour-science-based approach of learning-research.

Šis darbas – tai galimybė išsamiau susipažinti su vaikų globos namų auklėtinių patiriamais mokykloje mokymosi, profesijos pasirinkimo ir įgijimo sunkumais, jų priežastimis. Vaiko teisė į mokslą remiasi pagrindine prielaida, kiekvienas vaikas privalo nuolat lankyti mokyklą, įgyti vidurinį išsilavinimą, o profesinį ir aukštąjį išsilavinimą įgyti pagal gabumų lygį. Mokslo siekimas yra glaudžiai susijęs su motyvacija. Kur yra teisė, ten yra ir pareiga. Jei vaikas turi teisę į mokslą (neatsižvelgiant į jo socialinę padėtį visuomenėje), jo pareiga yra mokytis. Šis darbas susideda iš dviejų dalių. Pirmoji dalis – teorinė, kurioje buvo analizuojami dokumentai, kurie reglamentuoja vaiko teisę į mokslą. Aiškinamasi, kokie santykiai mokykloje vyrauja tarp šeimų ir vaikų globos namų auklėtinių, kokie vaikų globos namuose gyvenančių auklėtinių psichologiniai ir motyvaciniai ypatumai. Antroji dalis praktinė. Šioje dalyje buvo aktualu išsiaiškinti, kaip motyvuojami vaikų globos namų auklėtiniai siekti mokslų. Ar vaikai supažindinami su lengvatomis, kokia parama suteikiama, kol jie mokosi bendrojo lavinimo mokykloje, profesinėje ar aukštojoje mokykloje ir pirmą kartą įgyja profesinę kvalifikaciją. Kokios mokymosi sąlygos sudaromos globos namuose, ar pedagogai bendradarbiauja su globos namų darbuotojais. Koks vaikų globos namų auklėtinių požiūris į mokslą, ką mano apie ateitį ir specialybės pasirinkimą. Šio darbo metu paaiškėjo, kad našlaičių akademiniai laimėjimai yra žemi, žada įgijus... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / This thesis – it’s a possibility to get acquainted with learning, profession selection and gaining difficulties, their reasons experienced by pupils of children’s foster home, in more detailed way. The right of a child to education is referred to the main presumption that each child must attend school constantly; to gain a secondary education, occupational and higher education can be gained according to the level of abilities. Seeking for education is closely related to motivation. Where is a right, where is a duty as well. If a child has a right to education (not referring to his social status in society), its duty is to learn. This thesis consists of two parts. The first part – is theoretical in which documents regulating the right of a child to education were analyzed. It is explained what relationships are prevailing at school between pupils from families and from children’s foster home, what are psychological and motivational peculiarities of pupils living in children’s foster home. The second part is a practical one. In this part it was relevant to find out how pupils from children’s foster home are motivated to seek for education. Are the children got acquainted with privileges, what support is provided while they are learning at school of general education, at occupational school or is acquiring professional qualification for the first time. What learning conditions are made up in foster home, whether pedagogues collaborate with employees from foster home. What is... [to full text]

Thesis (PhD (Education management, law and policy))-University of Pretoria, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references.

A pesquisa objetivou traçar um perfil de alunos da educação de jovens e adultos (EJA) em duas escolas públicas municipais do Rio de Janeiro, de oferta diurna, na mesma região geográfica e administrativa, identificando e caracterizando os sujeitos e o significado do ensino diurno para o seguimento da escolarização. Os alunos, em maioria jovens, encontravam-se matriculados no Programa de Educação de Jovens e Adultos (PEJA). A natureza do objeto conduziu-me metodologicamente para um estudo de caso e, para desenvolvê-la, fiz uso de aplicação de questionário e, posteriormente, realizei entrevista semiestruturada com 25 alunos. Meu locus de pesquisa conectou-se a contextos mais amplos com os quais o campo da EJA dialoga, como acordos e documentos resultantes de Conferências Internacionais de Educação de Adultos (CONFINTEAs) e bases legais do direito à educação para todos no Brasil. A matriz teórica da pesquisa viabilizou um olhar investigativo sustentado pelo método de pensamento adotado, inspirado na teoria da complexidade. Meus resultados levaram-me a compreender que pensar a EJA diurna como mais uma oferta no sistema pode anunciar possibilidades de adequação às características dos sujeitos, mas pode, na prática, constituir novas exclusões intrassistemas e interdições a sujeitos julgados, continuadamente, como incapazes de aprender / The aim of this work is to draw up a profile of the EJA students in two public day schools in the municipality of Rio de Janeiro, located in the same geographic and administrative area, in order to identify and characterize the students as well as to define the significance of day school for continued school education. The students, most of them young, were matriculated in the Youth and Adult Education Program (PEJA). The nature of the object of study has led me to choose the case study method, a choice which demanded the application of a questionnaire and, later, a semistructured interview with 25 students. The locus of my investigation was situated within the broader contexts with which the field of EJA has maintained a dialogue, such as agreements and documents emerging from International Adult Education Conferences (CONFINTEAs) and the laws regulating the right to education for all Brazilian citizens. The theoretical framework of the investigation made it possible for me to develop an inquiring eye, supported by the line of thought adopted and inspired by the theory of complexity. Results obtained brought about the understanding that to think of EJA day school as one more alternative offered by the education system may point to a possible adaptation to the characteristics of the students, but may also, in practical terms, make for other intrasystem exclusions and interdicting students, by continuously deeming them incapable of learning

Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-02T19:35:41Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 3529.pdf: 3837278 bytes, checksum: 8bd2b3ca5bfe2c5d00ac6b2f4f473fd4 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010-12-06 / The work presented here analyses the impact that the process whereby the compulsory education period was extended from 8 to 9 years had on the state of Paraná, focusing on the political and educational conditions of the city of Ponta Grossa in the period between 2001 and 2008. The general purpose of this investigation was to point out the effects such change had on the lives of the citizens of Ponta Grossa, taking into account the government‟s commitment to allow every child the right to have access to education (nursery education for children below 6 years, and primary education for children above that age). The investigation sought to identify the link between the city education policy and broader social, political and historical influences and determinations, aiming to show that there is a dialectical movement between the particular and the universal. The research was developed through the observation and experience of the effects of the educational policy concerned in daily classroom practice and social life. In order to understand the effects produced in people‟s real lives, it was necessary: to carry out a historical and statistical survey based on the official documents and records available; to follow the discussions related to the extension of the compulsory education period at city, state and national levels, by carrying out a survey of norms and recommendations issued by normative and legislative bodies, according to records from the City Education Board of Ponta Grossa; to take part in public hearings held by the legislature of Paraná and follow the discussions and decisions of the state judiciary; to carry out a particular study on the historical formation of compulsory education as well as on the related political agenda at local, state, national and international levels; and finally to achieve a better knowledge on the guarantee of both the right to education and the respect to Brazilian citizens. The central point of the discussion is the importance of guaranteeing people the right to education, rather than it just being prescribed by law, because this initiative not only shows people being acknowledged by the government but is fundamental to allow them to have access to the means by which their citizenship is enhanced. The conclusion reached by the research is that the political actions analysed and their effects have been weak and incomplete; furthermore, the right to education for Brazilian citizens living in Ponta Grossa, Paraná, is in a contradictory situation in which social, economic and cultural interests are elements dialectically involved in the political and intellectual struggle occurring within the places where the procedural steps for public education policies are taken. The scientific merit of this research is to open the black box of the policy of the extension of the compulsory education period and allow its effects to be known and analysed. Particularly, the information presented here contributes to raising individual and collective awareness about how citizens‟ right can be violated by means of apparently correct and well-intentioned measures. / O trabalho aqui apresentado enfoca o processo de implementação da ampliação da escolaridade obrigatória Ensino Fundamental de 9 anos no contexto paranaense, evidenciando a realidade político-educacional do município de Ponta Grossa, no período compreendido entre 2001 a 2008. A investigação teve como objetivo geral evidenciar os efeitos da política de ampliação do Ensino Fundamental de 8 para 9 anos na vida dos cidadãos do município investigado, tendo como pressuposto de análise a garantia do direito à educação para crianças de 0 a 6 anos no contexto da educação infantil e, a partir dessa idade, no ensino fundamental. Procurou-se, ao longo da pesquisa, traçar a vinculação existente entre a política educacional municipal e as influências e determinações sociais, políticas e históricas mais amplas, visando demonstrar o movimento dialético existente entre o particular e o universal. A pesquisa foi desenvolvida a partir da observação e da vivência dos efeitos da política educacional investigada na prática cotidiana das escolas e da sociedade pontagrossense. Para entender os efeitos evidenciados na realidade concreta, foi necessário: realizar levantamento histórico e estatístico a partir dos documentos e registros oficiais disponíveis; acompanhar as discussões a respeito da ampliação da escolaridade obrigatória no contexto municipal, estadual e nacional, através do levantamento de normas e orientações expedidas pelos órgãos normativos e legislativos, registro em atas do Conselho Municipal de Educação de Ponta Grossa; participar de audiências públicas realizadas pelo poder legislativo paranaense e acompanhar as discussões e decisões do poder judiciário estadual; realizar estudo específico para aprofundamento teórico sobre a constituição histórica da escolaridade obrigatória e respectivos compromissos políticos existentes em âmbito local, estadual, nacional e internacional; além do aprofundamento teórico a respeito da garantia do direito à educação e respeito à cidadania dos brasileiros. O eixo central de discussão está na importância da garantia do direito à educação e não apenas de sua previsão legal, considerando que essa centralidade contribui para o acesso aos meios que fortalecem a cidadania do indivíduo e evidencia seu reconhecimento pelo poder público. Ao final da exposição da pesquisa conclui-se que as ações políticas analisadas e seus efeitos foram parciais e fragilizados e, ainda, que o direito à educação para o cidadão brasileiro, paranaense e pontagrossense está localizado em espaço contraditório onde os interesses sociais, econômicos e culturais são componentes dialeticamente envolvidos na luta intelectual e política que ocorre nos espaços onde tramitam as políticas públicas para o setor educacional. Abrir a caixa-preta da política de ampliação da escolaridade obrigatória, deixando que seus efeitos sejam conhecidos e analisados, é a contribuição científica da investigação apresentada, pois a exposição da pesquisa oferece subsídios que podem contribuir para a tomada de consciência, individual e coletiva, sobre como os direitos do cidadão podem ser violados e a violação pode ser considerada, ilusoriamente, como correta e verdadeira.

Submitted by Lucienne Costa (lucienneferreira@ufcg.edu.br) on 2018-08-29T15:12:33Z No. of bitstreams: 1 NAARA QUEIROZ DE MELO – DISSERTAÇÃO (PPGED) 2018.pdf: 1194009 bytes, checksum: 3040327881f2c7c8cedf8bca64a696ce (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-29T15:12:33Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 NAARA QUEIROZ DE MELO – DISSERTAÇÃO (PPGED) 2018.pdf: 1194009 bytes, checksum: 3040327881f2c7c8cedf8bca64a696ce (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-03-16 / A presente dissertação de mestrado aborda as atuações do Estado regulador e do Mercado educador como norteadoras do processo de mercantilização da educação infantil, especialmente, no município de Campina Grande, no estado da Paraíba. Foi desenvolvida com o objetivo geral de analisar o processo de mercantilização da educação infantil no município de Campina Grande/PB; e os objetivos específicos de analisar a relação entre Estado e Mercado nas políticas educacionais, sobretudo, para a educação infantil; refletir sobre a tensão entre o direito e a mercantilização da educação infantil; e identificar os condicionantes que levaram à predominância de matrículas da pré-escola do município de Campina Grande na rede privada, sobretudo, no período de 2012 a 2016. A pesquisa, sob a perspectiva do materialismo histórico-dialético, foi realizada em três momentos distintos, a saber: 1) contemplação viva do objeto, momento no qual foram levantados os primeiros dados estatísticos, análise de documentos e observações para a delimitação do objeto; 2) análise do fenômeno, contando com pesquisa bibliográfica e elaboração de roteiro de entrevistas; 3) análise da realidade concreta do objeto, consistindo em um momento que permeou todo o processo de escrita, com ênfase na análise dos dados estatísticos e empíricos. Os estudos revelaram a matriz liberal-burguesa do Estado capitalista como base para o constante vínculo entre as esferas pública e privada, especialmente, na educação, desdobrando no processo de mercantilização vivenciado pela educação infantil no município de Campina Grande/PB. Matriz esta que delineou a formação social do Brasil e, consequentemente, as bases da educação nacional nos moldes das parcerias público-privadas até os dias atuais. Deixando clara a tensão entre o direito social e a mercantilização da educação que, através dos mecanismos de disseminação da ideologia mercantil, concretizados pela ação estatal e de aparelhos privados de hegemonia, culmina na construção de consensos em torno da divindade mercado. / This master’s thesis deals with the actions of the State regulator and the market educator as guiding the process of commodification of children's education, especially, in the municipality of Campina Grande, in the state of Paraíba. It was developed with the general objective of analyzing the commercialization process of early childhood education in the city of Campina Grande / PB; and the specific objectives of analyzing the relationship between State and Market in educational policies, especially for early childhood education; reflecting on the tension between the right and the commodification of early childhood education; and to identify the constraints that led to the predominance of enrollments in the pre-school of the city of Campina Grande in the private network, mainly, in the period from 2012 to 2016. The research, from the perspective of historical-dialectical materialism, was carried out in three different moments, namely: 1) living contemplation of the object, at which time the first statistical data were collected, analysis of documents and observations for the delimitation of the object; 2) analysis of the phenomenon, counting on bibliographical research and elaboration of script of interviews; 3) analysis of the concrete reality of the object, consisting of a moment that permeated the whole process of writing, with emphasis on the analysis of statistical and empirical data. Studies have revealed the liberal-bourgeois matrix of the capitalist state as the basis for the constant bond between the public and private spheres, especially in education, unfolding in the process of commodification experienced by children's education in the city of Campina Grande/PB. Matrix this one that outlined the social formation of Brazil and, consequently, the basis of national education in the form of public-private partnerships to the present days. Making clear the tension between social law and the commercialization of education, which, through the mechanisms of dissemination of mercantile ideology, concretized by state action and private apparatus of hegemony, culminates in the construction of consensus around the market deity.

Since the advent of the democratic dispensation in 1994, the government of South Africa has made significant steps in addressing issues of national concern. One of the major highlights is a Bill of Rights, as stipulated in the South African Constitution, Act 106 of 1996, which states that every child has a right to basic education. However, in spite of compulsory education, an extremely high rate of absenteeism has been noticed in many primary schools of the Eastern Cape Province in the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan region. The purpose of this study was to develop a deeper understanding of the major factors that contribute to absenteeism in the Govan Mbeki area of the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Region, with the ultimate aim of promoting school attendance among learners. Both quantitative and qualitative approaches were used to collect the data in two schools. Using purposive sampling, two schools in the Govan Mbeki area were identified. These two schools were known to have a high rate of learner absenteeism. In each of the schools – which, in this research, are referred to as school A and school B, 20 parents, 6 teachers and 20 learners (10 per school) were identified as participants. The major findings of this study show that the factors affecting school attendance are interlinked; and, they include – although they are not limited to – bullying, poverty in households, poor teacher-student relationships, a poor learning environment, and the underperformance of the learners, which, in turn, result in disinterested learners. The study recommends a joint engagement of school, homes and the Department of Education to develop mechanisms, which might help both parents and teachers to navigate potential solutions to curb the trend. Furthermore, there needs to be a concerted effort to reduce household poverty and to sensitize teachers of their responsibilities towards their learners.