M.Ed. (Subject Didactics) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

M.Ed. / In the light of the foregoing postulation of the problems and issues to be addressed, the present research study was aimed at determining the problems of Grade 1 and 2 facilitators with respect to Curriculum 2005, with a view to developing guidelines which the educational psychologist could follow in support of teachers' efforts to implement and apply Curriculum 2005. The study had as its point of reference an ecosystemic theoretical framework in terms of which the aim, nature and origin of the outcomes-based approach to teaching and learning, as well as the advancement thereof in Western countries, were discussed. In addition, the researcher took a closer look at how the said system impacted on the facilitator's role in the foundation phase, as well as at the paradigm shift with respect to facilitator resistance. The results of the study indicated that facilitators deemed the in-service training, advising, support and guidance of the Department to be bewildering, incongruent and akin to information overload. The majority of facilitators concurred, however, that extensive retraining and experimental practice with respect to the implementation and application of Curriculum 2005 could possibly solve a myriad of problems regarding the implementation of this curriculum. In addition, facilitators seemed to feel a clamant need for continued support and advice from the Department, as well as from the school in its capacity of a system. The future perspective hinged upon both positive and negative sentiments, however. Negative perceptions involved the failure of Curriculum 2005, whilst positive experiences, on the other hand, centred around the suitability of the model for learners' social and cognitive development and their chances of success, since they experience the implementation as a process. In spite of in-service training and the provision of documentation on the new system of education and learning, facilitators still exhibit an alarming ignorance of the philosophy and concepts underpinning OBE — ignorance that could only be explained in terms of the inadequate in-service training offered to facilitators and their lack of motivation as far as self-development is concerned. Recommendations for policy makers are also incorporated in the guidelines

M.Ed. (Psychology of Education) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Education, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Education. / With the rise of the independent trade union movement since 1973, immense importance has been attached to worker education. The growth of the union movement created the space and provided the resources for workers to assert an independent cultural practice in which worker education plays pivotal role. Intense debate has raged within the union movement over the content, of this education, the way it is to be provided, who the recipients should be and whether it fulfils its perceived aim. There exists general consensus though that worker education has been integral to the development of the labour movement. Yet, there is no comprehensive study of worker education in South Africa. Such a study is even more necessary today as attempts are made to address the historical deficiencies in the South African education system, This report therefore is a small contribution toward understanding worker education and the importance of its role not only for the Labour: movement but for society at large. (Abbreviation abstract) / Andrew Chakane 2019

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Education in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Education / This report examines the policies of the Department of Education and Training (DET) regarding provision of school facilities at the end of the eighties. It focuses specifically on the implications of these policies for legal freestanding shack settlements in the Pretoria-Witwatersrand- Vereeniging area. The report sets out to unravel discursive trends at the level of senior officials within the DET related to the provision of schools in shack settlements as well as the policies and practices which emanated from these discourses. These are related to broader state strategies and particularly population movement and settlement policies. The effects of these practices are assessed in terms of equity.(Abbreviation abstract) / Andrew Chakane 2018

FEBRUARY, 2016 A research report submitted to the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Development Planning. / Since the dawn of democracy in South Africa, significant strides have been made in (ensuring equal access to) education. With that Section 29 of the highest law in the land – the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa (Act 108 of 1996) – has made provision for the realisation of a basic education for all citizens. Moreover, significant portions of the national budget have since been set aside annually in ensuring the realisation of this right. Yet, the quality of education remains unequal across municipal space(s), even against the backdrop of the amalgamation of previously disadvantaged spaces (such as Luphisi) with affluent areas (such as Mbombela/Nelspruit). This has resulted in the persistence of ‘two worlds of education’ within municipalities as in the case of Mbombela Local Municipality. A world of well-resourced schools and exceptional matric pass rates flourish in Nelspruit/Mbombela, while a world of impoverishment and low academic performance rates is experienced in Luphisi. This research refers to this predicament as ‘structural inequalities between Model C and Rural Schools’ resulting in spatial educational inequalities. The research explores the problems re structural inequalities between Model C and Rural Schools, using the case of Sdungeni Secondary School in Mbombela Local Municipality’s Luphisi village to uncover these hindrances. The report departed by focusing on birth location and the socioeconomic background of learners and how this has a great influence in the kind of education a learner is likely to receive. Using the qualitative method of enquiry, which is a multi-layered type of research technique that crosscuts disciplines, fields, and subjects, the study arrived at presenting a cohort and demonstration of multiple truths rather than ‘a single truth’. The research brought to light that whilst the government has made concerted efforts at ensuring the equal structures of education in different municipal spaces, these efforts are still hampered by class (as a residue of apartheid) as well as government’s adoption of neoliberalist policies which further perpetuate the rich-poor divide. It was also noted that the confusion regarding the governance of schools – due in large part to traditional and/or structural issues – may be hindering the upgrading of rural schools with amenities and higher grades. Consequently, schools – by virtue of their location, morphology, still play a significant role in reproducing and perpetuating social class divisions as well as ordering different societies according to their ‘latently prescribed’ nature(s) of function

This study investigated implications of new education policies, the white paper on education and training and implementation of adult basic education and training (ABET) and the consequences thereof for education, training and development practitioners (ETDPs) and adult learners. The study also investigated how ETDPs implement new ABET policies and how these new policies affect adult learners. Adult education policies (in the democratic South Africa) were introduced to reduce inequalities in education. Despite these interventions, since 1994 the failure rate of adult education learners has continued to deteriorate. (This is partly confirmed by honours students (see Personal Communications) involved in teaching adult learners from 1993 to 1998.) The new adult education policies are intended to improve literacy and the quality of education for adults in South Africa. However, this does not seem to be happening. Three groups within adult education participated in this study. The groups consisted of twenty (20) adult learners, seven (7) ETDPs and seven (7) district education managers. All thirty-four (34) respondents were based in Soweto and the surrounding areas, which lie within Gauteng Province (see map contained in Appendix A). The information was gathered from respondents by telephonic interviews and by completing questic-nnaires. The literature review examined adult education policies; the Whit,- Pape" on Education and Training; successes and failures of ABET policies; and implementation and financial implications for adult education. “Quality education” based on a review of literature (world-wide and locally) was explored The information from the respondents supports the view that new ABET polices have had little impact in offering quality education. The results from the. interview and questionnaires show that the process of policy implementation is ineffective and inefficient, and is without clear direction. Workshops orgauised by the Department of Education reach only a few, and are not very effec j F i n a n c i a l constraints have rendered the process of policy implementation almost, impossible. The majority of learners and educators in this study were not iu'iy aware of the workshops. Based on world-wide and local literature, elements which might improve quality education were suggested. The study used both a qualitative and a quantitative approach. The concluding section of the research report suggested areas for future research relating to the process of policy implementation in adult education in South Africa.

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Management, University of the Witwatersrand, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Management (in the field of Public and Development Management / In South Africa's rapidly shifting socio-economic and political environment, many non-governmental organistions are in crisis, with donors, clients and government demanding that they change to meet the new development agenda. Although this requires careful planning and strategy- making,the three cases studied have shown that planning for change leads to tensions between need to retain the democratic and participatory ethos of the organisation, and the need to become more management and product oriented. In addition, the change planning in these organisations is often vague and and unfocused, with many different ideas and approaches for dealing with change, but few realistic plans to implement it. The research outlines an approach to planning that encompasses both of the NOD ideals by separating planning from strategy-making. As part of a learning environment, planning and strategy-making are participative activities that enable strategy to emerge at all levels of the organisation, while the planning process becomes action-focused and operational. / Andrew Chakane 2019

A research report submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Master’s Degree in Development Theory and Policy University of the Witwatersrand 31 March 2015 / The aim of this research was to analyze the restructuring of the post-apartheid South African education system through the decentralization introduced in the South African Schools Act of 1996 (SASA). SASA was intended to construct a new education landscape for school governance involving School Governing Bodies (SGBs) and founded on participation and partnership between state, parents, learner, school staff and community. SASA ostensibly bestowed powers upon the SGBs, however this research explores whether the schools used in the study were really empowered by SASA. Two schools were investigated, one in an affluent area and the other in an underprivileged area. The investigation was in context of the impact of decentralisation of service delivery in developing countries, the adoption of SASA and reforms in the education system from apartheid to date. A qualitative methodology was used and analysis of fourteen semi-structured interviews produced four findings. First, the study corroborated others which suggest that neoliberalism is imbedded in South African public schools and that parents have to pay for quality education. Second, the SGB from the Privileged School executed their projects and tasks well as compared to the Underprivileged School, since its SGB involved parents that were professionals, with financial backing and the know how to fund raise so that the school was able to provide resources for the learners. Third, the minimal use of SASA powers was not the sole reason for inequality in educational provision, the study also looked into the apartheid historical past which also contributed to inequality Finally the post-apartheid (Bantu) education system was a contributing factor to the Underprivileged School SGB’s incapability to utilise all its powers in that ‘Bantu education’ had failed to equip parents from underprivileged backgrounds with the knowledge to exercise all the powers granted to them by SASA, in particular, most parent/s from the underprivileged school had not been equipped with professional degrees or acquired significant skills to confidently partake in the SGB. The study concludes that SASA seems to have not fully taken cognisance of the realities of SGBs in the Underprivileged School since it seems likely, based on my single case study, that their members would not be able to fully implement all the powers given to them by SASA, indicating the need for state intervention. / MT2017

Historically, educator post provisioning in South African public schools has been a / Thesis (Ph.D.) - University of Kwazulu-Natal, 2005.