M.Ed. (Education Management) / In the South African teaching profession, a trend is qradually developinq in which a greater emphasis is beinq placed on the recoqnition of the professional authority of every qualified teacher. This trend, however, stands in sharp contrast to the traditional notion and practice of hierarchical authority. As a result of this contrast, conflict between these two opposites is unavoidable. In this short dissertation it has been determined that hierarchical authority can in fact be regarded as contrary to the nature and principles of a profession. This conclusion emanates from the fact that hierarchical authority is not qenerally recognised or accepted as one of the ordinary characteristics of a profession. The most common and acceptable type of authority prevalent in professions, is the professional authority attributed to every qualified and capable professional person because of his or her extensive knowledge and training in a particular field. Since teachinq can indeed be classified as a profession, it would therefore appear that hierarchical authority in the South African teaching profession, is actually a contradiction. Notwithstanding this assertion, it does appear that hierarchical authority is the traditional and established form of authority within the South Atrican educational system. On all three levels of educational management (macro-, meso- and micro-) in the Departments of Education and Culture in the House of Assembly and the House of Representatives, as well as the Department of Education and Training, hierarchical structures of authority are embedded. The central principle of hierarchical authority is the tact that all decisions, rules, regulations and procedures decided upon in the upper levels of the hierarchy, can be enforced on every level lower down in the hierarchy without any consultation of those at the lower level(s) of the hierarchy. lt would, however, also appear that a qreater plea for the recognition of the teacher's professional authority, is steadily gaining qround in all three above mentioned education departments. Some of the main contributing factors to this development are a qeneral improvement in teacher qualifications, increased specialisation and a number of teacher grievances.

School management and governance has become essential in improving quality of education in public schools (Caldwell, 2012). Furthermore, the existence of a well-established partnership between school governors and school managers is vital to ensure that students receive quality education. On this regard, the study sought to broaden an understanding the thin line between School Management Teams (SMT) and School Governing Bodies (SGB) which is frequently crossed by both parties while executing their roles and responsibilities. The population for the study was SGB members, SMT members and general staff members of public schools in the Eastern Cape Province. The study unit was Willowvale (KwaGcaleka kuGatyane) a circuit named after a great amaXhosa king Zwelidumile, King Zwelidumile Circuit. Purposive sampling method was used because collection of data required that respondents be familiar with the concepts of school management and school governance. A mixed method research methodology was used which include a combination of qualitative and quantitative research approaches. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect quantitative data and an interview guide was used to facilitate focus group interviews. Qualitative and quantitative data was analysed separately. Quantitative data analysis was done and presented as descriptive statistics, Analysis of variance (ANOVA) Pearson’s correlation and T-test. For the purpose of testing the reliability of the scales of questions included in the questionnaire, the Cronbach’s alpha was used. Qualitative data analysis was done through the researcher`s critical reasoning and analysis of focus group discussions of interviewees. The research found out that lack teamwork, transparency and ineffective leadership are the root cause of failure to recognise strategic and operational boundaries that exist between SGBs and SMTs. Also understanding of the distinction and overlaps between School governance and school management is important to ensure strong relationships, trust and respect between the SGBs and the SMTs. More so, the research observed lack of strategic and operational synergy between SGBs and SMTs. Consequently, the research recommends the importance of training and development to both SGBs and SMTs so that they understand their roles and responsibilities as stated in the SASA Act. SGBs and the SMTs should strive to forge strategic and operational synergy. Trust and respect must prevail from the SGB since they are the major stakeholders of the schools. Effective communication was seen as crucial to building partnerships and ensuring collaboration. Finally, the research recommends that research should be conducted regularly in order to keep track of the state of school management and governments in public schools.

M.Ed. (Education Philosophy) / The purpose of this study is to indicate that school renewal and improvement is necessary. The researcher aims to describe the crisis in schools in South Africa and tries to give a practical solution to this crisis, by means of a literature study. The literature study describes the crisis in South African schools, as well as the role different agents play in the improvement of school practice. Finally, ten criteria for school improvement are identified and briefly described and a visual, practical model is developed to show how these criteria can be utilized in practice. The most important findings are: • that the school principal, teachers, parents and pupils have a definite role to play in school improvement; • that a change for the better can be brought about; • for improvement to the implemented in a successful mannerthe process of change and improvement involves certain criteria, which must be adhered to. Recommendations are: • school improvement in practice is possible, when crisis in the school situation is removed; • school improvement can only take place with the active participation of the agents or roleplayers of improvement such as the school principal, teachers, parents and pupils. • the practical implementation of such a process of improvement be applied through a practical process model taking the ten criteria of improvement into serious consideration.

D.Ed. (Curriculum Studies) / School education in South Africa has seen a number of changes, some more far-reaching than others, since the 1994 elections. In the schooling sector these changes included the restructuring of schools along nonracial lines, the redeployment of teachers and the introduction of a new curriculum for general education and training in schools. Changes have also been effected to the education and training system as a whole the most significant systemic change has been the establishment of a national qualifications framework (NQF), in terms of which (a) education and training are integrated and (b) all standards are registered in the form of outcomes that bridge previous divides between education and training...

This project comprises a case study that I conducted at New Horizon High School in Butterworth, a school with a good reputation for its excellent academic standard. It is about Staff Development, which I have identified as the most vital component of effective teaching. Although there is a need to ensure that there is an adequate supply of teachers in schools, the greatest challenge lies in the development of the quality of those who are already in service. This enormous challenge seems to have been forgotten by many school leaders. I hope this study will be beneficial to school principals and teachers who want to be successful in their teaching careers in the 21st century.

In this thesis an assessment is made of the contribution of economic theory to the debate on government expenditure allocations to schooling in developing countries. Publicly provided Black schooling in South Africa is taken as the case study and viewed in the light of historical perspectives, as well as human capital, rent-seeking, welfare, liberal and contractarian theory. From an historical perspective, the willingness of Blacks to enrol at schools under National Party control, despite the poor quality of such schooling and lack of labour market incentives for them to do so, is paradoxical. It leads to the conclusion that under National Party administration the private benefit of Black schooling exceeded the private cost; a situation which is argued to have been influenced by rent-seeking. The propositions that government expenditure on Black schooling is a profitable social investment, and that rent-seeking has influenced the allocations of government expenditure on Black and White education are then investigated. Empirical support is found for both propositions, but it is based on the use of controversial methods and measures. The provision of education by the state can be justified on many economic grounds; the most popular being that this improves welfare by bringing about a better distribution of income or by redressing market failure. However, as there are major problems with this approach, it is concluded that neoclassical welfare theory fails to provide a persuasive justification for current levels of government expenditure on Black schooling. The provision of Black schooling by the state can also be justified in terms of liberal objectives. Classical and reform liberalism and their respective conclusions are examined. Marxist views on the role played by the state in the provision of education are also considered, but not found to be appropriate. Two contractarian assessments of the government's role in the provision of Black schooling are also provided in this thesis. They are based on the works of John Rawls (1971 and 1974) and James Buchanan (1986). The approach taken by James Buchanan is argued to be more appropriate to South African circumstances than Rawls's, and it is in the context of the former that problems with respect to public decisions on education and possible solutions to them are discussed. The conclusion of the thesis is that economic theory offers only a limited explanation for government expenditure allocations to Black education in South Africa

In 1997 the national Department of Education embarked on a programme of rationalisation to reduce the number of colleges in the country and to simultaneously integrate colleges into the Higher Education sector. This is a case study of the incorporation of a college of education, the South African College for Teacher Education, into a university, the University of South Africa. The focus of this study is the nature and consequences of micropolitics in the education change environment. It suggests that micropolitics plays a significant role in the outcomes of an education policy implementation process. It further argues that in order to understand the role and effects of micropolitics in education change, a theory for micropolitics and education change needs to be developed. The theory posited here is that micropolitical activity is an essentialising of the tensions between modernist contexts and mentalities of change, and postmodernist ambitions of change. The study is guided by two research questions: What are the different understandings among different groups and individuals as to why incorporation emerged and was pursued as government policy? and How did different stakeholders influence and shape the incorporation process and outcomes? The literature review indicates that there are important gaps in the understanding and explication of micropolitics and education. A marked inadequacy of the literature examined is that the study of micorpolitics has thus far been limited to studies of the school environment in developing countries and of leadership within such environments. The methodology used in the study recognises the value of a constructivist, interpretive approach to data analysis and narrative development. In particular, the methodology addresses questions of truth and ethics in conducting qualitative research. / Thesis (PhD (Education Policy Studies))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Education Management and Policy Studies / unrestricted

Bibliography: pages 275-286. / Focussing primarily on black teacher groups, this dissertation will describe the remarkable events within teacher politics in the Western Cape in the 1980s, following from the Soweto uprising of 1976. The decade of the eighties marked massive changes in the political and educational context within which teachers worked. After 1976, schools became the focus of opposition to the apartheid state. The atmosphere within schools changed as many students rejected the schooling proffered them by the state, and the "professional" implementation of state schooling by teachers. The liberation movement grew as the decade progressed, bolstered by a militant black trade union movement. The liberation struggle expanded and community-based protest drew schools into a broader, societal opposition to the state. The nature of schooling changed, as students and other elements of the liberation movement rejected apartheid education, and began fostering alternative education. Most notably, People's Education articulated both a rejection of state education and a desire for relevant, democratic schooling.

Thesis (M. Ed. ) - Central University of Technology, Free State, 2014 / The aim of this study was to investigate the English Language Proficiency of non-English speaking learners in the Foundation Phases. An in-depth literature study was conducted to investigate this phenomenon. The historical background of language provision in South-African schools, the issue of language and cognition and different aspects of mother tongue education was touched on. The implicaitons of the current situation of the Language of Teaching and Learning (LoLT) for teaching and learning in South Africa was also covered. A qualitative research design and methodology were deemed appropriate to explore the challenges and strategies used by Foundation Phase teachers to enhance the English language proficiency of their learners. The research findings of the empirical investigation were presented in accordance with themes and categories that emerged from the data during the thematic analysis of the eight semi-structured individual interviews. The main concerns of the participants regarding the way to address challenges were presented. The complexity of this phenomenon pictured in my mind. The research findings lived up to my expectations and confirmed what was found in my literature study. Hence I came to realise that the experiences of the participating teachers were extremely important in reaching the conclusions of this research. The major research findings and meaningful issues came to light from the literature review and the empirical evidence. Finally recommendations are put forward for the consideration of Foundation Phase teachers, schools and the Department of Education (DoE) when dealing with the proficiency of their learners.

This study explores the influence of teacher unions on the formulation and implementation of the Integrated Quality Management System (IQMS) in the Johannesburg Central District. The involvement of unions in the signing of Collective Agreement Number 8 of 2003 and the failure of unions to fully support implementation at school level is a challenge. Unions are part of the bargaining council in the Education and Labour Relations Council as they are also part of the policy formulation process. The constitutional duty that teachers need to align themselves with is to provide quality education that will allow learners fair and better opportunities of succeeding. The use of IQMS as a quality measurement system is of outmost importance to stabilise the education environment and to benefit the nation. Unions therefore have a statutory obligation not only to their constituencies but also to their clients, the teachers. The study was qualitative and exploratory in nature, based on grounded and social constructivism theory. It was conducted in the Johannesburg Central region that forms part of the Gauteng Education Department. The sample consisted of groups of five union representatives, two Gauteng Department of Education officials and 35 school-based unionised teachers. The researcher used observation, one on one interview as well as focus group interviews to collect data. The unions involved in the study were the Suid Afrikaanse Onderwyseris Unie the National Professional Teachers’ Organisation of South Africa and the South African Democratic Teachers’ Organisation .Findings showed a deficiency in processes such as advocacy, training and funding which are the main determinants of policy implementation. The unions were of the opinion that regardless of their role in the ELRC which some viewed as rubberstamping; their influence was not of much significance during the formulation of policies. They suggested a more rigorous and intense route that could give them the mandate to be hands on during the formulation of policies. They also reported that they needed qualified and competent people to spearhead training so as to ensure a better understanding by all stakeholders during the effective implementation of IQMS. / Educational Leadership and Management / D. Ed. (Education Management)