Thesis (MTech. degree in Education.)--Tshwane University of Technology, 2011. / The Constitution of South Africa in its Bill of Rights and the Language Policy introduced nine more official languages in addition to English and Afrikaans which were the only languages used as media of instruction in schools before 1994. The other nine official languages now embraced by the Policy as the media of instruction in schools are isiZulu, siSwati, isiNdebele, isiXhosa, Sepedi, Sesotho, Setswana, Xitsonga, and Tshivenda. The purpose of this study was to determine how the Language Policy is implemented in secondary schools in Mpumalanga.

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

Thesis (MTech. degree in Education) -- Tshwane University of Technology, 2009. / The purpose of the study was to determine whether rural farm educators are managing the Revised National Curriculum Statement as a new approach to teaching the curriculum of outcomes-based education. For this purpose, Witbank 3 rural farm primary schools were selected. The study followed a qualitative approach. Data were collected from three principals and three educators who were all teaching multi-graded (combined grades) classes. The study found that the educators and the principals were not coping with the demands of the curriculum, therefore learners did not benefit from their everyday learning. The educators felt that there is too much paperwork involved in managing the implementation of the curriculum. The lack of support from parents, subject advisors and the deputy chief education specialist (circuit manager) is detrimental to managing the implementation of Revised National Curriculum Statement. This has led to a serious communication breakdown among these stakeholders. The research revealed grey areas in the Revised National Curriculum Statement in its interpretation of learning. The policy states that every child has the potential to learn, but it fails to state the conditions that allow for effective learning to all the learners. The study also found that the training received at the workshops is suitable for urban schools. Educators struggle to apply the teaching and learning strategies at rural farm schools. Subsequently rural farm educators resort to using the old traditional (telling and recalling) method of teaching/learning.

D.Ed. (Educational Management) / The present government committed itself to the principle of placement of learners with special needs into mainstream education as a long-term goal where it is not immediately possible. The researcher has found in the line of his present functions in the Mpumalanga Education Department that the existing management practice does not make sufficient provision for the inclusion model for all learners in the education system. The above mentioned situation made the research necessary. The objectives of this research were to determine the management needs to implement an inclusive integrated education system for learners with special educational needs in Mpumalanga Province by: - ascertaining the needs and functions of the management of such an inclusive model; and - the further development of findings on management needs into strategies to implement an inclusive model of education for learners with special educational needs in the Mpumalanga Province. The traditional paradigm in which research was done on learners with special educational needs derived from a medical model. The medical model is based on a caurse effect paradigm. The latter implies that a defect is diagnosed in the medical makeup of the child and the child is placed in a learning program to suit his/her defect. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the child which was ratified by the South African Government on 16 June 1995, as well as The United Nations...

Thesis (MPA.) --University of Limpopo, 2017 / Refer to document

M.Ed. / With the introduction of Curriculum 2005, which was followed by the National Curriculum Statement and later on by the Revised National Curriculum Statement, a whole new world was opened for all the learners in the RSA. Life Orientation became a compulsory subject up to Grade 12. One of the focus areas of Life Orientation is careers and career guidance. Unfortunately very few educators are properly trained to handle this very important educational domain. Learners in the rural areas have a bigger drawback than their peers in the urban areas, seeing that they very often don’t have access to electricity and therefore the electronic media and facilities, such as computers and internet to improve their career knowledge and their knowledge of the world of work. The challenge to open the world of work and tertiary education to these learners is a very real one. This study focused on the evaluation of the implementation of a career guidance programme in a rural area of Mpumalanga. A qual-quan mixed method methodology was used to gather raw data from various sources. The quantitative raw data was gathered through a pre- and post-test of Grade 10 learners from four rural schools with the Career Development Questionnaire. The statistical analysis of these data had limitations, such as the small number of control school participants as well as the problem of English language proficiency. The qualitative data was derived from feedback from Life Orientation educators after they had been trained, semi-structured interviews with open ended questions with Life Orientation educators and Grade 10 learners, observation and field notes and a reflective journal from the researcher. The findings from the results reflected firstly on the outcomes of the career programme in terms of achievement of career maturity as measured according to the sub-scales identified by Langley. The conclusion was that the experimental group did increase their scores from the pre- to the post-test. The increase was however very small and all the participants still ended on the scale where they still needed to improve their knowledge and skills on all the sub-scales. A number of themes referring to LO educators, the school community environment and English language proficiency provided information about the implementation of the programme. Although the results of the outcomes in terms of career maturity were not substantial, the qualitative data provided findings about the positive impact of the training of LO educators for career guidance teaching, their experience of empowerment, the creation of a positive attitude and the positive impact of the CPAWs to learners and educators. Barriers that were identified through the emerging themes were the lack of English language proficiency and a school community environment that was not conducive to career exploration and career decision-making and planning. In reflection, the general consensus among the Life Orientation educators was that the continuation of the program should get the highest priority. They believe that if it can continue, it will have a positive impact on the Grade 12 results and through this a positive impact on the lives of many learners, especially in the rural areas. Recommendations were made about the improvement of aspects of career maturity through exposure to career information and the improvement of conditions at schools to facilitate the implementation of career guidance and effective LO teaching.

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.

D.Ed. / The primary aim of this research was to develop an appropriate management framework to manage education-business partnerships and partnership projects by: determining to what extent education-business partnerships and partnership projects could best be managed at all levels of education especially at the school level; and developing an appropriate framework for managing education business partnerships and partnership projects. In order to achieve the general aim of the research project the following specific aims were investigated, namely to: describe and analyse what education-business partnerships are; describe the management of education-business partnerships and partnership projects as a component of education transformation; investigate a framework for managing education-business partnerships and partnership projects by reviewing the significant literature and examining the possibilities for the South African context; investigate empirically the perceptions and perspectives of business and education in respect of managing education-business partnerships and partnership projects; and devise an appropriate management framework for effective education-business partnerships and partnership projects, and the application of it in practice. The researcher has found that during his sojourn with the Mpumalanga Department of Education that there was no management framework in place to manage education-business partnerships and partnership projects. Neither in Mpumalanga Province nor in any other province are there best practices or benchmarks for managing partnerships. If there are then these are still very much in their infancy. In light of the above this research was conducted. Since 1994 the South African government has attempted to address the legacy of apartheid through a number of policy documents and legislation. Central to these policies and legislation have been the issues of redress, equity, quality and access to education. Similarly, the South African government and especially the education departments (national and provincial) are exploring new, effective and efficient forms of service delivery. These have given rise to new forms of social cooperation in the form of partnerships. In the case of education, partnerships are viewed as creative, innovative, productive and practical responses to the challenges faced by the South African education system. Government in general and education in particular realise, that service delivery is not the exclusive preserve of government alone but that there is a need to engage business and civil society organisations in partnership to address these challenges. In particular, government needs to create a sustainable environment for education-business partnerships to develop.

Thesis (M.A. Education (Adult Education)) -- University of Limpopo, 2015 / This mini-dissertation describes the research carried out in the three Public Adult Learning Centres (PALCs) which are the cases of this study, namely: Kobeng, Dientjie and Kadishi. The aim of the study was to investigate problems which affect the management of these three PALC‟s. It was also the aim of the study to get insight into the educational background of practitioners who manage these three PALC‟s. In order to achieve the aims outlined above, I formulated the following main research questions:  What are the problems affecting the management of Kobeng, Dientjie and Kadishi Public Adult Learning Centres in the Sabie circuit? From this research question, the following sub-questions were asked:  What are the educational backgrounds of practitioners who manage these centres?  What policies are in place that govern Public Adult Learning Centre?  What are the strategies to implement the policies of these centres?  What kinds of problems are experienced during the implementation of these strategies?  What are the possibilities of addressing problems which affect the management of these three PALC‟s This study seeks answers to the above –mentioned research question. Hence it addresses problems that not only need considerable development and further inquiry for advancing the academic debate, but are also relevant for practitioners who are working in the PALC‟s and are facing these challenges. To try and answer the main question outlined above, I decided to undertake a multiple case study to investigate problems affecting the management of the three above-mentioned PALC‟s, which are the cases of the study. ii It was the objectives of this study to identify problems affecting the management of the three above-mentioned PALC‟s and to get insight into the existing qualifications of the centre managers and practitioners in these PALCs and also on how they were trained and being supported. These objectives could possibly help in recommending ways of improving the management of these PALC‟s. Chapter 2 outlines the theoretical framework of the study. Based on the readings of the relevant literature, preliminary discussions with centre managers, practitioners and adult learners in the PALC‟s, it appeared that there are management problems that make it difficult for the PALC‟s to be efficiently and effectively run and for quality teaching and learning to take place. Hence there has been a discussion about problems affecting the management of the above-mentioned three PALC‟s. Problems such as, shortage of resources, lack of infrastructure, lack of government support, unqualified and under-qualified educators and poor communication channels were discussed in detail in this chapter. This chapter concludes by definitions of concepts such as: Management and Public Adult Learning Centres. In chapter 3, I describe the design of the study. The main focus of the chapter was to discuss the tracks of data collection. The first track dealt with the reviewing of documents while the second track dealt with fieldwork in which interviews were conducted. An explanation and discussions of the instruments that were used to collect data from different role players in various phases of data collection is also given. I concluded the chapter by explaining how the data that has been collected from various phases was analysed using qualitative data analysis methods. Chapter 4 presents the empirical results of the study. It investigates and identifies problems which affect the management of the three centres which are the cases of this study. In this chapter I present an overview of Kobeng, Dientjie and Kadishi PALC‟s in the Sabie circuit in Mpumalanga Province. A description of the programmes offered and visions and missions of each of the three PALC‟s is given. This chapter further discusses issues around staffing and learners in each centre. I have also outlined in detail the views of the interviewees in relation to the problems affecting the management of these three PALC‟s as the basis of the study. The chapter concludes by discussing the findings of observations based on each PALC of the study. iii Chapter 5 is a cross-case analysis of the PALC‟s. The intention was to compare and contrast cases based on the problems affecting the management of Public Adult Learning Centres at Sabie circuit in Mpumalanga Province of the study, while trying to get ways of improving management of the centres. I have been careful in preserving each individual case‟s uniqueness with the need to understand generic practices at work across cases. The final chapter (six) presents the final conclusion and recommendations of this study. This chapter integrates the information from previous chapters in discussing problems affecting the management of PALC‟s in the Sabie circuit in Mpumalanga Province. It also provides suggestions which might contribute towards improving the way PALC‟s are managed in Sabie circuit. The chapter concludes by mentioning problems that need to be further researched, as the ABET field seems to be under-researched, particularly the area of problems affecting the management of Public Adult Learning Centres.

MPM / Oliver Tambo Institute of Governance and Policy Studies / Adult basic education and training in South Africa is viewed as an instrument for social, economic and political development. However, over the years, the programme faced challenges relating to recruitment and retention of suitably qualified practitioners, resulting in high staff turn-over. The study focused on the perception of adult learners about the adult basic education and training practitioners turn-over at the Witbank education circuit to gain insight into the magnitude of the problem and recommend ways and strategies to address the identified challenges. The study used a mixed method approach, incorporating elements of both quantitative and qualitative research approach. The research sample comprised adult learners, educators, Adult center managers and adult basic education and training coordinators using purposive sampling technique. Data was collected using semi-structured questionnaires and analyzed using the eight steps of Tesch in Cresswell (2009:186). The results of the study revealed that the participants were to a large extent, aware that ABET practitioners’ turnover is a serious problem at the Witbank education circuit. The study participants revealed that lack of commitment and recognition by government to address ABET practitioner turnover decisively is impacting negatively on learners’ motivation, morale, study progress and their relationship with practitioners. This leads ABET learners to not take the ABET programme seriously, and drop of the programme due to lack of progress whereas most ABET practitioners take ABET as a waiting station for better jobs. A number of strategies can be employed to address the challenge of ABET practitioners’ turnover. Amongst others are the following: the basic working conditions of ABET practitioners should be improved. This will automatically translate into job satisfaction and long tenure, thereby counteracting current levels of high staff turnover. ABET practitioners should also be afforded relevant skills development programmes to ensure continuous professional growth and development. / NRF