Submitted in accordance with the requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in Communication Science at the University of Zululand, South Africa, 2002. / In this thesis I present my recommendations regarding the role of organisational communication with particular reference to the social and individual construction of meaning in foundation phase learning. This thesis will demonstrate that the fundamental switch from the traditional educator-centred teaching to learner-centred teaching in Out-comes Based Education requires that both educators and learners be in command of a range of communication strategies in order to construct meaning in the real-world social contexts. I also hi-light the importance of verbal as well as nonverbal communication skills in relation to intra-personal, and interpersonal communication. I encapsulate the vision of teachers and learners who are knowledgeable and multi-faceted, sensitive to environmental issues and able to respond to and act upon the many challenges that society presents. With this in mind I examine an array of forms of communication that learners and educators must be in command of to ensure the success of OBE in the classroom situation. I stress the need for knowledge of verbal as well as nonverbal communication skills to give learners the confidence they need in the social environment In surveying organisational communication I also look at the challenges that educators face in the implementation of the new curriculum I will also reveal that OBE requires a cooperative method of teaching, which allows for democracy in the foundation phase classroom. Learners are allowed to contribute freely in group and class discussions about their daily life experiences and to become independent, literate, numerate and multi-skilled individuals of society. I further recommend a model of organisational communication for foundation phase learning taking into account the kind of learner that is envisaged in OBE.