Since the independence of Mozambique in 1975 teacher education and teacher continuing professional development (TCPD) have been a matter of concern for the Ministry of Education (MINED) and teachers. Both the MINED as employer and the teachers individually have permanently been looking for models and ways to upgrade their academic and professional qualifications levels. The constraints faced by Mozambique are similar to those faced by other sub-Saharan African countries since their independence due to the increased pressure for more attention to all levels of education, with particular emphasis on primary education. Although TCPD is usually seen as part of the overall Strategy for Teacher Education (Ministry and Education and Culture, 2004), this scenario privileges initial teacher education since there are many unqualified teachers facilitating learning. The main challenge of this study was to investigate the practices of primary school teachers in Grades 1 and 2 through a participatory action research (PAR) in a study titled Exploring Professional Development Intervention for Improving the Teaching Practices of Primary School Teache. Mixed methods research was used, namely quantitative and qualitative methods. A quantitative method was used during the baseline study which consisted of questionnaires administrated to 1 028 teachers from six provinces in the country. Qualitative research was used with five practitioner-researchers (PRs) in one school. Each PR was approached as a single case study. The findings of this PAR indicate that, on the one hand, the teachers are aware of the need for more academic and pedagogical qualifications, and on the other hand, of the individual responsibility they have. They believe that progression in their careers should be a credible procedure that recognises the TCPD programmes they have attended. The teachers are of the opinion that the MINED should formally recognise the TCPD by allocating credit points to teachers. Although the self-directed professional development (SDPD) model used in this study was time consuming, it has revealed that TCPD can provide effective results when with the appropriate support and follow-up of methods of facilitating the learning of reading and writing skills in Grades 1 and 2. The study involved all teachers appointed to Grade 1 in 2007, and continued with the same teachers until 2010. During this period the teachers were appointed to facilitate learning in Grades 1 and 2. Notwithstanding the fact that the PRs were only from 2 of the 7 grades provided in primary education, the study revealed the advantage of whole school professional development. The study took into consideration the Mozambican school context and calendar. For instance, the PRs were certified by the latest model of teacher education (10+2 teacher education programme) provided by the MINED. In addition, the meetings were carried out during the period scheduled for the planning of pedagogical practices and TCPD programmes. Throughout the study the constant issue that emerged was the need for a paradigm shift in TCPD. Providers of TCPD need to introduce changes in the way they view primary school teachers and confer on them the responsibility for their individual continuous professional development. Action Research could be the new research paradigm used by providers and teachers to improve their work, understand learners’ learning problems and find the appropriate solutions to improve achievement. The findings of this PAR both contribute to understanding the teachers’ views with respect to the TCPD programmes being provided, and offer the option for a new paradigm for TCPD. In this regard the current providers of such programmes can also consider the school principal and the deputy principal as fundamental facilitators of TCPD through a SDPD model. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2011. / Humanities Education / unrestricted

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / Micro-teaching provides a framework for teachers’ professional development with emphasis on the teach and re-teach cycle as a practical procedure for the development of micro-teaching skills. One fundamental element in this teach and re-teach cycle is the use of digital technology tools as a recording device which may help aid the understanding and application of micro-teaching skills. This study explores micro-teaching skills with the use of digital technology (cell phone) in B.Ed. programmes at a Western Cape university. The study aims to merge the past and present strategies to initiate the development of a simple model to improve micro-teaching methodology using a simple and mostly available digital technology tool which can allow for self-evaluation and personal reflection. The study seeks to investigate how a digital technology, through a cell phone, can guide practical learning to support pre-service teachers in the micro-teaching presentation. The underpinning theories that frame this study were Vygotsky’s Socio-cultural Theory, Bandura’s Social Learning Theory and Mishra & Koehler’s Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) Theory. These theories emphasize social interactions, modelling and the use of technological tools as a significant aspect of skills development. The combination of these theories informs the conceptually developed knowledge acquisition, knowledge construction and the implementation with technology (KACIT) model with the aim to encourage the construction and implementation of micro-teaching knowledge with available digital technology tools. The study employs a sequential explanatory design, using a case study approach, which draws on both quantitative and qualitative methods as sources of data collection. The quantitative procedure adopted video recording as a form of data collection, using a conceptually developed teaching skills rubric, with a three level Likert-scale rating. SPSS version 25 was used to get the aggregated descriptive statistical values of each teaching skill. The qualitative procedure employed unstructured interviews, lesson plan observation, and thematic and content analysis was used to interpret and analyse the interviews and lesson plans respectively. The sample size of this study is drawn from the B.Ed. students in the Faculty of Education at the University of the Western Cape (UWC). Two hundred and sixteen (216) participants were involved in the quantitative data collection phase, while the qualitative data collection phase consisted of twelve (12) participants for the focus group discussion, five (5) school-based supervisors, five (5) pre-service teachers and (5) five lesson plans from the students-portfolio documents. The findings attest to the general context of micro-teaching as a strategy for developing pre-service teachers‟ teaching skills. It further highlights the high theoretical knowledge levels of micro-teaching of the B.Ed. students, and the relative lack of practical knowledge of micro-teaching of the students. In addition, the findings reveal the high technological knowledge levels of the participants and the need to deepen the professional knowledge of the B.Ed. students along the lines of authentic teaching experiences within the university environment. As part of the recommendations, the study emphasises the use of a digital video platform as a complementary strategy and as a form of reflective practice in micro-teaching presentations. Importantly, the study further recommends that the Minimum Requirements for Teacher Education Qualifications (MRTEQ) policy document, on the knowledge mixes for teaching competences in terms of the observation outcome, should be re-considered with a clear guideline for South African universities to have a uniform framework and a clear picture of its implementation.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate Core5, a computer-assisted instruction (CAI) programme, on developing early literacy skills in struggling kindergartners and providing enrichment for high achieving kindergartners. Conducted through the positivist research paradigm, the research design of this study is a quantitative quasi-experimental non-equivalent control group pretest-posttest design using the probes AIMSweb Letter Name Fluency (LNF), AIMSweb Letter Sound Fluency (LSF), MAP K-2 Early Literacy, as well as a questionnaire regarding teacher perceptions of Core5 and its implementation in the classroom. This study used convenience sampling instead of probability sampling since many schools already use Core5. Fifteen schools in the Matanuska Susitna Borough School District was the target population. The sample group comprised of 751 kindergartners, aged five to six-year-olds divided into the treatment group, the partial treatment group, and the control group. Posttest analysis of LNF and LSF data confirmed all three groups made gains from the pretest, but an ANOVA indicated there was a significant difference between the three groups. A Bonferroni post hoc test determined the treatment group and the partial treatment group were significantly different from the control group. The posttest analysis of MAP K-2 Early Literacy data indicated that all three groups made gains from the pretest. An ANOVA suggested there was no significant difference between the three groups. Lastly, the end-of-year Core5 levels were correlated to the benchmark scores on LNF, LSF and MAP K-2 Early Literacy probes using Pearson’s r. The teacher questionnaire indicated that a majority of teachers have a favourable view of Core5, which is vital to the implementation of Core5 because their attitude is also a significant predictor of student use in the classroom. The findings indicate that Core5 is an effective CAI program to use as part of the kindergarten ELA curriculum. The findings also add to the volume of research on Core5, CAI programmes and blended learning. / English Studies / D. Litt. et Phil. (English)

Malgré les progrès dans la lutte contre le paludisme au Burkina Faso, il reste la plus importante maladie à transmission vectorielle dans le pays. P. falciparum est le plus répandu et le plus mortel au Burkina Faso. Les facteurs liés à ce fardeau élevé sont l’inaccessibilité (financière et géographique) aux soins de santé, l’insuffisance dans le diagnostic et la prise en charge adéquate et précoce des cas de paludisme. La réalisation de l'Objectif du Développement Durable 3 au Burkina Faso repose sur une mise en œuvre réussie d'un ensemble d'interventions de prévention, de gestion des cas et de surveillance épidémiologique du paludisme. L'objectif de réduire le taux de létalité lié au paludisme à 1 % en 2020 n'a pas été atteint, il est donc nécessaire de réaliser une évaluation de l’efficacité des programmes de lutte antipaludique (utilisation des MILDA, utilisation des CTA, la politique de gratuité des soins de santé) surtout au niveau infranational, utile pour orienter la prise de décision à des échelles géographiques plus petites. Les données cliniques sur le paludisme collectées en routine peuvent fournir des informations indispensables pour l’évaluation de la variation inter et intra mensuelle/annuelle de l’effet des interventions de lutte antipaludique et du risque de paludisme à l'échelle nationale et infranationale chez les enfants de moins de cinq ans. Au Burkina Faso, une quantité importante de données a été régulièrement collectée par le biais du système de transmission des données en ligne via le « District Health Information System 2 (DHIS2) ». Toutefois, leur utilisation pour évaluer l’effet des interventions de lutte sur la dynamique spatio-temporelle du risque de paludisme à l’échelle locale (district) reste limitée au Burkina Faso. Dans cette recherche, nous avons développé des modèles spatiaux et spatio-temporels implémentés dans un cadre hiérarchique bayésien pour (I) évaluer l’effet des interventions de lutte sur la dynamique spatio-temporelle de la morbidité et de la létalité dues au paludisme sur la période 2013-2018 chez les enfants de moins de 5 ans au Burkina Faso et (II) détecter les districts sanitaires (spatio-temporelle) qui ne parviennent pas à atteindre les objectifs du PNLP en termes de morbidité/létalité. Ces modèles utilisent l’Approximation Intégrée de la Laplace (INLA), un algorithme déterministe qui est une méthode appropriée pour analyser les données de routine du paludisme corrélées à la fois dans l’espace et dans le temps. Nous avons observé que la mise en œuvre de la politique de gratuité des soins de santé était significativement associée à une augmentation du nombre de cas rapportés de paludisme testés et confirmés par rapport à la période précédant sa mise en œuvre. Cet effet était cependant hétérogène dans les districts de santé. De plus, nous avons constaté que le taux mensuel de létalité du paludisme était en baisse au cours de la période 2013-2018. Cette réduction était significativement associée à la disponibilité des tests de diagnostic rapide du paludisme et du traitement. Aussi, nous avons observé que le risque de décéder du paludisme chez les enfants de moins de 5 ans était plus faible au cours de la période suivant la mise en œuvre de cette politique par rapport à la période précédente. Nous avons également identifié des districts sanitaires avec un taux de létalité du paludisme élevé dans les parties nord, nord-ouest et sud-ouest du pays. Nos résultats appellent à un effort soutenu et renforcé pour tester tous les cas suspects afin que, parallèlement à l’amélioration de la prise en charge précoce des cas, le fardeau du paludisme chez les enfants de moins de cinq ans soit connu avec précision (voir l'hippopotame presque entièrement). De plus, ils ont mis en évidence les districts sanitaires qui ont le plus besoin d'interventions ciblées et la nécessité de maintenir et de renforcer les programmes de santé en cours pour réduire davantage les décès dus au paludisme au Burkina Faso. / Despite progress in the fight against malaria in Burkina Faso, malaria remains the most important vector-borne disease in the country, and P. falciparum is the most widespread and deadly pathogen in the area. The factors linked to this high burden are the inaccessibility (financial and geographical) to health care, insufficient diagnoses, and inadequate/late management of malaria cases. The achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 3 in Burkina Faso is based on the successful implementation of a set of interventions for the prevention, case management, and epidemiological surveillance of malaria. The objective of reducing the case fatality rate linked to malaria to 1% by 2020 has not been reached. It is, therefore, necessary to carry out an evaluation of the effectiveness of malaria control programs (the use of long-lasting insecticidal nets, the use of Artemisinin-based combination therapy, and free health care policies), especially at the sub-national level, which will be useful for guiding decision-making at smaller geographic scales. Routinely collected clinical data on malaria can provide essential information for the assessment of inter- and intra-monthly/annual variation in the effects of malaria control interventions and the risk of malaria at the national and subnational levels among children under five. In Burkina Faso, a significant amount of data is regularly collected through the online data transmission system via the “District Health Information System 2 (DHIS2)”. However, the use of these data to assess the effects of control interventions on the spatio-temporal dynamics of malaria risk at the local (district) level remains limited in Burkina Faso. In this research, we developed spatial and spatio-temporal models implemented in a Bayesian hierarchical framework to (i) assess the effects of control interventions on the spatio-temporal dynamics of morbidity and lethality due to malaria in the period of 2013–2018 in children under 5 in Burkina Faso and (ii) detect health districts (spatio-temporal) that fail to achieve the PNLP objectives in terms of morbidity/lethality. These models use Laplace Integrated Approximation (INLA), a deterministic algorithm that provides an appropriate method for analyzing routine malaria data correlated in both space and time. We observed that the implementation of the free health care policy was significantly associated with an increase in the number of reported cases of malaria tested and confirmed compared to the period before its implementation. This effect was, however, heterogeneous in the health districts. In addition, we found that the monthly malaria case fatality rate declined during the period of 2013–2018. This reduction was significantly associated with the availability of rapid diagnostic tests for malaria and treatments. We also observed that the risk of dying from malaria in children under 5 years old was lower during the period following the implementation of this policy compared to the previous period and identified health districts with a high case fatality rate from malaria in the northern, northwestern, and southwestern parts of the country. Our results call for a sustained and strengthened effort to test all suspected cases so that, along with improving early case management, the burden of malaria in children under five can be known with precision. In addition, our results highlight the health districts in greatest need of targeted interventions, as well as the need to maintain and strengthen ongoing health programs to further reduce malaria deaths in Burkina Faso. / Doctorat en Sciences de la santé Publique / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / The use of technology in mathematics education has many potentially positive outcomes. There is, however, little evidence to show where the use of technology has made a significant impact on mathematics education in South Africa. This study aims to address the issue of how computer tablets are currently used in the mathematics classroom. The researcher drew a comparison between learners who were taught with computer tablets and learners who were taught in the traditional way by evaluating the learners' progress after being taught on the topic of 3D images. This assessment was done in the form of a pre-test and a post-test that were administered to both classes on a topic of 3D images that was taught during this allocated time. The research is located in the third-generation activity theory. It is based on the socio-cultural theory of Lev Vygotsky, but it is blended with modern western theories as described by Engeström. The researcher made use of a mixed methods approach starting with a qualitative survey, followed by a pre-test, observations and concluding with a post-test. The pre-test and post-test determined whether cognitive knowledge was gained. The participants in the study were a group of 15-year-old learners at a private school where the one class was taught using computer tablets in the mathematics classroom, and the other class was taught the same content without computer tablets. A qualitative survey was sent to 27 schools within a particular school group where teachers indicated the popular Apps that were used in the mathematics classroom in this school group. Teachers also gave reasons why these were the Apps of choice and elaborated on how they were using these Apps. The quantitative part of this research was guided by the results of the survey and the 5 most popular Applications (Apps) were used in the teaching experiment. The quantitative part focused on two classrooms within the same school where the one class were taught with computer tablets and the other class were taught without the use of computer tablets. The t-test for this research showed that the group of learners who were taught with computer tablets achieved significantly better results than the class of learners who were taught using hard copy textbooks with traditional methods of teaching. This study showed that having computer tablets in schools can be effective in the mathematics classroom. The recommendations emanating from this study indicates that school who are planning to use computer tablets in the mathematics classroom should first plan their wi-fi capabilities with enough access points and internet access. These schools also need to decide on a type of computer tablet and what operating system to use. This decision has implications to the accessibility of quality Apps, battery life and storage space of the computer tablet. Schools are recommended to have a plan for training teachers in the use of this computer tablets especially regarding the pedagogical practice when interacting with learners. A last recommendation is to nurture a culture of computer tablet use amongst the learners to discipline themselves to charge and maintain their computer tablets and apply it to educational use. This study includes a pedagogical framework in respect of the effective use of computer tablets in the mathematics classroom.

This study is concerned with contributing to solutions that address the problems of youth unemployment, inequality and poverty in South Africa, specifically among those youth who are being marginalised from participating equally in mainstream economic activities. It argues that financial and digital exclusion, as well as poor access to a quality education, are factors which are currently limiting these youths' economic potential and perpetuating a cycle of unemployment, inequality and poverty in South Africa. The literature and theory of social entrepreneurship presents a strong case to address unemployment, inequality and poverty, as well as to stimulate economic growth by creating new business and self-employment opportunities for the youth. This qualitative grounded theory study evaluates the theory of social entrepreneurship in practice, by comparing the theory to the lived realities of some disenfranchised youths in Cape Town. The study also provides an analysis of the systems of privilege and the dual economy that exist in South Africa. Through feedback received during interviews with a representative sample of the target group, the study offers new insights into the challenges faced when young people are seeking employment or want to start a business in the South African economy. Youth social entrepreneurship development and start-up incubation programmes arguably perform a critical function in facilitating inclusive economic participation among the youth. Developing new insights, concepts and recommendations to maximise these programmes' social impact is a critical function of this study, which ultimately hopes to contribute to the creation of more inclusive entrepreneurial opportunities for disadvantaged South African youth.

Avec l'évolution des technologies, la complexité des systèmes informatiques ne cesse de s'accroître. Parmi ces systèmes, on retrouve les logiciels critiques qui doivent offrir une garantie de sûreté de fonctionnement qui s'avère crucial et pour lesquels un dysfonctionnement peut avoir des conséquences graves. Les méthodes formelles fournissent des outils permettant de garantir mathématiquement l'absence de certaines erreurs. Ces méthodes sont indispensables pour assurer les plus hauts niveaux de sûreté. Mais l'application de ces méthodes sur un code système bas niveau se heurte à des difficultés d'ordre pratique et théorique. Les principales difficultés concernent la prise en compte des aspects bas niveau, comme les pointeurs et les interactions avec le matériel spécifique. De plus, le fait que ces systèmes soient concurrents conduit à une augmentation exponentielle du nombre de comportements possibles, ce qui rend plus difficile leur vérification. Dans cette thèse, nous proposons une méthodologie pour la spécification et la vérification par model-checking de ce type de systèmes, en particulier, ceux implémentés en C. Cette méthodologie est basée sur la traduction de la sémantique de C en TLA+, un langage de spécification formel adapté à la modélisation de systèmes concurrents. Nous avons proposé un modèle de mémoire et d'exécution d'un programme C séquentiel en TLA+. En se basant sur ce modèle, nous avons proposé un ensemble de règles de traduction d'un code C en TLA+ que nous avons implémenté dans un outil, appelé C2TLA+. Nous avons montré comment ce modèle peut s'étendre pour modéliser les programmes C concurrents et gérer la synchronisation entre plusieurs processus ainsi que leur ordonnancement. Pour réduire la complexité du model-checking, nous avons proposé une technique permettant de réduire significativement la complexité de la vérification. Cette réduction consiste pour un code C à agglomérer une suite d'instructions lors de la génération du code TLA+, sous réserve d'un ensemble de conditions.Nous avons appliqué la méthodologie proposée dans cette thèse sur un cas d'étude réel issu de l'implémentation d'un micronoyau industriel,sur lequel nous avons vérifié un ensemble de propriétés fonctionnelles. L'application de la réduction a permis de réduire considérablement le temps de la vérification, ce qui la rend utilisable en pratique.Les résultats ont permis d'étudier le comportement du système, de vérifier certaines propriétés et de trouver des bugs indétectables par des simples tests. / Software systems are critical and complex. In order to guarantee their correctness, the use of formal methodsis important. These methods can be defined as mathematically based techniques, languages and tools for specifying and reasoning about systems. But, the application of formal methods to software systems, implemented in C, is challenging due to the presence of pointers, pointer arithmetic andinteraction with hardware. Moreover, software systems are often concurrent, making the verification process infeasible. This work provides a methodology to specify and verify C software systems usingmodel-checking technique. The proposed methodology is based on translating the semantics of Cinto TLA+, a formal specification language for reasoning about concurrent and reactive systems. We define a memory and execution model for a sequential program and a set of translation rules from C to TLA+ that we developed in a tool called C2TLA+. Based on this model, we show that it can be extended to support concurrency, synchronization primitives and process scheduling. Although model-checking is an efficient and automatic technique, it faces the state explosion problem when the system becomes large. To overcome this problem, we propose a state-space reduction technique. The latter is based on agglomerating a set of C instructions during the generation phase of the TLA+ specification. This methodology has been applied to a concrete case study, a microkernel of an industrial real-time operating system, on which a set of functional properties has been verified. The application of the agglomeration technique to the case study shows the usefulness of the proposed technique in reducing the complexity of verification. The obtained results allow us to study the behavior of the system and to find errors undetectable using traditional testing techniques.

Adolescent drug abuse is a negative phenomenon, thesis aims for selected aspects of work with adolescent psychoactive substances users in Czech republic. Objective is to describe specifics of addictology programmes for adolescents and participation of state administration offices, also provide the list of facilities providing this type of care. Besides the literature, this thesis draws from personal experience of the author, who has been working with adolescent drug users. Institutional case study of addictology programme in context of institutional care is also part of the thesis. In conclusion is model of principles of the therapeutic community suitable for use in terms of institutional care. Case management principles are useful due to the problem complexity.

Thesis (Ph.D. (Educational Management)) -- University of Limpopo, 2020 / Continuous professional development (CPD) embraces the idea that individuals aim for continuous improvement in their professional knowledge and skills beyond the basic training initially required to carry out the job. CPD is especially critical in schools where the kind of education that students receive is heavily dependent on the quality, efficiency and effectiveness of educators. The purpose of the study was to explore the influence of continuous professional development in promoting quality teaching and learning leading to enhanced student achievement in South African schools. The study was based on a qualitative research approach. The interpretive paradigm and case-study research design were adopted. The researcher employed three research methods of data collection namely; individual interview, focus group and documentary evidence. The population from which the study sample was drawn is defined as all Pietersburg Circuit secondary schools in Polokwane urban. Five schools were drawn from the population to make a sample for the study. Two subjects for the study were principals and educators. The sample consisted of 5 principals and 10 educators to give a total sample size of 15. The research engaged purposive sampling technique. The idea behind purposive sampling was to concentrate on participants with those particular characteristics ideal to supply relevant research data that best enabled me to answer research questions. The researcher chose thematic data analysis. Thematic analysis basically entailed arranging data according to themes evolving. Data was triangulated to determine if data results from different sources supported each other. Findings revealed that both principals and educators were well conversant with the concept of continuous professional development. Continuous professional development in schools was mainly put through school-based, educator-initiated and externally-initiated approaches. Additionally, the findings revealed that the educators were minimally consulted and involved in professional development needs-identification and analysis. Furthermore, study findings showed that evaluations of informal continuous professional development programmes prevailed in schools, but the majority response alluded to the total failure by schools to institute deliberate, planned and documented evaluations. The professional development of educators is regarded as crucial in developing professional skills. Furthermore, it is looked upon as a direct contribution to student achievement. Professional development of educators has long been a key and logically positioned undertaking for improving educator iv satisfaction as well as hope for improved classroom instruction and student achievement. As a result, continuous professional development comes as both a big challenge as well as the best solution to effective teaching and learning in schools. On the basis of the findings of this study, some recommendations were made and possible areas for further research suggested. The primary recommendation of this study is for continuous professional development to match and attempt to address the identified needs of the educators and students alike. That would likely have the desired consequence of a more empowered and enriched educator with the capacity to efficiently and effectively raise student achievement. It could be assumed that, by allowing educators a voice in their own professional development, they would embrace a more vested interest and feel compelled to contribute more.Key concepts Continuous professional development, needs-identification and analysis, educator consultation and involvement, monitoring and evaluating professional development programmes, school-initiated professional development, educator-initiated professional development, externally-initiated professional development, student achievement.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / State social security transfers for families existed in South Africa only in the form of state maintenance grants, which paid up to R700 to single parents. The system was not appropriate in the South African context, being racially biased and financially unsustainable. The Department of Welfare - following in principle the recommendations of the "Lund report" - introduced with effect from 1 April 1998 a child support grant which is payable to the primary care-givers of children, regardless of their family status. The level of benefit was set at RIOOper month per child for children up to the age of six (incl.). The Department declared that 48% or 3 million children should be targeted. At the same time, the SMGs are to be phased out over a three year period. This research was conducted between November 1995 and March 1998. The analysis of the different suggestions during the policy process and the final policy is based on two pillars: • A situation analysis of the living conditions of South Africa's children on the basis of a composite index. • An evaluation of policy scenarios on the basis of a microsimulation model. The index tries to give a complex picture of the living conditions of children by looking at the financial situation, housing, health, and employment opportunities of the households the children are living in. The analysis reveals that nearly 70% of South Africa's children up to the age of six (incl.) live below the poverty line as defined. A further analysis of the household structure indicates that poorer children are likely to live in larger households. The overall policy shift from a support of single parent families to children in poverty regardless of their family status is espoused. However, the microsimulation model which analyses the impact of different factors like the 'level of benefit', the 'age-cohort', the 'means-test', and the 'administrative requirements', reveals that there are still serious flaws in the current policy. Due to the fact that the means-test is based on the total household income, nearly 40% of the children living below the poverty line are excluded. In addition, the administration needs urgent attention as its capacity is the decisive factor in the success of the programme. The thesis calculates that in the next five years up to R2 billion less will be spent on poor children and the goal of reaching 3 million children will not be achieved, if the problems identified are not addressed. The thesis develops an alternative suggestion to the current policy. While microsimulation has become quite a standard procedure in the analysis of social policies in industrialised countries, there is so far no application in developing countries. It is hoped that by taking this policy analysis as a case-study, this thesis is a step towards the introduction of this method here. Microsimulation models provide important information to enhance the transparency and accountability of policy processes. In this case, civil society was able to challenge Government's decision on a very informed basis, to put pressure on decision makers successfully, and to make workable alternative suggestions. Furthermore, the analysis reveals that against Government's promise redistribution does not take place. Instead a shift towards a more neo-liberal approach in social policy is observed.