M. Tech. Cost and Management Accounting / The South African school system mainly consists of private independent schools and public ordinary schools. Public schools are divided into Section 20 and Section 21 schools. Section 21 schools are financially self-managed, whilst Section 20 schools' finances are centrally managed by their respective provincial education departments. The only means of income for Section 20 schools in South Africa is an annual fund allocation from the government, which is based on an annual "paper budget" submitted by each school. This study investigated the effective functioning of the Section 20 school funding system in the Tshwane North, Tshwane South and Tshwane West districts of the Gauteng Province in South Africa.

This Mixed Method Research Project examines the possible marketing strategies that can be used to market township schools in the Gauteng province, within an increasingly competitive educational system. These strategies are investigated within the largely unbalanced infrastructural and resource dichotomy that exists between most township schools and the former Model C schools; the results of which has seen among many other challenges, the ever increasing learner migration from the township schools to the former Model C suburban schools. This pedagogical manuscript adopts a case study approach while simultaneously integrating the influences of established research paradigms like pragmatism and enterpretivism. Within the attempt to find the best marketing options for township schools, the project also consciously attempts to identify the challenges (and possible solutions) that the said schools face as they try to market themselves. The benefits of implementing the marketing matrix within the education product are henceforth highlighted within the narrative of the project. / Educational Leadership and Management / M. Ed. (Education Management)

This Mixed Method Research Project examines the possible marketing strategies that can be used to market township schools in the Gauteng province, within an increasingly competitive educational system. These strategies are investigated within the largely unbalanced infrastructural and resource dichotomy that exists between most township schools and the former Model C schools; the results of which has seen among many other challenges, the ever increasing learner migration from the township schools to the former Model C suburban schools. This pedagogical manuscript adopts a case study approach while simultaneously integrating the influences of established research paradigms like pragmatism and enterpretivism. Within the attempt to find the best marketing options for township schools, the project also consciously attempts to identify the challenges (and possible solutions) that the said schools face as they try to market themselves. The benefits of implementing the marketing matrix within the education product are henceforth highlighted within the narrative of the project. / Educational Leadership and Management / M. Ed. (Education Management)

M.Tech. (Construction Management) / Focusing on the dilapidated state of public schools infrastructure in the Gauteng Province of South Africa, this study presents findings on the current state of public schools infrastructure, why public schools infrastructure is in a dilapidated state, various factors which contribute to the dilapidated state of public schools infrastructure, an overview of measures which have been undertaken to improve the state of public schools infrastructure and subsequently proposes a multi stakeholder framework for the maintenance of public schools infrastructure. To achieve the objectives of the study, a detailed literature review of Botswana, Nigeria, United States of America and South Africa were compiled on public schools infrastructure. A set of multiple questionnaires were designed to collect data from 34 public schools in Gauteng Province of South Africa. The field survey comprised of Department of Education Officials, maintenance contractors, school governing body members, school Teachers, school principals and community members. There are multiple factors which when they occur lead to the dilapidation of public schools infrastructure. The primary factors include that maintenance works are undertaken in a disjointed manner with no clear strategy, inadequate government intervention, no sense of ownership for the schools by learners, teachers, parents and community members, inadequate funds allocated to schools, vandalism, lack of maintenance, funds not allocated based on individual school needs, neglect, deferred maintenance and overcrowding. The study is restricted to the Gauteng Province of South Africa. The selection of Gauteng as a case study has been mainly influenced by accessibility to the researcher and its high rate of overcrowding in schools which is also accompanied by high public schools infrastructure backlog. The findings of the research will be taken as representative for the entire country.The study provides a detailed comprehension on the various factors which contribute to the dilapidated state of public schools infrastructure and further proposes a multi stakeholder framework for the proper maintenance of public schools infrastructure.The study provides an understanding of the various factors so as to enhance maintenance of existing public schools infrastructure and the capability of the government to build new schools or extend the existing schools to meet the demand.

The implementation of the South African Schools Act (Act 84 of 1996) has placed additional financial management responsibilities on school principals and school governing bodies. Financial management has created several challenges for school principals and members of school governing bodies who do not have the necessary financial knowledge, skill and expertise to perform this function. This research was undertaken primarily to determine how principals and members of school governing bodies, in public primary schools, implement financial policy. The research is supported by a detailed literature study covering financial policy, the budget process, approaches to budgeting, the advantages of a budget system and requirements for effective financial control. In order to determine the financial management practices at public primary schools a questionnaire was designed and administered amongst twenty five public primary schools in the Ekurhuleni South District of the Gauteng Department of Education. The findings suggest that there is a need for schools to communicate resolutions adopted at parents’ meetings and other consultative procedures to parents of learners and in this way ensure the dissemination of pertinent information. There is a need for early intervention by schools concerning outstanding school fees to prevent the exacerbation of the problem. Educational institutions should prepare their budgets on the basis of their main objectives and policies in order to ensure an efficient allocation of funds. / Education / M. Ed. (Education Management)

South Africa is a democratic country with equal human rights. South Africa’s previous president, Thabo Mbeki, signed Article 24 in October 2006 and committed South African education to acknowledge all learners without discrimination and to create equal opportunities for all learners. A close look was taken at support in inclusive education within the South African context. It touched on models contributing to the development of a learner, followed by a retrospection of the history that gave way to inclusive education in South Africa. International trends were also considered. The question investigated was: Are the necessary support systems in place in Gauteng’s government primary schools, to provide the necessary support to learners who experience barriers to learning within the inclusive education system, and do they function optimally? In order to answer this question data was collected by means of a self-administered questionnaire completed by principals of Gauteng government’s primary schools. Some of the following aspects were the focus of the questionnaire in this study: barriers to learning that prevail the most are the type of specialist help available to the schools; the role of special schools as specialist reference; the attitudes of parents, teachers, specialists, therapists and teacher aids as well as the accessibility of specialised assistance to government schools. Questions also focussed on training, as well as support provided by institutional and district support teams.The most significant findings of the study include the the fact that classrooms are overcrowded. The most common barriers to learning are Attention Deficit (Hyperactivity) Disorder and emotional disability instability linked to family problems. A cause for concern is the fact that 82% of the respondents are teaching between 20 and 60 learners experiencing barriers to learning. The institutional level support teams were functioning effectively, but the district support teams did not function adequately. Special schools as resource centers are not used and utilized sufficiently by Gauteng’s government primary schools. The findings show that policies within schools need to be revised to accommodate the learner who experiences barriers to learning. Observation proved that most of Gauteng government primary schools are gradually on the road to implementing inclusive education supported by support systems successfully. / Further Teacher Education / D. ed.

South Africa is a democratic country with equal human rights. South Africa’s previous president, Thabo Mbeki, signed Article 24 in October 2006 and committed South African education to acknowledge all learners without discrimination and to create equal opportunities for all learners. A close look was taken at support in inclusive education within the South African context. It touched on models contributing to the development of a learner, followed by a retrospection of the history that gave way to inclusive education in South Africa. International trends were also considered. The question investigated was: Are the necessary support systems in place in Gauteng’s government primary schools, to provide the necessary support to learners who experience barriers to learning within the inclusive education system, and do they function optimally? In order to answer this question data was collected by means of a self-administered questionnaire completed by principals of Gauteng government’s primary schools. Some of the following aspects were the focus of the questionnaire in this study: barriers to learning that prevail the most are the type of specialist help available to the schools; the role of special schools as specialist reference; the attitudes of parents, teachers, specialists, therapists and teacher aids as well as the accessibility of specialised assistance to government schools. Questions also focussed on training, as well as support provided by institutional and district support teams.The most significant findings of the study include the the fact that classrooms are overcrowded. The most common barriers to learning are Attention Deficit (Hyperactivity) Disorder and emotional disability instability linked to family problems. A cause for concern is the fact that 82% of the respondents are teaching between 20 and 60 learners experiencing barriers to learning. The institutional level support teams were functioning effectively, but the district support teams did not function adequately. Special schools as resource centers are not used and utilized sufficiently by Gauteng’s government primary schools. The findings show that policies within schools need to be revised to accommodate the learner who experiences barriers to learning. Observation proved that most of Gauteng government primary schools are gradually on the road to implementing inclusive education supported by support systems successfully. / Further Teacher Education / D. ed.

The implementation of the South African Schools Act (Act 84 of 1996) has placed additional financial management responsibilities on school principals and school governing bodies. Financial management has created several challenges for school principals and members of school governing bodies who do not have the necessary financial knowledge, skill and expertise to perform this function. This research was undertaken primarily to determine how principals and members of school governing bodies, in public primary schools, implement financial policy. The research is supported by a detailed literature study covering financial policy, the budget process, approaches to budgeting, the advantages of a budget system and requirements for effective financial control. In order to determine the financial management practices at public primary schools a questionnaire was designed and administered amongst twenty five public primary schools in the Ekurhuleni South District of the Gauteng Department of Education. The findings suggest that there is a need for schools to communicate resolutions adopted at parents’ meetings and other consultative procedures to parents of learners and in this way ensure the dissemination of pertinent information. There is a need for early intervention by schools concerning outstanding school fees to prevent the exacerbation of the problem. Educational institutions should prepare their budgets on the basis of their main objectives and policies in order to ensure an efficient allocation of funds. / Education / M. Ed. (Education Management)