The purpose of this study was to investigate the socio-economic impact of learners’ achievement at public schools in Nkangala District in the Mpumalanga Province. The benefits of the study were highlighted within the narrative of the study. The study was qualitative in nature and included a literature study, observations and semi structured interviews. It was discovered from the data that the socio- economic conditions in the district, the learners’ home environment, the school environment and the Department of Education impacted on learners’ achievement. Based on the findings, recommendations were made for improvements to assist in addressing the socio economic impact on learners’ achievement. / Educational Leadership and Management / M. Ed. (Education Management)

National legislation such as South African Schools Act, No. 84 of 1996 introduced important reforms impacting on school and parent communication. It mandated the establishment of school governing bodies in all schools to ensure that parents participate in their schools and to open an effective way of communication between educators and parents. However, the literature study established that in some schools, mostly the historically disadvantaged black schools, communication between educators and parents is still very poor and mostly ineffective. This study examined the role of the school principals in managing effective communication between educators and parents at schools to ensure that effective partnerships between educators and parents are achieved. A qualitative investigation in two public secondary schools in the Umbumbulu Circuit, KwaZulu-Natal was done. Data were gathered by means of in-depth interviews with the principals of each school, and focus group interviews with the educators and parents of each school and document analysis. The findings revealed the following: relationship between educators and parents is still very poor in some schools, the communication between educators and parents is still ineffective, there is still a lack of parental involvement in some schools, and most schools do not have policies on effective management of communication and comprehensive programmes on parental involvement. The study recommends that principals need to be empowered to effectively manage communication in their schools to ensure effective partnerships between educators and parents, and schools should design their own training programmes conducted by principals or specialists for parents on the importance of parental involvement in the education of their children. / Educational Leadership and Management / M. Ed. (Education Management)

This study looks at language policy and practice at two Eastern Cape schools. It further explores the link between language learning and teaching. Language implementation strategies were the main focus of this study. The Language-in-education policy of the Republic of South Africa (1997) promotes the use of all nine African languages, which have been afforded the status of official languages. This study looks at the language teaching practices at two Grahamstown primary schools, where isiXhosa and Afrikaans have been used as media of instruction. Qualitative methods were used, and the study took the form of interpretive case studies. / Thuto e, e ikaelela go tshegetsa patlisiso e e ka ga gore dipuo tsa Selegae tsa Seaforika mo Aforikaborwa di tshwanelwa ke go tsewa ka maemo le mokgwa o o lekanang go ya ka Molaotheo wa Aforikaborwa. Ka jalo, e tlaa utolola,e ribilole ditsela le go batla malepa a puso ya Aforikaborwa e ka fitlhelelang setšhaba se se kwa magaeng, se bokgoni jwa kitso ya Seesimane bo leng kwa tlase mo go bona. Bothata ke gore Aforikaborwa e laolwa bogolo ke tiriso e e kwa godimo ya Seesimane mme puso e tshwanelwa ke gore e tlose dikgoreletsi tse di leng teng ga jaana tsa puo. E bowe gape e thibele go se lekalekaneng ga botshelo ka kakaretso mo loagong go go tlholwang ke go sa lekalekaneng ga kitso ya dipuo mo setšhabeng ka kakaretso. Ditshwanelo mo puong fela jaaka ditshwanelo dingwe le dingwe tsa botho, di tshwanelwa ke go sireletswa, jaaka di akareditswe mo Molaotheo o mošwa wa temokerasi wa Aforikaborwa.

Teacher attrition in schools is a common and ongoing phenomenon experienced nationally and internationally. Teacher attrition takes place continuously in schools either voluntarily or involuntarily in the form of retirement, resignation, transfer, dismissal, redeployment, ill-health and death, affecting the teaching and learning process in a negative way. The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of female principals on teacher attrition. The study was conducted in the public schools of Tshwane West District of Gauteng Province. Transformational leadership theory and ethics of care theory underpinned this qualitative study positioned within the constructivist paradigm. A case study design was used to explore the case of teacher attrition. Purposive sampling was used to select the female principals to participate in this study. Data were collected through face-to-face semi-structured interviews, observation and document analysis. Qualitative content analysis was employed for data analysis. The study found that teacher attrition affects schools negatively. It disrupts and destabilises the schools, affecting the morale of the teachers as well as affecting learner performance and discipline as it takes place throughout the academic year. The female principals employ various strategies to address the issue of teacher attrition and to motivate for teacher retention. The study recommended that female principals be empowered to enable them to cope with their role of managing teacher attrition. / Educational Management and Leadership / Ph. D. (Education (Educational Management and Leadership))

This study explored school choice and school commuting in the town of Ladybrand in the Free State Province. A mixed research method (survey and qualitative interviews) was used. Grade 8 parents from all three public secondary schools in Ladybrand were surveyed. Members of the School Governing Bodies (SGB) and School Management Teams (SMT) were also interviewed. The study found that all three schools are dominated by Black African children, although Ladybrand High (a fee-charging, former Model C, whites-only school), had a multiracial learner profile. Most Black African learners in Ladybrand High came from lower to middle-class working homes in the neighbouring township. Lesotho nationals were also enrolled in this school. Most Ladybrand High learners had parents who are married, financially resourced, educated, and working in skilled or professional jobs. In terms of Lereng Secondary and Sehlabeng Secondary School (both no-fee township schools), most learners hail from poorly educated, single-parent homes, where the parents are either working in semi-skilled or unskilled jobs or are unemployed. None were from Lesotho. Their financial status is weak. These parents said they selected the school based on proximity and low cost, whereas quality of education drove enrolment in Ladybrand High. Thus, the schools in the Ladybrand area demonstrate that class segregation has replaced apartheid race segregation. Learners from Ladybrand High commute using a variety of transport modes, while learners in township schools either use a subsidised government bus or walk – in some cases long distances if they live on neighbouring farms. The township schools complained of poor learner discipline and feeling unsafe due to local gang activities, both of which negatively impact on the functioning of the schools. This was not the case with Ladybrand High. While all the schools offer extra lessons, the two township schools hold extensive extra-lesson sessions and matriculation study camps. / Environmental Sciences / M. Sc. (Environmental Management)

The Umnini Tribal Authority is a poor, semi-rural area in KwaZulu-Natal, governed by a local chief. This study set out to determine school commuting patterns in relation to school choice and socio-economic status (SES) in the area. Mixed methods were used, involving a parental questionnaire survey, interviews, focus groups and a field audit with photographs. Overall, almost all learners enrolled in the seven 'no-fee' state primary (four) and high schools (three) under study were found to be Black African, IsiZulu speakers, and generally ‘extremely poor’ to ‘very poor’. Most households are headed by single mothers who have completed high school but are unemployed. Most households rely on government social grants to some extent. Most fathers were either absent, poorly educated to uneducated, and far less likely to be employed than the mothers. Children living with both parents, especially where the father was tertiary educated, and the mother employed, fell into the ‘less poor’ and ‘better off than most’ categories. In terms of school choice affordability, good teachers, good school management and proximity to home were the main drivers of enrolment. SES seems to have an impact on the amount of money spent on school lunches and school expenses, although there were some concerning exceptions. Primary school learners walked to school, but many parents pay for monthly transport. Some use the government-subsidised bus. High school learners tended to have longer and less safe journeys to school and back than primary school learners. This is especially true for boy learners, who are targets for criminals, drug addicts and, even worse, school bus drivers. Several challenges face all these learners en route to school every day: crime, unsafe and poor road conditions, roadworthy vehicles, long journeys and rough terrain. Primary school learners often get lost or left behind by their transport drivers. Fortunately, their teachers are actively involved in ensuring their safety and well-being – far more so than their parents, who seldom even know the name of the transport driver, let alone whether the vehicle is appropriate, roadworthy or licenced. High school learners were more likely to live in ‘extremely poor’ to ‘very poor’ households, a possible indicator that financially better-off parents are sending their high school children to schools outside of the area. It is recommended that the local tribal authority, the provincial government, the schools, parents and drivers need to work in unison to make the school commute simpler and safer. / Environmental Sciences / M. Sc. (Environmental Management)

The researcher investigated the legal obligations of the governing bodies with regard to the financial management of public schools in Maleboho Central Circuit in the Province of Limpopo. I followed the qualitative research approach and used a multiple case study design that enabled me to test and confirm the findings across the cases by comparing or contrasting the cases. The study revealed that parent governors’ understanding of the role and responsibilities pertaining to financial management is not sufficient, and that the financial training that is presented in English hampers its effectiveness. The findings of the study confirm that the governing bodies do not manage the schools’ finances effectively and in compliance with their legal obligations. / Educational Leadership and Management / M. Ed. (Education Management)

Around the world, managing the behavioural rights of teachers and learners in schools remains a complex problem for all involved in the teaching and learning situation. From a legal standpoint, the crux of this study relates to why school managers and teachers feel disempowered by learners’ rights. Over and above the duty of all citizens not to infringe on other peoples’ human rights (e.g. the horizontal application of the Bill of Rights contained in Section 2 of the Constitution, SA, 1996), teachers also have a legal obligation to promote and protect learners’ rights (e.g. a vertical application of the Bill of Rights contained in Section 2 of the Constitution, SA, 1996). It is this extra mandate that results in teachers feeling disempowered by learners’ rights. Learners’ rights are protected because teachers are representative of the state and, as such, the vertical application of human rights arises where learners are protected against any possible abuse of power. Moreover, a further ‘imbalance’ is created by children’s rights (Section 28, SASA, 1996). In particular, their right to protection and to having their best interests is regarded as of paramount importance. The study examined the role of the principal, SMT, SGB and RCL in managing the behavioural rights of teachers and learners. A qualitative investigation at three public high schools in the North Metropolitan District of Cape Town was done. Data were collected by means of document analysis as well as by in-depth interviews with five teachers and five RCL members at each of the three participating schools. The findings of the study revealed that the behavioural rights of teachers and learners are managed by the school management leadership style, by the ineffective support from teacher unions, by the functionality of the SGB, by the muted voice of the RCL and in a conflicting manner by some parents. The study recommends that principals, SMTs, SGBs and RCLs be empowered in order for them to manage the behavioural rights of teachers and learners effectively. The principals, SMTs, SGBs and RCLs that adopt a democratic leadership style which favours support, collaboration and conflict resolution can thus take firm hold of a golden opportunity – the opportunity to sustain and promote the managing of the behavioural rights of teachers and learners. / Educational Leadership and Management / M. Ed. (Educational Management)

The purpose of this study is to investigate how positive discipline of Grade 9 boys should be managed at a selected public fee paying school in KwaZulu-Natal and to determine how learner behaviour would improve through educators acting as mentors. Furthermore, how educators could assist in implementing positive discipline management strategies to help in improving learner behaviour, and which positive discipline management strategies have been successful. This study could be regarded as primarily descriptive and exploratory in nature, incorporating the basic characteristics associated with quantitative research. As such, it was predominantly deductive and positivistic in nature. This study highlighted the importance of effective management systems that would assist the educator in the classroom. Several theories regarding learner management were explained and the literature review focused on the need for positive discipline strategies to be employed in the classroom, which would ultimately make for better relationships between the educator and the learner. The study found that it is essential that the SGB, principal and senior management all get behind and support a managing behaviour mentor system as it has the potential to create a pleasurable work environment resulting in a reduction in the number of disciplinary matters for both the educator and the learner. / Educational Leadership and Management / M. Ed. (Education Management)

Afrikaans text / The Canadian and South African legal systems established equivalent constitutional values and principles pertaining to searches conducted with or without a valid search warrant. It creates the basis for a comparative study on this particular aspect. The Supreme Court of Canada held in R v A. M 2008 S.C.C 19 random sniffer dog searches conducted without neither a reasonable suspicion nor any legislative authority on learners enrolled in public schools, is unconstitutional due to its infringement of a learner's reasonable expectation to privacy, as protected in section 8 of the Canadian Charter of rights and Freedoms. South African learners are randomly search by law enforcement officers by using sniffer dogs for purposes of detecting the possession of illegal drugs in instances without neither a reasonable suspicion nor statutory authority. The search is subsequently conducted in terms of the common law. The common law is not regarded as law of general application to limit a fundamental right in terms of the limitation clause. By taking into consideration the ratio in R v A. M (supra) the conclusion is subsequently that random sniffer dog searches conducted on learners in South African public schools, without neither a reasonable suspicion nor statutory authority, is unconstitutional which infringes section 14 of the Constitution of South Africa of 1996. / Die basis vir hierdie studie is ontleen aan die ooreenstemmende vereistes en beginsels in die Kanadese en Suid Afrikaanse reg ten aansien van deursoekings met of sonder 'n wettige lasbrief uitgevoer. In die Kanadese beslissing van R v A.M 2008 SCC 19 is die grondwetlikheid van ewekansige deursoekings met behuip van snuffelhonde op leerders sonder statutere magtiging uitgevoer, deur die Supreme Court of Canada as ongrondwetlik bevind aangesien 'n leerder wel oor 'n redelike verwagting op privaatheid beskik. Indien leerders sonder 'n redelike vermoede en statutere magtiging met behuip van snuffelhonde deursoek word, geskied dit ingevolge die gemenereg en dit word nie beskou as 'n algemeen geldende reg om 'n fundamentele reg kragtens die beperkingsklousule te beperk nie. Met inagneming van die ratio in R v A.M (supra) kan daar dus tot die gevolgtrekking gekom word dat ewekansige deursoekings met behulp van snuffelhonde op Suid Afrikanse leerders in die afwesigheid van 'n redelike vermoede asook sonder statutere magtiging uitgevoer, tans ongrondwetlike optrede daarstel wat op artikel 14 van die Grondwet van 1996 inbreuk maak. / Law (College) / LL.M.