South Africa began with the ‘no-fee’ school policy (NFSP) implementation on 01 January 2007. The policy abolished mandatory school fees in public ordinary schools to make basic education available to poor learners in the country. However, critics argued that the NFSP implementation made poor schools poorer and needed researched. This prompted an exploration on “No-fee schools’ inability to address the needs of the poor in Limpopo” The researcher randomly sampled ten ‘no-fee’ primary schools for the study. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and documentation. Interviewees were principals, treasurers and chairpersons of school governing bodies from the schools studied. The collected data were analysed through inductive techniques. The study discovered that the no-fee schools were unable to address the needs of the poor in Limpopo. The study concluded with recommendations for empowering no-fee schools on addressing the needs of the poor in Limpopo and for topics on future research. / Thesis (M. Ed. (Educational Management))

This study looks at the various actions by the principal of a farm school in running an academically successful school. The study exposes the difficulties faced by farm schools and looks at how the principal confronts these difficulties and turn some of these into success stories. In trying to understand the role of the principal this study uses school effectiveness literature as a source and reference in an attempt to understand the actions adopted by the principal to make this farm school successful. The study uses the interpretive orientation as the methodology for investigating the principal’s role. This is in line with my attempt at explaining the perceptions, views and experiences of the people who are working closely with the principal. I have done this by employing semi-structured interviews and participant observation. The information gathered from the respondents helped in the development of the role of the principal which in this case, is the expressed views of the respondents. The investigation is conducted as a case study and the handling of the information provided by the respondents is in line with case study methods. The study has revealed that actions of the leader have an influence on the organizational success. The way in which the leader of Rocklands farm School conducts herself and the vision she shares with the people within the organization go a long way towards the improvement of organizational structures and their functioning. In this case the principal has been noted as particularly transformational, charismatic, instructional and transactional in her approaches to school administration and that her dedication to the cause of learners from disadvantaged background is reflected in her sacrificial actions. The study has also found that the principal is considered to be fairly autocratic in her leadership, which is a departure from current leadership thinking. The study has also shown that socio-economic disadvantages do not necessarily inhibit the school from performing beyond expectation. With good guidance from the leader and trust among staff members the farm school has been able to overcome some socio-economic pressures to emerge successful in the academic field. The fact that the principal of this school is a woman has not changed the overall findings that leadership qualities for successful schooling are universal and do not necessarily depend on the gender of the leader. This study suggests that leaders have a potential to turn poor situations in schools around and that leaders should as a matter of course ensure that they understand the organizational dynamics within their schools. They should be in the forefront as agents of change being mindful that those within the school understand and share the vision the leader has. The study also suggests that the human element in the educational processes in schools is of critical importance than the conditions in which schools find themselves.

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 began with the ‘no-fee’ school policy (NFSP) implementation on 01 January 2007. The policy abolished mandatory school fees in public ordinary schools to make basic education available to poor learners in the country. However, critics argued that the NFSP implementation made poor schools poorer and needed researched. This prompted an exploration on “No-fee schools’ inability to address the needs of the poor in Limpopo” The researcher randomly sampled ten ‘no-fee’ primary schools for the study. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and documentation. Interviewees were principals, treasurers and chairpersons of school governing bodies from the schools studied. The collected data were analysed through inductive techniques. The study discovered that the no-fee schools were unable to address the needs of the poor in Limpopo. The study concluded with recommendations for empowering no-fee schools on addressing the needs of the poor in Limpopo and for topics on future research. / Thesis (M. Ed. (Educational Management))

Submitted in fulfilment of the qualification of Master's Degree in Food and Nutrition, Durban University of Technology, 2017. / Aim The purpose of this study was to investigate the nutritional status of adolescent girls attending a private high school in Durban and included an investigation of what food the girls consumed on a daily basis and an account of physical activity they participated in within a one-week period to determine a relationship between the variables. Methods Adolescent girls were selected as part of a convenience study at a private high school. A total of 225 adolescent girls aged 13-18 years were surveyed for nutritional status and dietary intake as well as physical activity levels. The parent/ caregiver of each girl who participated was interviewed to ascertain socio-demographic indicators. Data was collected by interviewing the adolescent girls and the parents/ caregivers using pre-designed and pre-tested questionnaires. Weight and height were measured, physical activity levels were identified through the use of a physical activity questionnaire and socio-demographic data was collected by means of a questionnaire. Dietary intake data was gathered over two week days and one weekend day by using a 24-hour recall questionnaire and a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). Results The majority of the participants were from well-off, financially stable families with good living conditions and well-educated and employed parents/ caregivers who provided a more than adequate variety of food and regular meals every day. The girls were of normal BMI (72.2%) and collectively had a mean BMI of 21.9, lower than the South African national average found for adolescent girls. There was a surprising number of underweight individuals (12.6%) as compared to overweight girls (10.3%). Furthermore, 99.6 percent of the girls were of normal height-for-age (≥-2 <+3SD) but were consuming far less energy than is required for the allocated age category. Energy came from the normal recommended macronutrient range with fat being on the borderline higher end of the normal range and carbohydrates coming from the lower end of the normal range; protein sources were adequately consumed. Fruit and vegetable consumption was reported to be very low subsequently leading to the poor dietary fibre intake identified across the sample group. Supplementation is taken by nearly a third (32.7%) of the girls which may contribute to their overall nutritional wellbeing. Among the top twenty foods consumed, milk, sugar, bread, tea and lettuce were the top five foods in the order stated. Although a wide variety of foods was consumed across all nine food groups over a week period, a mean daily DDS was lower but still adequate with 5.5 and the quantity of foods consumed were not of a substantial enough amount leading to poor total energy consumed and some micronutrient levels such as calcium, magnesium and folate not being met. All the participants were seen to be fairly physically active, performing a wide variety of sporting activities during school time and after school hours. The girls completed on average 199.64 minutes (SD±134.97) of physical activity per week, which is less than half of the WHO recommended physical activity minutes per week for adolescents. Significant correlations were seen between BMI and physical activity done on the weekend (p=0.041) and BMI and the amount of money spent on food per month (p=0.016) as well as extremely significant correlations between BMI and the number of minutes spent performing physical activities per week (p=0.002), as well as BMI and the amount of sport done over a one week period (p=0.005). Conclusion The results confirm that a relationship does exist between the physical activity levels and nutritional status of the adolescent girls surveyed. The majority of the population had low physical activity levels as well as low energy intake, which was supported by an inadequate quantity of food items consumed; however, anthropometric measurements showed to be majority within normal parameters with cases of underweight girls being more prominent than overweight which may suggest that over- and/ or under-reporting may have occurred. A high dietary diversity indicated a higher nutrient intake suggesting the importance of a diversified diet. / M

Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements of the Degree of Master's in Public Management, Durban University of Technology, 2017. / The purpose of the study explores the perception and experiences of students regarding weapons in schools, in a bid to create a peaceful and conducive learning environment. This study concentrated on four high schools in Umgungundlovu District. Students, educators and principals were asked to participate in this study on a voluntary basis. The study recognises that existing data related to weapons in South African schools is largely anecdotal. The significance of the study is that it collected data related to the weapons in schools and used data to inform recommendations on ways in which we can make schools safer places to the young people and staff. This was a mixed methods survey; however, the bulk of the findings were drawn from the quantitative data, which was conducted through surveys. The qualitative data was collected in interviews and in focus group discussions. The data revealed that a high proportion of students have seen weapons in school, which might be an indication that weapons find easy access onto school premises. The results revealed the types of weapons brought to schools. Knives were the weapons most seen at school followed by guns, while some other weapons mentioned were pepper sprays, screwdrivers, pangas and bats The study showed that in other schools, drugs, alcohol, substance abuse were reported in the sample. Among the contributing factors raised by the respondents on the reasons for the presence of weapons onto schools were the issue of drugs, alcohol, bullying, fights among students, and being involved on gang activities. Some policy recommendations regarding school security measures were proposed on the basis of the findings which were drawn from this study. As part of the study, it is recommended that the Department of Education ensure that all South African schools implement well-documented discipline policies, a code of conduct and school rules for their school which must clearly indicate seriousness of carrying a weapon in school as well as the consequences of misbehaviour. The policy must have steps to be followed by the principals and or educators where there are elements of misconduct against the students and sanctions to be issued if the student is found guilty. Other recommendations were made in line with the findings based on the results. Limitations of the study were further pointed out. / M

The increase in teenage pregnancy among school going learners is reported in the media as a crisis. Politicians and other stakeholders have also raised their views and concerns about pregnancy. In particular, these views and concerns perceive teenage pregnancy among school going learners as a cancer that needs a remedy because it has negative consequences for the learners, in particular the girl child. However, for all the sense of public crisis concerning sexuality and schooling, the voices of young people themselves regarding their own sexual subjectivity are seldom heard. This study focused on how girls in a former model C all girls high school negotiate and make sense of the meaning of the messages that they receive from the formal curriculum. The concept of student sexual cultures was employed in this study. Student sexual cultures are the informal groups that exist in the school and the girls take part in it. It is in these groups that the girls learn about sexuality and also make sense of their own gendered identities. This study employed ethnographic techniques of classroom observation coupled with in-depth interviews, focus groups and solicited narratives in order to understand how the participants experience and "take up" the messages they receive in the formal sexuality education component of the Life Orientation (LO) curriculum. The data was collected over a period of three months and was analysed using a directed content analysis. Four dominant themes emerged from the study. Firstly, the data reveals the school is a space of competing and conflicting discourses of sexuality and the learners are involved in a constant negotiation of the meanings of the messages. Secondly, the data shows the contested and confirmations of learners subjectivity. It shows that learners are regarded as sexual beings both in the formal and informal school cultures but there are limitations around one's sexual subjectivities. Thirdly, the data reveals that the school is a site in which a variety of femininities are reproduced, contested and struggled over. Femininities are constructed in the complex context of the school thus the school emerges as a site in which multiple femininities intersect with class, race and sexuality. Lastly, this study argues for the incorporation of the discourse of erotics in the formal curriculum which allows young people's voices to be heard. This approach (discourse of erotics) can be seen as a process of becoming, which focuses on possibilities of improving sexuality education as opposed to an imposed sexual model that is applied to young people and assumed to be the solution to young people's sexuality.

The study focuses on the extent to which the “no fee” policy affects the financial management and support for educational programmes at “no fee” secondary schools in Mpumalanga. The “no fee” policy derives from the Education Laws Amendment Act (Act No. 24 of 2005) according to which the levying of mandatory fees have been abolished at public schools that are declared “no fee” institutions. The State has subsequently assumed the role of funding these “no fee” schools in order to create greater access to quality education and to improve the supply of educational resources as well as equipment in the impoverished schools. The findings of the research study eventually led to the recommendations that are presented as guidelines for the SGBs, principals as well as education authorities on the management of “no fee” schools. / Further Teacher Education / M.A. (Education Management)

Management of teachers is one of the important tasks of principals at school, aside from their primary goal of ensuring that teaching and learning happens effectively at school, is their potential to manage two types of teachers present at school, unionised and non-unionised. It is well-established that principals have a mammoth task of identifying and implementing the correct strategies to manage these teachers. A review of the management styles in use today shows that the new management strategies are required to solve the problems encountered by principals in managing these teachers. Several methods of implementing these new strategies are described. These methods include creating trust between teachers and principals through fruitful communication and participation in decision-making. The application of the theory of emotional intelligence is described in detail. The theory of emotional intelligence denotes that the accomplishment in the management of human resources depends largely on the emotions, behaviours, and attitudes of managers. While past studies have detailed the effectiveness of the management styles used by principals to manage teachers, these studies have been confined to the management of teachers collectively. The present study distinguishes between teachers who are unionised and non-unionised and the individual, focus group interview and observation are the primary sources of data used in the study. The findings are intended to solve challenges associated with the implementation of the management strategies of principals in managing unionised and no-unionised teachers to attain improved quality teaching and learning in the context of South African secondary schools. The results show that developing trust between principals and teachers requires efforts from both parties. They also show that the main complaint about the management of teachers is unequal treatment of teachers and a lack of trust between teachers and principals in schools. The analysis of individual interviews, focus-group interviews and observations revealed that the establishment of strategies that address both types of teachers found at schools would be a significant step to take towards a positive management of teachers. It is proposed that the Department of Basic Education creates an environment where both teachers and managers’ personal and professional development is upskilled to expand their capabilities to deal with relational problems and challenges. / Educational Management and Leadership / Ph. D. (Education (Education Management))

This study focuses on the financial management role of principals of Section 21 schools. The research reports on principals working within such a regime. The South Africa Schools Act makes provisions for schools, through their school governing body, of which the principal is a member, to obtain funds from the community. Therefore the acquisition and spending of such funds has to be managed effectively and efficiently. This mini dissertation endeavours to study the changing role of principals with regard to the effective management of school finances and whether they have the necessary skills to perform these duties. Reference is made to similar situations of principals of schools in the United States, England, Australia and certain developing countries. The qualitative research method was used to elicit the perception of Section21 school principals. The research concludes with an attempt to make some recommendations for this new role of Section 21 principals. / Educational Studies / M.Ed. (Education Management)