M.Ed. (Education Management) / Research has undoubtedly shown that negative perceptions exist among a broad spectrum of the population concerning the provision of meaningful education by the Department of Education and Training (DET). This is largely due to boycott actions on the part of teachers and students/pupils as well as vandalism of school property and disruption of schools which started in 1976 and reached a climax in the mid eighties. It is imperative that this view of the so-called "gutter education" which the DET provides, be rectified. The Directorate of Liaison Services of the DET is directly responsible for the establishment of a positive image and therefore should be responsible for resolving issues which pertain to this negative image of the DET. The purpose of this study is to investigate the management skills of the Directorate Liaison Services of the DET in order to devise a structurally justified system of management for the optimal use and development of the existing human and financial resources of the Directorate. Through sound management profound images of one of the largest Departments of Education in the RSA can be established. This should ultimately encourage students to adopt a more positive view towards education and establish a pedagogic climate in schools. Although it might not be apparent (at present) what the long term effect of educated youths will be, serving as a catalyst for political, social and economic stability in the RSA, every possible means should be investigated to equip the youth for the challenges of the future. From the study it is clear that: * Liaison Services of the play in the establishment the broad public of the provides. DET has an important role to of positive perceptions among type of education which it provides. * A great variety of media are at the disposal of the DET to convey a more acceptable image. * I Liaison Services of the DET should have as its first priority the abolition of negative perceptions and the establishment of positive ones. * The DET receives the largest portion of the annual educational budget and is thus in a favourable position to provide more educational resources to pupils under its jursidiction. * All the necessary structures for effective management have already been established within the Directorate : Liaison Services in the DET. These structures have merely to be streamlined and used optimally in formulating the correct messages for the public which indicate the DET's positive commitment towards education. * Strategies for the advancement of communication skills have been suggested. It is evident that an approach concentrating on continuous contact and feedback with the emphasis on pro-active rather than reactive action is essential for effective communication.

This study sought to empirically investigate operational effectiveness in the central region of the North West Department of Education following the extensive restructuring exercise initiated in 1999. It further sought to determine the impact on schools, and the level of support offered by the corporate centre to the region as it implemented the restructuring blueprint The literature survey covers theories of organisational restructuring as well as the research findings on this aspect in the private and public sectors in both developed and developing countries. The data was collected using the survey method. The subjects of the empirical investigation were 71 randomly selected managers in different management categories at all levels within the region. A pre-tested questionnaire was employed to analyse post restructuring operational effectiveness on four criteria Corporate support during restructuring and managerial response to the challenges posed by restructuring were also assessed. The empirical investigation found that restructuring had no positive impact on the effectiveness of operational units in the region. It was further found that the levels of support schools received was adversely affected by lack of a proper post-restructuring monitoring and support plan from the corporate centre. Implementation of the department's strategic priorities was also found to be ineffective as a result. The study recommends that for restructuring exercises to be successful, support from the corporate centre is crucial, and that restructuring organisations should undertake regular impact assessments of the process. Finally, it is recommended that people, not technical procedures, get priority if the restructuring effort is to have any chance of success at all. / MBA (General Management) North-West University, Mafikeng Campus, 2006

The objective of this research was to evaluate the district office budgeting process of the Department of Education, Port Elizabeth District, in terms of the Batho Pele principles. The aim of district offices is to satisfy the most basic education needs of people in their respective areas of jurisdiction. Improving service delivery is one of government’s eight priorities as set out in the White Paper on the transformation of the Public Service (South African Government, 1995: 4). The initiative to improve service delivery is called Batho Pele. The main research question to be addressed by this research is: Does the Department of Education experience any problems with its budgeting process to address service delivery? Through a literature survey and empirical study, various conclusions were reached and recommendations made. The bulk of education expenditure takes place within education districts but the controlling, forecasting and budgeting of expenditure takes place at the Provincial Head Office. Most high schools surveyed experience problems with the current funding policy of the Department of Education. The relative poverty of the community around the school impacts negatively on the parent’s ability to support the school. iv The budgeting process of the Department of Education should follow a bottom-up approach to budgeting. Therefore, the district office budget should be informed by the needs of the school and the provincial budget be informed by the district office budget. The management and administrative capacity at the district office need to be developed to ensure effective budgeting.

D.Phil. (Industrial Psychology and People Management) / The aim of this study was to establish the stakeholders’ perception of a Human Resource Development (HRD) intervention. This was prompted by the fact that the Mpumalanga Department of Education (MDoE) has been regarded as one of the provinces that performs poorly on grade 12 results as compared to other provinces. A qualitative methodology was adopted in this study where in 20 participants were interviewed as internal stakeholders in the MDoE. The participants from different categories were purposefully selected from various regions in the MDoE in order to establish their perceptions of a HRD intervention. This study established that the human resource development and training services were not properly managed. This is attributed to shortage of staff, insufficient budget, HRD practitioners’ competencies, inaccurate information keeping and lastly the fact that the recommendations made by the internal auditors were not implemented. Consequently, the researcher ended up constructing an HRD audit process which could assist both private and public sector organization to improve service delivery. The proposed HRD audit process will hopefully ignite interest of scholars to test it, customize or even expand it.

Budget control is a process of financial monitoring to ensure effective allocation, collection and efficient utilizing of public funds. It is a process that is aimed at ensuring the accomplishment of public policy objectives. Budget control is regulated by financial legislation as well as regulations and procedures which guide public financial administrators. Continuous monitoring is needed once appropriation is allowed by parliament or provincial legislatures to ensure effective service rendering as well as tax and user charges collection. This study investigates the reported ineffective budget control measures implemented by the provincial treasury in the Province of the Eastern Cape particularly in the Eastern Cape Department of Education (George, 2004). Ineffective budget control may be associated with the implementation of unstable fiscal policy by the provincial treasury that led to deficit spending in the Department of Education during the 2004/5 financial year. The purpose of this study is to show that the implementation of stable fiscal policy instruments by the provincial treasury would lead to effective budget control in provincial departments such as the Eastern Cape Department of Education. Governments in many instances encounter various challenges in controlling their expenditures on an annual basis as well as in the medium term. This is due to the notion that once the government exceeds the current year’s budget, it consumes the forthcoming budget. Borrowing is by nature an implicit consumption of future unplanned revenue. This makes the Medium Term Revenue Framework in the province immaterial as the provincial own revenue is insignificant. The relative uncontrollability of government expenditure stems from the notion that the provision of, for instance, primary education and social welfare is intertwined with legal entitlement within prescribed parameters. Allocative efficiency embodies recognition of legal entitlement that is reflected in the distribution imperatives if the provincial treasury is to be effective in the budget control function. The National Norms and Standards for School Funding of 2006 state explicitly that public spending in public schools is targeted at increasing the literacy levels of the poor. Intergovernmental fiscal relations play a pivotal role in modelling the fiscal policy of the province. This stems from the fact that expected national collected revenue is distributed as an equitable share to national, provincial and local spheres of government. The criteria for revenue sharing are based on economic disparities and demographics in each sphere of government. It is imperative to note in intergovernmental relations that there are functional areas of concurrent national and provincial competencies. The budget control function of the provincial treasury is implemented within the framework of various administrative processes which are aimed at ensuring effective transactional activities. The disbursement of funds and various other financial processes are subject to the delegation of powers as prescribed in the Public Finance Management Act, 1999 (Act 1 of 1999), as amended by Act 29 of 1999. The provincial governments’ fiscal policies are modelled to be consistent with the macro-economic objectives of the national government. It is for the purpose of macro-economic stability that only national government is eligible to borrow to finance a budget deficit. Provinces are legally prohibited from overspending their budgets. If the fiscal policies of the provinces materially and unreasonably prejudice the national economic policies, the relevant provincial treasury is responsible for taking appropriate steps to place the financial administration on a sound footing.

In the changing South African climate the importance of the officials of the Department of Education cannot be ignored. The Department of Education has a mandate to change the lives of citizens by enriching the welfare of communities through education. The objective of this study was to evaluate the managerial practices of the Department of Education, the Uitenhage District in particular. In order to evaulate these managerial practices, an empirical research methodology was followed. A questionaire was utilized to obtain empirical data. The questionaire consisted of eighty statements using a Likert-type scale and responses to these statemenst are the basis of the results and recommendations made to conclude the study.

see file / Public Administration / M. A. (Public Administration)

see file / Public Administration and Management / M. A. (Public Administration)

The purpose of this study was to investigate the way in which OBE teacher training in the Northern Province is being managed, particularly in Region 4. The study also aimed to contribute in providing information about how the Provincial office of the Northern Province is managing OBE teacher training. The literature review covered both materials in the Provincial, National and other countries. The study's research methodology was qualitative, which includes interviews, observation and case study based. Interviews were scheduled with Provincial, Regional, District Dept officials, Educators and Principals. The study has revealed that Region 4 cannot manage the implementation of OBE teacher training properly and effectively due to constrains such as lack of transport, insufficient training for trainer facilitators and educators, et cetera. / Educational Studies / M.Ed. (Education Management)

This study evaluates the effectiveness of the three (3) extant Environmental Education Centres of the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education and Culture (KZNDEC) as contributors to the environmental learning, and to education, in KwaZulu-Natal. In the process, it is an exploratory response as to how better the Centres can answer the call of the Reconstruction and Development Programme to "empower all communities to act on environmental issues" (African National Congress 1994:40). The research traces the history, the philosophical background and functions of environmental education, of environmental education centres, and of personnel employed at environmental educators, in the ex-Natal Education Department and in its successor, the KZNDEC. The researcher recommends that environmental education centres should become "agents of change" in the wider environment, and in the educational processes, of the communities of which they are a part. The study suggests methods by which people's lives at a "deep rural" level may be improved by helping restore the balance of "the three pillars of sustainable development - economic, social and environmental - and [in the process, having a positive] focus on poverty eradication" (WSSD 2002). The centres, the researcher contends, can become more effective agents of the KZNDEC for the protection of the environment "for the benefit of present and future generations" (Constitutional Assembly 1996:11). / Educational Studies / M.Ed.