M.A. (Public Management and Governance) / This study focused on perceptions of the role of teacher unions within the basic education system in secondary schools in Soweto, a township in the south of Johannesburg, South Africa. The main aim of the study was to determine whether the role that teacher unions play contributes negatively to the state of education in secondary schools in Soweto. To make this determination, the study focused on two secondary schools in Soweto. The study discussed the key purpose of teacher unions in education, and provides the legislated guidelines as well as perceptions of stakeholders in education in secondary schools in Soweto with regard to the extent of the influence of South African Democratic Teachers Union (SADTU) in two secondary schools in Soweto. As the biggest teacher union in the country with a large following of educators in secondary schools in Soweto, SADTU has significant power which can be directed to either enhance teaching and learning or inhibit teaching and learning in secondary schools in Soweto. If existing accountability processes are not implemented to ensure that teacher unions carry out their mandate in compliance with legislation, the state of education in secondary schools in Soweto may be at risk. The study utilized a qualitative research design, to analyze data gathered from existing literary knowledge on the subject, while qualitative interviews were conducted with respondents to establish their perceptions on the positive or negative contributions of SADTU in secondary schools in Soweto. The findings were that SADTU is perceived to be inhibiting the culture of teaching and learning in some secondary schools in Soweto. However, the study established that SADTU cannot be isolated as the only cause for a poor culture of teaching and learning in secondary schools in Soweto. The cumulative effect of the curriculum changes; lack of training of educators; pressure placed on the teaching and learning through strikes and dissent; and intimidation of some SADTU members are factors that have contributed negatively to the culture of teaching and learning in secondary schools in Soweto.

Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF EDUCATION in the Department of Educational Planning and Administration at The University of Zululand, 2004. / The study evaluates the efficiency and effectiveness of representation of educators, by their unions. Questionnaires and open-ended interviews were used to collect data from educators, union officials and school principals. Data is analysed both quantitatively and qualitatively. The study reveals that, while union officials recognize the significance of their role in educator representation, there are challenges in performing this role. Chief among these are: > Inadequate communication between union officials and educators. > Limited ability of union officials to: □ Build the capacity of educators as professionals. □ Familiarize educators about legislation such as the Labour Relations Act, Employment of Educators Act and others. Lack of capacity of both union officials as representatives of educators and educators as the constituency, presents a potential to threaten accountable industrial democracy. The candidate makes a series of recommendations to foster educator representation. These recommendations culminate in a model tabled in the last chapter of the study. This model gives guidelines on systems and processes, which underpin and enhance efficient and effective educator representation. The model is a contribution to building responsible democracy in general, but industrial democracy in particular, within the educator system in the country.

South African primary school children need to be confronted with music in such a way that they can create, perform, listen and relate to it in a multicultural setting. This can be achieved by integrating music into the primary school curriculum, by means of ideas drawn from Comprehensive Musicianship, the spiral curriculum and outcomes-based education. Apart from the educational value of an integrated curriculum, the shortage of trained music educators makes it a necessity to involve generalist teachers in this way. There is thus a need, not being met by SASMT or SAMES, for a professional organisation to examine the goals and objectives of school music, and to equip teachers to put them into practice. In addition, as music is not specifically protected in Curriculum 2005, a professional organisation dedicated to primary school music is crucial to the survival of music education in South Africa. / Art History, Visual Arts & Musicology / M. Mus.

Submitted in partial fulfilment of a Degree of Master in Education Wits School of Education, Curriculum Studies University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa 2016 / This study considers black female teachers’ conceptions of themselves, their ‘identities’ as teachers and ways in which they negotiate this in relation to their membership in teacher trade unions. Drawing upon Wenger’s model of identity in practice, and recent research into identity construction and teacher activity in trade unions. The study uses a qualitative case study methodology. It uses semi-structured interviews with four Mpumalanga teachers from SADTU and NAPTOSA, within each trade union the study looked at a representative and an ordinary member of the trade union. A major finding of the study was that black female teachers partake in the reconciliation of their various identities, by filtering out what they deemed inappropriate and remaining with those identities which they felt led to less tensions with their teacher identity. It was also found that ordinary members of unions are disengaged with their union identity and therefore do little identity work to reconcile their union and teacher identities. The implications of this for teachers and education in South Africa are discussed. The study calls for further research that explores the process teachers undergo to take ownership of their union identity and therefore develop a sense of agency. / MT2017

South African primary school children need to be confronted with music in such a way that they can create, perform, listen and relate to it in a multicultural setting. This can be achieved by integrating music into the primary school curriculum, by means of ideas drawn from Comprehensive Musicianship, the spiral curriculum and outcomes-based education. Apart from the educational value of an integrated curriculum, the shortage of trained music educators makes it a necessity to involve generalist teachers in this way. There is thus a need, not being met by SASMT or SAMES, for a professional organisation to examine the goals and objectives of school music, and to equip teachers to put them into practice. In addition, as music is not specifically protected in Curriculum 2005, a professional organisation dedicated to primary school music is crucial to the survival of music education in South Africa. / Art History, Visual Arts and Musicology / M. Mus.

D.Ed. (Educational Management) / The influence of union leadership plays an important role in determining both the perspectives and leadership styles of the principals who hold positions of leadership in teacher unions. Although there is extensive literature on the basics of the development of the concept of identity in general, little is known about how identity is forged in education unionisation in general and what specific leadership character may result out of the principals who are union leaders. As is commonly known, such knowledge is crucial because principal leaders are continuously faced with making leadership decisions, acquiring endless information and implementing educational policies whose effectiveness might be tainted by union biasness and favoritism. In the light of continued absence of knowledge of how identity is forged in unionisation, coupled with the ever increasing election of principals by teacher union members to occupy leadership roles in these unions, this inquiry explored how such occupation of union leadership roles shape the self-knowledge of these principals and what leadership style may result as a reason there off. The inquiry specifically sought to determine whether the unionisation discourse constructs the identities of the principals who are leaders and if so, how it does this and what consequences this is likely to have on the leadership style of the principals concerned. The identity theory of Stryker and Statham (1985) (Owens, Stryker and Goodman, 2006) was used to addresses this aim. In addition to this, the inquiry used the principals who hold positions of leadership in Teacher Union A, Teacher Union B and Teacher Union C respectively as case studies, focusing specifically on the broader social discourses that exist subjectively in these unions as a vehicle to demonstrate the development of the identity of the principals who are leaders in them. The language used by these principals in focus groups discussions and participant observations were the main source of data for this inquiry. By doing so, this inquiry aimed to illuminate how union leadership act to produce self-knowledge that, in turn, leads to the discursive coordinates by which the principals who are union leaders come to define themselves. This was achieved by conducting focus groups interviews and participant observations of the principals who are in positions of leadership in these three unions and thereafter drawing on Critical Discourse Analysis in order to interpret the transcripts of the data collected by both focus groups interviews and participant observations.

The majority of South African public schools are not performing well and this is particularly true of the schools in the Eastern Cape Province. Many factors including teacher union strikes contributed to this situation. Teachers’ unions went on strike without considering the rights of learners. The aim of this research was to determine the extent to which teachers’ unionized strikes influence the quality of teaching and learning at selected high schools of Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape Province and to determine ways in which the teacher unions can also protect the rights of learners to achieve quality education in these selected high schools. The research consists of a study of relevant literature, followed by a qualitative research design. The sample group consisted of Grade 12 teachers, deputy principals and site stewards from four high schools in the Port Elizabeth District. The researcher trusts that her understanding as presented in the research findings and recommendations will benefit not only herself but will empower all the teacher unions’ members and learners coping with the stress of teaching and learning at times of strikes.

Bibliography: pages 275-286. / Focussing primarily on black teacher groups, this dissertation will describe the remarkable events within teacher politics in the Western Cape in the 1980s, following from the Soweto uprising of 1976. The decade of the eighties marked massive changes in the political and educational context within which teachers worked. After 1976, schools became the focus of opposition to the apartheid state. The atmosphere within schools changed as many students rejected the schooling proffered them by the state, and the "professional" implementation of state schooling by teachers. The liberation movement grew as the decade progressed, bolstered by a militant black trade union movement. The liberation struggle expanded and community-based protest drew schools into a broader, societal opposition to the state. The nature of schooling changed, as students and other elements of the liberation movement rejected apartheid education, and began fostering alternative education. Most notably, People's Education articulated both a rejection of state education and a desire for relevant, democratic schooling.

This study investigates the involvement of teacher unions in the implementation of the Employment of Educators Act (Act 76 of 1998) at school level. Union involvement at school level is still characterized by controversy when it comes to the filling of promotional posts and the redeployment of educators. The inappropriate involvement of unions by ignoring their observer status, may lead to the infringement of educators’ rights if it goes unchecked by the DoE. This may consequently result in poor performance by educators who may feel discriminated against during the redeployment and the filling of promotional posts. Teacher unions have the responsibility to ensure that educators are not victimized. If unions abdicate this responsibility and attend to only key union members when promotional posts are filled, they will cease to be effective unions. Unions who protect non-dedicated and unqualified educators from redeployment will lose the respect of the teaching fraternity, and eventually their membership numbers will dwindle. This was a qualitative and exploratory study based on the grounded theoretical approach. It was conducted in Districts 11 and 12 of the Gauteng Department of Education using focus groups and one-on-one interviews with the various stakeholders from the Department of Education, and leaders of the South African Democratic Teachers’ Union, and the National Association of Professional Teachers’ Organizations in South Africa. The findings indicate that during the filling of promotional posts, the unions tend to use undue influence to have their members promoted, to the detriment of deserving and better qualified educators. During the redeployment process they protect their members against principals who declared them in excess. It was reported that principals make use of the redeployment processes to get rid of educators who are often absent from school because of union work during school hours. If the Department of Education does not seriously take control of the situation in respect of the filling of promotional posts and the redeployment of educators, then the teacher unions will take over. / Educational Studies / D. Ed. (Educational Management)

This study explores the influence of teacher unions on the formulation and implementation of the Integrated Quality Management System (IQMS) in the Johannesburg Central District. The involvement of unions in the signing of Collective Agreement Number 8 of 2003 and the failure of unions to fully support implementation at school level is a challenge. Unions are part of the bargaining council in the Education and Labour Relations Council as they are also part of the policy formulation process. The constitutional duty that teachers need to align themselves with is to provide quality education that will allow learners fair and better opportunities of succeeding. The use of IQMS as a quality measurement system is of outmost importance to stabilise the education environment and to benefit the nation. Unions therefore have a statutory obligation not only to their constituencies but also to their clients, the teachers. The study was qualitative and exploratory in nature, based on grounded and social constructivism theory. It was conducted in the Johannesburg Central region that forms part of the Gauteng Education Department. The sample consisted of groups of five union representatives, two Gauteng Department of Education officials and 35 school-based unionised teachers. The researcher used observation, one on one interview as well as focus group interviews to collect data. The unions involved in the study were the Suid Afrikaanse Onderwyseris Unie the National Professional Teachers’ Organisation of South Africa and the South African Democratic Teachers’ Organisation .Findings showed a deficiency in processes such as advocacy, training and funding which are the main determinants of policy implementation. The unions were of the opinion that regardless of their role in the ELRC which some viewed as rubberstamping; their influence was not of much significance during the formulation of policies. They suggested a more rigorous and intense route that could give them the mandate to be hands on during the formulation of policies. They also reported that they needed qualified and competent people to spearhead training so as to ensure a better understanding by all stakeholders during the effective implementation of IQMS. / Educational Leadership and Management / D. Ed. (Education Management)