Published Articles / The dawn of a democratic South Africa in 1994 established a society entrenched in Human Rights milieu. As such, public schools are meant to align their policies with the rule of the law. Particularly, section 10 (1) of South African Schools Act, 84 1996 (hereafter SASA) respectfully prohibits the administration of corporal punishment directed at a learner in public schools. The subsequent section 10 (2) of SASA admonishes that any person contravening section 10 (1) of SASA is liable on conviction to a sentence which could be imposed for assault. These mentioned provisions of the school legislation are consistent with section 10 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa (RSA) which affords every person the inherent right to dignity of the person. Against the afore-mentioned legislative provisions, teachers have resorted to the use of sarcasm as a tool to inflict punishment in the manner that it could be equated with corporal punishment. Sarcasm is a form of language that is used to cause emotional and psychological harm, belittle, ridicule and humiliate the person it directed at. Judged against the provisions of the legislation governing schools in South African public schools, sarcasm could be said to be a direct violation of fundamental rights of learners to dignity of the person. In order to explore the intonation of sarcasm as supplement for corporal punishment the research paper employed a qualitative critical emancipatory research (CER) approach. Data gathered through a purposive sample of ten secondary teachers was analysed by the use of textual oriented discourse analyses.

After the ushering of the democratic dispensation in 1994 an increased diversity in the society and schools of South Africa resulted from the policies and legislations adopted to integrate the earlier ethnically divided educated system. This democratic dispensation did not only bring about political change, but also aimed at democratising the education system and eradicating the inequalities of the past. This is in line with the constitution of South Africa which provides all children, young people and adults with human rights and education benefits. The South African public schools' educators are tasked with the responsibility of ensuring that all learners with different educational needs are taught in a regular classroom. Providing teaching to multicultural classes requires positive experiences and support of inclusive schooling. The purpose of the study is to establish the challenges of teaching inclusive education in a multicultural class in the Gauteng Province public primary schools. This study used a qualitative research approach where participants were interviewed using one-on-one semi structured interviews and probes for clarity and depth. Data was analyzed inductively so as to use the results of the analysis as basis for subsequent data collection through follow up interviews. Ten (10) post level one educators from five multicultural primary schools managing challenges of inclusive education (Foundation Phase and Intermediate Phase) were purposively sampled. Official documents like the White Paper 6 (2001) on the rights of learners with educational needs, and the South African Schools Act (1996) were analyzed to get information on how educators should go about teaching inclusive education to multicultural classes. The findings of the study will contribute to the knowledge base on the management of challenges of inclusive education in multicultural public primary schools about the support structures required and may also inform policy makers. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2017. / Education Management and Policy Studies / MEd / Unrestricted

The Schools Act has brought about a change in the way in which schools are managed and governed. Each public school should be governed by a governing body and the professional management of the school is vested in the principal (South African Schools Act, 1996b). The governing body of a special needs school consists of various role-players that include, among others, parents, educators, learners, and representatives of sponsoring bodies and of various organisations. Furthermore, these role-players should be knowledgeable about the legal requirements pertaining to the functions of a governing body. It is legally expected of each governing body member to know what the legal requirements of a governing body are. The governing body is expected to draft the school’s policies, such as the language policy, admission policy, religious policy, disciplinary policy and the financial policy (Schools Act, 1996). There are various types of public schools: mainstream schools [full-service schools] and special needs schools [special needs schools as resource centres] (DoE, 2005). Very little research has been conducted on the governance of special needs schools. The governance of a special needs school is more complicated than that of a mainstream school in respect to drafting the various policies. There are aspects such as limited resources to accommodate specific disabilities and the type of disability that the school caters for in terms of the admission policy that must be kept in mind. These aspects complicate the governance of special needs schools and require more thought and planning (Department of Education, 2007). This research specifically focuses on the governance of special needs schools and the aspirations that the individual governing body members of these schools have. The governing body members come from different backgrounds; they have differentqualifications and different experiences. These factors contribute to the ideas (aspirations) that they have in terms of their role as governing body members. The aspirations of the governing body members should correlate with the various school policies, due to the fact that the governing body draft these policies. The policy documents provide a clear indication of where the school is heading and of its mission. Not only should the governing body participants’ aspirations correlate with the school’s policies; they should also correlate with the legal requirements set out in the Schools Act. This research consists of two separate case studies relating to two special needs schools. Three governing body members from each school were interviewed, using semi-structured interviews. The semi-structured interviews assisted in ensuring that the participants were understood correctly and in getting clarity on certain aspects that were addressed. The various policy documents of each school were analysed to establish an idea of the school’s mission and for the purpose of triangulation. These documents include, among others, the language policy, admission policy, religious policy and the code of conduct for learners. The interview responses and the documents were compared to establish to what extent the governing body members’ aspirations correlate with the policy documents. The schools were not compared in any way; each school was regarded as an individual entity. In this study the following has been found: <ul> <li>1. Governing body members are not fully briefed or knowledgeable about their functions.</li> <li>2. Governing body members refuse to attend training sessions provided by the Head of Department on grounds that these sessions are not meaningful or convenient.</li> <li>3. Most of the schools’ policy documents, such as admission policies, language policies and religious policies have not been revised in up to nine years.</li> <li>4. Some of the participants in the research contradicted one another and the schools’ policy documents.</li> </ul> In conclusion it can be stated that the governing body members who participated in this research have served on governing bodies for many years, the shortest term of service being four years; they should be knowledgeable about their function and should have the best interest of the school at heart. This seems to be in contradiction to the findings of this research. Even though the governing body members lack sufficient knowledge and insight, they are extremely positive and have the best interest of the learner at heart. Copyright / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2011. / Education Management and Policy Studies / unrestricted

No description available.

In response to an increase of school shootings, America has seen public outcry for safer schools and the implementation of get-tough discipline policies that remove students who pose threats of violence to the safe school environment. One response to the increased rate of violence was the implementation of the Gun-Free Schools Act (GFSA). Criticism of these policies grew, unintended outcomes undermined their implementation, and research data supporting their effectiveness were lacking. The legislature sought to address issues relating to discretion in implementation, due process rights, mandatory expulsion language, and alternative education placement. This study sought to trace the evolution of GFSA legislation in Virginia. Selected sponsors of GFSA and patrons were identified and interviewed to learn their perceptions of goals and outcomes of legislation prohibiting the possession of weapons on school grounds. Interview questions sought to identify key factors that were considered throughout the legislative process. Interviews were recorded and transcribed. Interview data were analyzed using QSR NVIVO 9, data analysis software. The research design incorporated the collection and analysis of extant information, as well as the use of open-ended interviews with selected policymakers in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Emerging themes were described, categorized, and analyzed within the structure of a historical timeline of the GFSA legislation. Non-legislative documents were analyzed to add support to the interview findings and legislative analysis. Twelve themes emerged, which were supported in the review of non-legislative documents and in legislative documents. The legislative intent was reinforced in the literature and in the interviews. A review of these data led this researcher to conclude that the General Assembly came full circle and virtually reversed the initial requirements for zero-tolerance discipline policies. Continued study is recommended to trace how the General Assembly ameliorates racial inequity, increased drop-out rates, increased criminalization, and other harsh and unintended consequences of GFSA legislation in the Commonwealth. / Ed. D.

The rights and responsibilities of parents are viewed very seriously in South Africa in that they are emphasised by the Act of Parliament. The South African Schools Act, No 84 of 1996, places the governance of every school in the hands of parents. The parents are in this way required to perform their roles within the orbit of this Act of parliament. This study is therefore directed at analysing the Schools Act and those sections of the law are discussed which have a direct bearing on the responsibilities and the rights of parents when involved with the school. A comparison is drawn between the national determinants of yesteryears regulating parental involvement as well as the new paradigm statutes regulating parental involvement in the school system. The findings of the literature study led to the empirical study. A questionnaire on this study comprising 46 items was developed. The subjects of this study were made up of 150 parents in the Lichtenburg District of the Department of Education in the North-West Province. The results of 137 respondents were statistically analysed. The study revealed that parents lack knowledge on the statutes relating to their involvement in the schools. Also, there are no measures taken by the schools to capacitate the parents to understand and apply the laws correctly. Finally, parents are not performing their roles adequately as is expected by the law. The findings of this study led to the recommendations on how parents could be helped to do what the law requires. / Thesis (M.Ed.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2005.

The rights and responsibilities of parents are viewed very seriously in South Africa in that they are emphasised by the Act of Parliament. The South African Schools Act, No 84 of 1996, places the governance of every school in the hands of parents. The parents are in this way required to perform their roles within the orbit of this Act of parliament. This study is therefore directed at analysing the Schools Act and those sections of the law are discussed which have a direct bearing on the responsibilities and the rights of parents when involved with the school. A comparison is drawn between the national determinants of yesteryears regulating parental involvement as well as the new paradigm statutes regulating parental involvement in the school system. The findings of the literature study led to the empirical study. A questionnaire on this study comprising 46 items was developed. The subjects of this study were made up of 150 parents in the Lichtenburg District of the Department of Education in the North-West Province. The results of 137 respondents were statistically analysed. The study revealed that parents lack knowledge on the statutes relating to their involvement in the schools. Also, there are no measures taken by the schools to capacitate the parents to understand and apply the laws correctly. Finally, parents are not performing their roles adequately as is expected by the law. The findings of this study led to the recommendations on how parents could be helped to do what the law requires. / Thesis (M.Ed.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2005.

No description available.

The biggest impact that school governing bodies (SGBs) could probably have on school governance is by the appointment of quality additional educators and non-educators at the school. The South African Schools Act (SASA) provides, in section 20, for a public school to establish and employ staff in such positions. The school, as juristic person, becomes the employer and not the SGB which only acts as the agent on behalf of the school. Through this qualitative study I aimed to explore the expectations of parent members of different school SGBs regarding the appointment of staff members that are additional to the post establishment in public schools. By making use of semi-structured interviews, document analysis and a literature review I wanted to contribute to a more profound understanding of parents’ expectations of their roles in SGBs and as to what they want to achieve through being involved in SGBs. Through this I hope to improve relationships between parent members, educator members of SGBs and the principal. I determined that all parent members of SGBs are directed by bona fide intentions in that they think that they can make the greatest contribution to the learning and teaching culture of the school through the appointment of additional staff in order to have a better learner to teacher ratio in the classroom and in so doing improve the quality of teaching and learning at the school. I also determined that the parents’ expectations do not differ from one type of school to another and that all parents, irrespective of race, gender, language or culture basically have the same expectations. I discovered that schools increasingly appoint retired staff in SGB posts in order to keep their expertise at the school. Schools also appoint student teachers in posts to assist teachers at the school. This is a huge advantage to education in that they are trained in their profession at no additional cost to the government. By taking the financial position and the curriculum requirements at the school into account parent members of SGBs see it their primary duty to make sufficient finances available to enable schools to appoint additional staff. This practice is perhaps the only way to ensure quality education to all learners. The lack of financial capabilities at most schools makes the correct use of this function unavailable to them. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / gm2014 / Education Management and Policy Studies / unrestricted

In the light of almost daily media reports of accidents and incidents of violence in South African schools, it can be assumed that most South African schools are unsafe. This study investigates the manner in which rural public schools implement the school safety regulations prescribed by the South African Schools Act to ensure learner safety. This qualitative study investigates the implementation of the Schools Act’s safety regulations at four public schools situated in the rural areas east of Pretoria in Gauteng. Data was gathered using interviews with the principals of these schools as well as by the observation and recording of the normal day-to-day activities at the school and by an analysis of each school’s school safety policy. The interviews with the principals focused on the manner in which each school implements the regulations for school safety in areas such as access to the school and the conducting of searches, the arranging of trips and excursion and the planning and managing water-based activities and the early release of learners. Observation at each of the four schools focused on the physical condition of the school and the schools’ procedures for playground duty, fire fighting and emergency drills. The analysis of each school’s safety policy aimed to determine the compliance of these policies with the Schools Act regulations and to determine the practicability and effectiveness of each policy. The researcher’s conclusions include the fact that none of four schools had an effective and practicable school safety policy in place and were not implementing their inadequate policies effectively. He suggests among other things a comprehensive compulsory school safety training programme including aspects such as information on the intent, content and aims of the school safety regulations, the concepts of liability and negligence and methods for drafting, adopting and implementing effective school safety policies. Copyright / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2009. / Education Management and Policy Studies / unrestricted