South Africa is a water scarce country. With the increasing demand of water from other users, irrigation, as the largest water user, has to find ways to produce more per drop and meet the food demands of the growing population. Enhancing the performance of smallholder irrigation schemes (SHI) is one way of saving water since they are fast becoming the largest water users in South Africa and the world over. Performance in the smallholder sub-sector is reportedly below the expectations of stakeholders. However, performance in smallholder irrigation schemes is multi-dimensional and can be looked at from different perspectives. This study assessed the technical performance of the Mooi River Irrigation Scheme (MRIS) from the technical managers` and the farmers` points of view and integrated them into one to derive a comprehensive set of best management practices (BMPs) for the scheme. This was done acknowledging that the farmer is now the water manager in line with Participatory Irrigation Management (PIM) and Irrigation Management Transfer (IMT). Three performance indicators related to water supply and delivery: conveyance efficiency, dependability of irrigation intervals between water applications and relative irrigation supply, and two agricultural performance indicators namely, output per unit irrigation supply and output per unit water consumed, were assessed during the spring and summer of the 2010/11 season. The field measurement method was used for the assessment of these indicators as opposed to the faster and more encompassing remote sensing method, due to resource constraints. The Velocity-area method was used to measure flow-rates in canals and crop water demands were estimated from FAO Cropwat 8.0 and Aquacrop 3.1. The results show an overall scheme conveyance efficiency of 86.4%, a maximum dependability of irrigation intervals between water applications of 2.57 in spring and a scheme relative irrigation supply of 1.48. Agricultural performance indicators, output per unit irrigation supply and water productivity per unit crop evapotranspiration (ET), were found to be 0.64 kg/m3 and 5.37 kg/m3 on average for cabbage, respectively. Farmers` satisfaction with taking an irrigation service can be used as a measure of the scheme`s performance. A questionnaire was administered among farmers to gather their views on the performance and to determine the factors that significantly influence their satisfaction status with taking the irrigation service at MRIS. Information collected from the questionnaire include age, gender, irrigation training, timeliness of water delivery, water distribution among the blocks, farming experience, farmer involvement in inspection of irrigation infrastructure and maintenance, among others. Farmers` were also asked for suggestions on improving the performance of their scheme. Their responses were analysed using a multinomial logit model. Results showed that 57% of the farmers are satisfied with using the irrigation service at MRIS, 30% are not satisfied, while 13% are neutral. Eight factors were found to be statistically significant in influencing the farmers` satisfaction status namely: location with respect to the water diversion point, location within a block from the main canal, age of the farmer, education level attained by the farmer, farming experience, the number of plots a farmer owns, fairness of water distribution across the blocks and the number of days a farmer accesses water The technical performance indicators assessed and the suggestions from the farmers on the way to improve performance of MRIS allowed the selection of the BMPs for the scheme. A set of seven BMPs based on farmer suggestions was derived. BMPs used as a guideline. The farmers were also tasked with the ranking of the derived BMPs according to their preference. The collected data was then ranked through an Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). The results show that establishment of and adherence to an irrigation schedule was the most preferred BMP by the farmers, while volumetric measurement of irrigation water used by each block was the least preferred. This study concludes that the performance of MRIS is comparable to other schemes and that farmers are aware of the problems bedevilling their scheme. It is also concluded that the performance of the scheme meets the farmers`, the key stakeholders, expectations and that irrigation scheduling is the most preferred BMP. The study recommends that farmers be more involved in performance assessments and management of their schemes. It is crucial to ensure that the recommended BMPs are acceptable to the farmers in the scheme. The best way to achieve this is by allowing farmers to participate in policy formulation and decision making. / Thesis (M.Sc.Eng.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2012.

This research, which took the form of a case study in a large textile factory, is primarily concerned with finding out if there is a link between a particular educational level (i.e. ABET level 4 Communications/Language and Mathematics) used as a measure for the first stage of selecting prospective employees as machine operators, and a hard skill (i.e. actually operating a machine). After conducting interviews with nine people in the workplace; doing observations of three machine operators performing their jobs, and analysing various documents, such as the tool used for assessment, I found there to be an incongruence between the ‘requisite’ knowledge and skills and the actual knowledge and skills needed – the language and maths’ competencies needed in order to be deemed ‘competent’ in the assessment are of a higher ABET level than the language and maths needed ‘on-the-job’. But, this research is not simply about language and mathematics competencies. It is also about the ‘new workplace’ that has emerged with the advent and spread of globalisation. My study looks at the appropriateness of the ‘measure’ used as an entry requirement for a job, and by so doing it explores issues of inclusion and exclusion, and power relations. My study is, therefore, located within the critical social science paradigm and I raise questions around issues of morality, ethics and social justice. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2008.

This study explores the ways in which Grade Two boys and girls (aged 7-9) in a predominantly Black school construct their knowledge of HIV and AIDS. The study also seeks to explore how young children, in giving meaning to HIV and AIDS, position themselves as gendered beings in the context of HIV and AIDS. By focussing on the construction of young children’s identities in response to AIDS, this study demonstrates how children, in responding to AIDS, do gender and sexuality. There is very little work around gender and young children, let alone gender, HIV and AIDS, and sexuality. This is because of the ways in which children are perceived to be nonsexual, degendered and without the capacity to think beyond a certain stage of development (See Bhana, 2006; 2007a; 2007b; 2008; Silin, 1995; MacNaughton, 2000 as exceptions). By drawing upon qualitative and feminist methodological approaches, this study positions young children as having their own identities, as active participants who are capable of making meaning. This study shows that AIDS is embedded within social, economic, cultural, political and ideological contexts and that the ways in which these children give meanings to HIV and AIDS are embedded within these contexts. In responding to AIDS, the children in this study inform us of their relationship to AIDS within social processes including sexuality, gender, race and class, and they show us how these are actively acted upon. This study also shows the children positioning themselves as gendered beings with the capacity to think, feel and enact their sexuality. In doing so, they dispel many notions which position young children as unknowing, asexual beings. / Thesis (M.Ed.) - University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2008.

This study explored the students' perceptions of active learning strategies in the Child and Youth Care Programme at the Durban University of Technology (DUT), KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The key focus of the study was how the participants experienced independent study and in-class active learning strategies. Of interest, too were the participants' ideas of how the roles of their peers and educators could be improved to enhance the active learning process. Data was obtained from questionnaires and focus groups conducted with the third year students. The qualitative research design involved the collection and analysis of the data and a review of the findings in relation to current local and international literature. This research highlights the roles that peers and educators play in independent study and in-class active learning strategies. The findings indicated that students and educators play a number of roles. The roles of peers included enhancing understanding through explanation, providing alternative ways of understanding, increasing quantity of knowledge and providing support. The roles of the educator included providing guidance, feedback, structure, clarification and skills. Recommendations are made for future research as well as improvements of this active learning process within the Child and Youth Care programme. The recommendations for improvement within the programme include assessment of group learning, curriculum development, evaluation of pedagogy and infrastructural support for student learning. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2008.

Since 1994, South African education has experienced major educational reforms that have resulted in a shift in the management and administration of schools. These educational reforms have had remarkable impact on the management of schools. The purpose of the current study was to investigate the perceptions of Head of Departments – (HODs) on the effects of educational reforms linked to globalisation on the professional lives and work of educators serving in the middle management positions at secondary schools. The study focused on the effects of educational reforms on the roles and responsibilities of educators serving in middle management positions in secondary schools in Pietermaritzburg. It was located within the critical paradigm, which aims at interrogating power relations and underlying forces that shape the dynamics of educational institutions in South Africa. It drew on contrasting views of social justice to analyse the educator’s experience. The neo-liberal construct of social justice and critical construction of social justice were used. The study was an exploratory case study that used focus group interviews and semi-structured in-depth interview methods as qualitative methods of data collection. Thematic analysis has been used to analyse data that has been collected. The globalisation theories and themes were used as lenses for data interpretation. Eight secondary schools middle managers (HODs) managing Mathematics and Physical Science from schools in Pietermaritzburg District participated in the study. Schools selected represented the racial, social, gender, economic and linguistic diversity of the province. The findings suggested that the effects of education policies influenced by neo-liberal globalisation have redefined the roles and responsibilities in ways that minimize the HODs autonomy and lead to the deskilling of educators who have been trained to perform their duties successfully and efficiently. The new education policies have coerced the educators including HODs to become ‘skills technicians’ degrading them as autonomous professionals. The neo-liberal policies exploited the HODs by coercing them to do both administrative work whilst being responsible for curriculum leadership. The HODs experienced dialectical tensions between allegiances to the subject (curriculum leadership) versus administrative role. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermarizburg, 2009.

This study was undertaken to investigate the school and classroom factors that contribute / Thesis (M.Ed.) - University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2007.

The purpose of this study is to explore the perceptions of educators on the effectiveness of the training for IQMS. The study explores just how effective the training was and what does this mean for the classroom practitioner in their implementation of the IQMS. Since 1994, the South African Department of Education has directed the educational system through a series of initiatives and has set quality assurance of the education system as its overriding goal. In 2003 the Integrated Quality Management System (IQMS) was gazetted as a national instrument for the evaluation of educators and schools. The appraisal is driven not only by the need to develop, but also to evaluate individual educators for salary and grade progression, affirmation of appointments, rewards and incentives. It is a particularly sensitive initiative and therefore the advocacy and training should address management issues of appraisal and be adequate to promote effective implementation. Currently, the training program employed by the Department of Education is the ‘cascade model’; starting with the national team and involving other teams at subsidiary levels. The one to one interviews and the group interviews comprise of level one educators who have gone through the process of IQMS. These respondents are at the lowest level of the cascade model of training used. The main finding was that most of the respondents were unhappy with the training they received and felt that the Department in terms of retraining, support and intervention programs did not support the initial training. The study recommends that it is essential for the Department to have a national / provincial training coordinator who is allocated a limited time slot at subsidiary training programs to clarify all the relevant issues and questions in the training program. This would give a national / provincial perspective on the implementation of IQMS. The study also recommends further training to be convened to clarify inconsistencies in the implementation of IQMS. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2009.

Teacher leadership is a term that is relatively new to the majority of educators in / Thesis (M.Ed.) - University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2008.

This study is focused on documented experiences of senior primary heads of departments regarding their changed roles as a result of education policy changes in leadership and management. There are three key concepts that are the main focus of this study. They are leadership including instructional and transformational leadership; management and middle management. The study followed an interpretivist paradigm with the qualitative research methodology. Two primary schools were purposively sampled and participants were interviewed using semi-structured interview format. The primary sources of data in this research were the HODs, Principals and Post level one educators. The research questions guiding the study are as follows: • How do the HODs in the two primary schools manage the changes in the curriculum? • What factors influence the strategies that they use in coping with policy changes? • How do HODs' experience educational policy changes regarding their leadership and management roles? The interviews were tape recorded and transcribed by the researcher. Tape recording helps to keep accurate voices and prevent misinterpretation by the researcher. The collected data was coded and the organised into themes. Raw data was manually analysed and no soft ware was used in the analysis. The findings of this study show that HODs in the sampled schools experience a number of challenges in the areas of curriculum planning. They also experience other challenges in performing leadership, middle management and classroom teaching roles at the same time. It has become evident that it is extremely difficult to perform management and multi-grade teaching functions at the same time. Another issue is that one of human and material support. There is lack of LTSM, there is lack of support from district officials and HODs do not have time to provide capacity building and support for the staff. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2007.

The agency or personal involvement of the principal within a school is perceived as being of vital importance to the success of innovations. Leadership is necessary, not only to manage the escalating changes in academia, but more importantly to inspire, protect and encourage educators. One of the current trends in education is the move towards self-management which is a decentralization of power control from the state to the school. Selfmanagement implies choice and this enables the principal to validate the opinions and ideas of everyone who is involved in the process of school governance. The success or failure of an innovation usually depends on the support of the stakeholders. Change can be stressful, and unless the principal is part of the process, the implementation may not be successful. The context of this study is an independent primary school which has recently undergone many changes, most of which appear to have been initiated and managed by the principal. Independent schools have more autonomy than public schools as they are usually self-funded. The principal is accountable not only to the Board of Governors, but also to the parent body which generally has high expectations of the school. This study investigates the impact of the principal’s agency on the development of a multi-media centre at the school. The extent of his involvement within the school and his leadership style was first established and then the implementation of a new innovation, that of the media centre, was explored. Case study methodology based on semi-structured interviews with selected participants from within the school was employed. These participants represented different perspectives on the principal’s leadership and management of the media centre. In addition, documents and photographs were analysed for triangulation purposes. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2007.