The island of Cascara is a dependent overseas territory of a European metropole. Access to the island is currently only by sea though there are plans to construct an airport. To prepare the island for the economic-related activities that will arise from air access, an Adult and Vocational Education Strategy was developed. This Strategy paved the way for the establishment of the island’s Adult and Vocational Education Service and informed the contents of the curriculum it provided. The purpose of this study was to investigate the challenges associated with implementing and sustaining the curriculum on this isolated island. In order to do this, the study examined the curriculum on offer; its current state of implementation and its associated challenges within the Adult and Vocational Education Service; it also investigated the extent to which the current curriculum met the needs of the island by aiding workforce development to support economic growth; and finally, it explored the challenges relating to the sustainability of the Adult and Vocational Education Service in providing a relevant vocational curriculum. A qualitative research approach was adopted using case study methodology. The purposive research sample comprised stakeholders across the public and private sectors at various levels. Qualitative research elicitation instruments were employed to gather data. These included questionnaires, unstructured, semi-structured and focus group interviews. In addition to these instruments, various official documents were analysed and the island’s local print and audio media were used to gather data. The research findings indicated that there needs to be more integration of resources (human, physical and financial) in the provision of adult and vocational learning. The data also showed that the integration of available resources has the potential to aid in more sustainable and meaningful learning that will benefit both the individuals and the economy. The data further suggested that a collaborative approach should aid in stabilising and expanding the provision of adult learning on the island. The need to improve the provision of distance learning opportunities with more internationally accredited courses being offered locally; the need for quality in the provision of learning to be formalised; and the need for the curriculum and staffing structures of the Adult and Vocational Education Service to be reconsidered were also highlighted. The research findings have already begun to serve as the basis for addressing the priorities of the Adult and Vocational Education Service on the island. By informing future learning policy and the contents of the curriculum on offer, the research findings could also potentially benefit the provision of adult and vocational education on other islands, small states and rural communities with limited human and financial resources. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Education Management and Policy Studies / Unrestricted

Student Number: 0004062T Doctor of Philosophy Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences / This thesis discusses the impact that the Ford, Mott, Kellogg and Open Society Foundations had on civil society organisations in South Africa in setting development priorities. The thesis tested first, the hypothesis that donors set the agenda for their grantees. Secondly, the thesis tested the assumption that aid facilitates grantees’ submission to donor interests. And in the process grantees lose their identity and focus. The research found that most of civil society organisations (CSOs) depended on international donors, in particular, foundations,for their operations. There was little mobilisation of resources from local citizens. As a result, CSOs were vulnerable to donor conditionalities and agendas. The four case studies and their selected beneficiaries show that most CSOs were not sustainable. If donors withdrew their support, a number of their grantees would curtail their work, close down or lose their vision and mission. In some cases CSOs changed their missions to follow the money, nevertheless, changing contexts and demands were also relevant factors. Although lack of sustainability for CSOs and their greater dependency on international donors made their agendas questionable, it also provided independence from internal political interference. CSOs also appeared more accountable to donors than to the constituencies they served. The Kellogg Foundation insisted that organisations had to toe the line to implement the Foundation’s agenda or risk losing funding. George Soros of the Open Society Foundation also called the shots. He set the agenda and his Foundations implemented it. This showed the power of direct intervention by a living donor who operated as a Programme Officer for all his foundations. The question of donor-dependency is closely linked to that of leadership. A number of organisations with good leaders attracted many donors. However the increase in donors, did not sustain these organisations, instead it made them vulnerable to many different donor demands. Thus, donor diversification was both an asset and a threat. However, good leadership prevented CSOs from collapse from lack of transparency, accountability and effectiveness. A temptation to ‘want to look like donors’, a process that is called ‘isomorphism’ by DiMaggio and Powell (1991) characterised many CSOs resulting in them losing their identity, mission and vision. There were positive aspects that international Foundations achieved in supporting civil society foundations. The Open Society Foundation worked to open up closed societies. It supported efforts that aimed at fostering democratic ideals, rule of law, social justice and open societies. The Ford Foundation supported efforts that strengthened civil society, promoted social justice and democracy. The Mott Foundation strengthened the capacity of the non-profit sector by developing in-country philanthropy. And the Kellogg Foundation supported community initiatives that aimed to tackle the causes of poverty. A negative development; however was that Foundations cultivated the culture of receiving rather than giving among their grantees. For this reason, the thesis suggested the development of ‘community philanthropy’ to sustain the non-profit (NPO) sector. Community philanthropy has the advantage of mobilising resources from domestic sources and taping into levels of social capital. Building on domestic sources would encourage a bottom up approach to development. I argue that local self-help initiatives such as stokvels, burial societies and saving clubs could serve as bases for the sustainability of the non-profit sector which suffered from donor dependency, unsustainability and poor leadership. Such an approach would make development ‘people-centered’ and encourage social responsibility among citizens to support their NPOs and its development initiatives.

Strengthening civil society participation in development is a prerequisite to enhance access to opportunities and political influence by the poor. An active civil society can improve development accountability. In fact, Africa cannot improve its governance without investing in the role of civil society. This study examines the problem of resource mobilization for NECs in four Africa countries; assessing factors and strategies, which influence their ability to mobilize resources. Utilizing qualitative and quantitative methods, the study found that effective NECs exist in all four countries. The success of these NECs depended on “being strategic” about resource mobilization. The lack of resources mobilization strategies was a key factor in all four NECs. This often meant lack of proactiveness in resource mobilization. In its recommendations, the study presents a model aimed to encourage CSOs to organize and manage resource mobilization in ways that generate income for today, tomorrow and the future in order to sustain their watchdog role in educational development process. / Development Studies / M.A. (Development Studies)

Strengthening civil society participation in development is a prerequisite to enhance access to opportunities and political influence by the poor. An active civil society can improve development accountability. In fact, Africa cannot improve its governance without investing in the role of civil society. This study examines the problem of resource mobilization for NECs in four Africa countries; assessing factors and strategies, which influence their ability to mobilize resources. Utilizing qualitative and quantitative methods, the study found that effective NECs exist in all four countries. The success of these NECs depended on “being strategic” about resource mobilization. The lack of resources mobilization strategies was a key factor in all four NECs. This often meant lack of proactiveness in resource mobilization. In its recommendations, the study presents a model aimed to encourage CSOs to organize and manage resource mobilization in ways that generate income for today, tomorrow and the future in order to sustain their watchdog role in educational development process. / Development Studies / M.A. (Development Studies)