Starting with the idea that unsustainable practices contribute to issues of social justice and poverty as much as to ecological issues. Chapter 1 traces the origins of the terms sustainable and development individually to see how it is that they came together. Chapter 2 traces the major international conferences and documents and their use of the terms sustainable development. Chapter 3 takes a phenomenology approach to get a bit deeper into sustainable development. I examine the most commonly cited definition of sustainable development as well as a broader definition of sustainable development as a process of change. Chapter 4 examines the field of environmental ethics and argues that constant debates over value distract policy makers from the central question of what morally motivates people to support environmental ethics views. Chapter 5 examines the institution and regime building process, and the conclusion offers three questions to measure our progress.

Magister Artium - MA / There is global interest in teacher education as a strategy for national development. More specifically, emphasis is placed on teachers as the driving force behind educational provision which is central to achieving high standards of learner achievement. This study focused on teacher in-service development and its role for effective teaching and learning towards the holistic development of learners. Extensive social inequalities, along the lines of race, still exist in South Africa almost twenty years into the new dispensation. This is evident by the vast majority of impoverished schools in previously disadvantaged areas. Learners at these schools experience a range of barriers to learning which impede teaching and learning. Consequently, teachers at these schools are confronted with a tensionfilled task: having to be sensitive to the needs of these learners, whilst at the same having to ensure their success. This is reflected in Department of Education (DoE) policies which emphasises principles of social transformation for redress and equity, coupled with the acquisition and application of knowledge and skills for the benefit of individuals in South Africa, as well as global trends. As a quantitative data collection method in this mixed method study, 55 teachers (of which 26 responded) from two schools, were asked to complete a questionnaire on the effectiveness of teacher in-service development programmes towards the holistic development of learners. Qualitative data collection methods entailed interviewing a principal of one of the schools; a social worker from the area; as well as a district officer from the Western Cape Education Department (WCED). In addition, relevant DoE policies were reviewed. Findings reflect that teachers at impoverished schools are confronted with a range of challenges presented by learners in the classrooms. The findings also indicate that even though DoE policies reflect a commitment to teacher development, the in-service programmes offered to teachers mostly do not reflect the needs of teachers for the holistic development of learners. In instances where inservice programmes do assist with the holistic development of learners, findings indicate that the implementation thereof is challenging due to the high teacher: learner ratio and limited resources. Thus, recommendations include the periodic monitoring and review of long-term DoE teacher development initiatives whilst short term measures incorporate giving attention to impediments like lack of parental support and behavioural challenge. Long term measures, which are strongly recommended, encompass systemic change that facilitates the working together of a number of governmental departments. In so doing, educational reform takes on a society wide form, as it is evident that on its own it cannot abate poverty and the related effects. Thus, the DoE’s vision of education for social transformation towards redress and equity, as well as economic growth for individuals and South Africa is more plausible. These recommendations create a vital space for future research.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / This thesis examined the difficulties experienced by Grade 6 isiXhosa-speaking learners in learning Natural Science through English as the medium of instruction at a primary school in the Western Cape. In 1994, South Africa became a democratic country where people were given the right to choose the language of learning and communication (Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996). The assumption made in relation to the right to language was that this would provide equal opportunities and equal access to education for all learners. All learners would then be able to attain academic success. The study was pursued against the backdrop of the serious academic underachievement of African learners at schools around the country (often culminating in high matric failure rates), particularly in mathematics, science and technology (Probyn, 2005; Cleghorn, 2005; Taylor & Vinjevold, 1999). Following a mixed-method approach (involving both qualitative and quantitative research methods), within the constructivist paradigm, the study examined the various factors which act as barriers to learning and contribute to difficulties in learning Natural Science by Grade 6 isiXhosa-speaking learners in one school in the Western Cape. It also examined the coping strategies used in dealing with the barriers by both the learners and educators in order to address the learning difficulties. The study was conducted over a period of four months, spread over two years (2008 and 2009), in the Metropole Central Education District (MCED) of the Western Cape. The following participants were involved in the study: 205 Grade 6 learners (103 learners in 2008 and 102learners in 2009), 4 Natural Science educators (including 2 HODs), 1 principal, and 4 parents. The focus of the study was, however, on 26 isiXhosa-speaking learners (13 learners from each year in 2008 and 2009). The data were collected using the following research methods: questionnaires, classroom observation, document analysis, and interviews. The data were analysed through content analysis and (analysis of) language usage (including sentence construction), and were interpreted with respect to the study's research questions. The findings of the research revealed that language (including both the English language of learning and teaching or LOLT, and the language of science) was a major barrier to the learning of Natural Science by Grade 6 isiXhosa-speaking learners. The language barrier was exacerbated by factors within the teaching and learning context, the school environment, as well as by social factors in the learners' own home backgrounds. On the basis of the findings of the research and the related literature, the study makes recommendations regarding what could be done to address the difficulties, as well as proposals for future research. The key recommendations include: • Introducing a more flexible bilingual education policy to enable additive bilingualism to be practised by both learners and educators; • Compiling a list or glossary of words, concepts and terms that matter in Natural Science and ensuring that the learners fully understand their meaning and use them appropriately; • Educators constantly reflecting on their own teaching styles and practices in relation to their effectiveness and impact on their learners; • Educators constantly considering 'different and creative ways' of assessing learners for whom the English LOLT is not a home language; and • District Offices providing systemic support for schools and creating an enabling learning environment.

Magister Educationis - MEd / Parental involvement in their children’s schooling has been found to be an important factor with regard to children’s experience of schooling including their academic performance. This quantitative study focused on parental involvement at a school of skills in the Cape metropole, Western Cape. Epstein’s (2009) six typologies of parental involvement in their children’s schooling provided the theoretical framework of the study and guided the formulation of the research instrument and the data analysis of the study. A survey research design was used and 74 parent/caregiver participants were conveniently sampled after all ethical protocols were followed. The findings indicated that participants: (i) indicated a very positive attitude towards being involved in the education of their children at the school of skills and were inspired to be involved in the education of their children, (ii) were highly involved in the following typologies of parental involvement: learning at home, parenting and collaboration with community, (iii) communication between school and the parents as a form of parental involvement was found to be at a moderate level, (iv) participants were found to be minimally involved in decision-making as a form of parental involvement, (v) volunteering as a form of parental involvement was represented by low to moderate levels of involvement, (vi) participants’ marital status, forms of kinship relations with the learners at the school of skills (e.g. biological mother, foster parent) and levels of formal education were not found to have a significant statistical relationship with their levels of parental involvement in their children’s schooling. (vii) The challenges that participants faced with regard to their involvement in their children’s schooling included the following: a) a fair number of about 30% participants frequently found language as a barrier for them to assist their children with homework, b) about 46% of the participants indicated that they were seldom or never recruited by educators to volunteer at the School of Skills, c) about half of the participants indicated that their challenge was that they were not trained on how to offer their talents for volunteering at the school, d) participants also found it difficult to share information with the school about their child’s cultural background, talents, and needs.

Magister Educationis - MEd / The central aim of this study was to examine the Western Cape Education Department's restructuring process, which entails changing the centralised support service to a more decentralized one through the newly constituted Education Management and Development Centres (EMDCs), in particular, the aim of the study was to explore how one Multi-Functional Team (MFT) in an EMDC structure is attempting to provide more holistic and co-ordinated support to schools. Chapter 1 briefly discusses the South African context, providing a brief historical overview and description of education relevant policy challenges. This chapter also outlines and provides details of the decentralisation process, the challenges of developing an holistic and co-ordinated approach to support, and the research aims, questions and research methodology. In Chapter 2 a literature inter-sectoral collaboration in relation challenges of inter-sectoral to explore the concept of inter This includes an overview of the Chapter 3 provides an overview of the researcn approach,· research design, data collection methods, data processing methods and an ethics methods Chapter 4 provides an analysis and interpretation of data obtained under the categories of analysis provided by the research questions. Chapter 5 provides a summary of the findings as well as recommendations for the improvement of inter-sectoral collaboration within the EMDCs. It also includes a reflection on the research process. The study showed that there is a growing realisation in the EMDCs that services cannot be carried out in isolation and that collaboration, co-operation and co-ordination are necessary for more effective and holistic service delivery. Most of the participants in this study emphasized that services need to be better coordinated and that there was a need for better communication and leadership within the MFT. When asking the question about the difficulties experienced in trying to co-ordinate support services, they said that there is little co-ordination and management within the MFT. Some of the participants said that there is no time for reporting, recording or planning, and most of the time all the role players are not available to attend meetings or discussions. The primary reason given for poor co-ordination was that there was a lack of overall co-ordination in planning projects being run in the EMDC . This study should make a contribution to an understanding of how the EMDC can provide more coordinated and holistic support to schools. It should, among other things, give insight into the challenges of inter-sectoral collaboration and how to address these challenges.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / The school environment presents a valuable opportunity for the identification, monitoring and support of children made vulnerable by HIV/AIDS and poverty. Many children are caring for parents suffering from AIDS-related illnesses and/or they are the main breadwinner of the household. As a result of HIV/AIDS and poverty therefore, children might be dropping out of school, or their ability to perform adequately at school might be significantly reduced. The aim of this study was to use a case study approach to explore and describe support provision in a South African formal school, examining, in particular, the relative significance of leadership, organisational development and gender-related matters in addressing the needs of children made vulnerable by HIV/AIDS and poverty. The availability and quality of this support is analysed within the context of the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) transforming itself from a system focused on controlling schools to a system focused on supporting schools. The reflexive qualitative research approach was decided upon m order to describe and understand how, and to what extent, the teachers and the principal of a poverty-stricken primary school might benefit from the WCED's systemic change processes when addressing issues related to HIV/AIDS and poverty. The methodological rationale for this qualitative research approach forms part of a search for meaning within the cultural context(s) of the school in an effort to understand issues related to HIV/AIDS in schools. The research's second aim was to establish principles for an approach to educational support, which would be applicable in similar situations elsewhere. In the case study, the focus is on the WCED supporting the principal and teachers at a poverty-stricken primary school in carrying out their roles as leaders, teachers and caregivers. In order for the principal and teachers to provide quality support to the learners, they themselves need to receive appropriate forms of support from the education system. For this research to be contextually grounded, questions around HIV/AIDS and the growing number of orphans and vulnerable children in many communities were considered. One of the central questions was: How are the challenges of daily life in the running of a school met where issues related to poverty and health are dominant? Gender-based sexual violence and sexual abuse of children, as well as other social problems affecting learners in the school investigated for this thesis were included in the addressing of the main questions The complexity of the issues involved when exploring the research questions became increasingly more apparent during the research journey of this thesis. I experienced fully the potential of the case study to provide a 'thick' description and contribute significantly to an in-depth understanding of a complex phenomenon from a local and holistic perspective. I was able to focus on how the macro-narratives of support policy connected to the micro-narratives of teachers in primary schools. Based on the findings of the research, I concluded that the problems of HIV/AIDS-affected children, families and communities do not only overlap considerably with the problems related to poverty - a widely held view among researchers - but that poverty-related problems may, indeed, conceal the very existence of HIV/AIDS. The investigation shows that the wide-spread poverty affecting the case school learners, seems to have 'blinded' teachers in terms of 'seeing' the learner in a context of HIV/AIDS. This phenomenon in the case school was observed in spite of the HIV/AIDS Programme Coordinator claiming that the district's teachers had learned to 'see' the learner in ways which they had not prior to the introduction of the WCED's HIV/AIDS Life Skills Programme I trust that the different stakeholders within the field of education and HIV/AIDS will benefit from the findings and recommendations flowing from this investigation. First and foremost, I believe that the lessons learnt from the fieldwork, could be of use to South African stakeholders generally, and, in particular, to the Western Cape Education Department and those working as school support staff at district level (the EMDCs). The findings of the study may provide valuable feedback to the current practices of the school support structures, including the voluntary HIV/AIDS support structure, and form a basis for informed further action by the relevant government departments and other stakeholders in education. In this way, the thesis could contribute to improved formal school support provision in the context of HIV/AIDS, and therefore, serve to enhance the quality of education for all children.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / The Student Support and Development Services (SSDS) at Further Education and Training (FET) colleges represent a holistic and systemic approach to addressing barriers to learning and development. College SSDS are based on the acknowledgement that all FET students need support and development and that, when addressing needs of the college student, it is done in a holistic, integrated, intersectional and inclusive manner. The SSDS therefore strive to develop competencies, knowledge, skills and attitudes in a systemic and holistic manner. The aim of the study was to design, implement and evaluate SSDS at the FET colleges in the Western Cape Education ..Department and to establish a Lecturer Support and Development Team (LSDT) at each FET college, which would include the following services: • student counselling services • academic development and learning support • occupational development and career guidance • life skills education and health education, and • college institutional development. Student counselling services at FET colleges aim to render comprehensive student services with a holistic developmental aspect of the student in relation to his/her social, emotional, physical and cognitive dimensions. The staff of the LSDT are the first line of contact for the troubled student. The aim of the study was to design, implement and evaluate SSDS at the FET colleges in the Western Cape Education ..Department and to establish a Lecturer Support and Development Team (LSDT) at each FET college, which would include the following services: • student counselling services • academic development and learning support • occupational development and career guidance • life skills education and health education, and • college institutional development. Academic development is aimed at the students who enter the FET sector with inadequate schooling, education and training. Orientation programmes include bridging the gap between schooling and FET education and training. Bridging programmes and remedial programmes are offered to students to compensate for their academic backlog and to accelerate their education and training up to a level suitable for FET. Within the context of academic development learning support is targeted at students experiencing learning and training barriers. This should occur within the framework of inclusive education and training at FET colleges, which is in acknowledgement of the belief that all students can learn and be trained at FET colleges. The development and support mechanisms at the college aim to offer comprehensive assistance to students who experience barriers to education and training. Occupational development and career guidance are aimed at helping the students to make informed and meaningful subject and course decisions which will enable them to enter a suitable occupation in the world of work. Occupational development is the development of appropriate skills, knowledge and competencies to keep students abreast with the fast and ever changing demands of the world of commerce and industry. The South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) development has introduced student learnerships as a 'way of equipping students with the appropriate practical skills for a career. Life skills and health education includes the development of the well-being of students along physical, psychological, social and cognitive dimensions. The HIV/AIDS strategies are the highest priority at the FET colleges. The health promoting education and preventative measures are programmes aimed at minimising risks and giving the student coping strategies. Life skills and health education, which includes sexuality, are infused in the classroom education and training curriculum to ensure that all students are exposed to indispensable information aimed at equipping them for life in the world of work. College institutional development is the ongoing development of the college organisation where the college staff, management and community develop a systemic way of thinking about and managing change. With the clustering and amalgamation of colleges in South Africa, the transformation of the FET colleges necessitates adaptation of the individual and group systems to the development of education and training. The research commenced with a pilot study at eight technical colleges of the Western Cape Education Department (WCED). The study followed a quantitative and qualitative research method to collect data from the college, staff and students. Two questionnaires were used to do a needs analysis. The College Institution Evaluation Questionnaire was then administered to 58 colleges in South Africa and the College Student Profile questionnaire to 2175 students. The data from these questionnaires were used to construct the training programme for the student counselling, academic development and learning support, occupational development and career guidance, life skills and health education programmes which were being conducted at 18 colleges of the WCED. A Student Support and Development Evaluation Questionnaire was then used to evaluate the effectiveness and value of the SSDS programmes. During an interview the Lecture Support and Development Interviewing Schedule was used to evaluate and to determine the efficiency of the LSDT at the college.

This research conceptualises IT infrastructure management at secondary schools in the WCED (Western Cape Education Department). This includes whether or not secondary schools in the WCED make use of a full time, on-site network administrator or whether a teacher acts as on-site network administrator. The literature review studied the effectiveness of IT infrastructure management which includes hardware, software, policies, computer network, security; staff management and BYOD (bring your own device). The management of IT infrastructure at secondary schools within the WCED differs widely from school to school, and its functionality depends on many factors. The quantitative study revealed problem areas within IT infrastructure management at secondary schools in the WCED. Furthermore the quantitative study also revealed that there is a need for best practice guidelines with regards to IT infrastructure management in order to improve service delivery. The literature review provided sources for best practice IT infrastructure management. / Rekenaar infrastruktuur by sekondere skole in die WKOD (Wes Kaapse Onderwys Departement) word in die navorsing beskryf. Die studie ondersoek verskillende strukture naamlike skole wat 'n voltydse netwerk administrateur het en skole waar 'n onderwyser die verantwoordelikheid aanneem van 'n netwerk administrateur. Die effektiewe beheer van rekenaar infrastrukture word bespreek. Dit sluit hardeware, sagteware, beleid formulasie, rekenaar netwerk, sekuriteit, personeel bestuur, en BYOD (bring jou eie toestel). Die bestuur van rekenaar infrastruktuur verskil van skool tot skool en die effektiewe bestuur daarvan word deur baie faktore beinvloed. Die kwantitatiewe studie het probleem areas vir die bestuur van rekenaar infrastruktuur by sekondere skole in die WKOD uitgewys. Die kwantitatiewe studie het verder die behoefte vir beste praktyk riglyne uitgewys om sodoende better dienslewering te verseker. Die literere studie het beste praktyk riglyne vir rekenaar infrastruktuur bestuur genoem. / Educational Leadership and Management

This research conceptualises IT infrastructure management at secondary schools in the WCED (Western Cape Education Department). This includes whether or not secondary schools in the WCED make use of a full time, on-site network administrator or whether a teacher acts as on-site network administrator. The literature review studied the effectiveness of IT infrastructure management which includes hardware, software, policies, computer network, security; staff management and BYOD (bring your own device). The management of IT infrastructure at secondary schools within the WCED differs widely from school to school, and its functionality depends on many factors. The quantitative study revealed problem areas within IT infrastructure management at secondary schools in the WCED. Furthermore the quantitative study also revealed that there is a need for best practice guidelines with regards to IT infrastructure management in order to improve service delivery. The literature review provided sources for best practice IT infrastructure management. / Rekenaar infrastruktuur by sekondere skole in die WKOD (Wes Kaapse Onderwys Departement) word in die navorsing beskryf. Die studie ondersoek verskillende strukture naamlike skole wat 'n voltydse netwerk administrateur het en skole waar 'n onderwyser die verantwoordelikheid aanneem van 'n netwerk administrateur. Die effektiewe beheer van rekenaar infrastrukture word bespreek. Dit sluit hardeware, sagteware, beleid formulasie, rekenaar netwerk, sekuriteit, personeel bestuur, en BYOD (bring jou eie toestel). Die bestuur van rekenaar infrastruktuur verskil van skool tot skool en die effektiewe bestuur daarvan word deur baie faktore beinvloed. Die kwantitatiewe studie het probleem areas vir die bestuur van rekenaar infrastruktuur by sekondere skole in die WKOD uitgewys. Die kwantitatiewe studie het verder die behoefte vir beste praktyk riglyne uitgewys om sodoende better dienslewering te verseker. Die literere studie het beste praktyk riglyne vir rekenaar infrastruktuur bestuur genoem. / Educational Leadership and Management