"They would not like it if men taught in the foundation phase": SGBs' perceptions of the employment of male FP teachers

Abstract

Efforts to recruit and retain men in the Foundation Phase (FP) teaching and learning have been made all over the world. In South Africa, School Governing Bodies (SGBs) are tasked with the responsibility of diversifying schooling by recommending to the Department of Basic Education (DBE) the employment of teachers in all educational phases. Two and a half decades after the dawn of democracy in South Africa, the teaching of children in the early years is still dominated by women. This study explores how SGBs in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa approach the employment of male teachers in FP. Using a qualitative research approach, we used a semi-structured focus group discussion to generate data with five SGB parent-component members. We analysed the data thematically and found that SGBs' employment of male FP teachers is based on societal constructions of gender over employment policy guidelines. The SGB members showed a lack of policy understanding and at times misinterpreted the policies. These findings have implications for education policymakers and teacher training institutions in facilitating the smooth incorporation of males into FP teaching.