Basic Education In South Africa Research Articles

History, a compulsory component of basic education in South Africa from 2023 – Are South African archivists ready?

History helps society understand its past and its influence on the present and future. South Africa is a country with a unique history, comprising of varying accounts from the different people that make up its ‘rainbow’ nation. In 2018, South Africa’s Department of Basic Education; announced that history would be a compulsory subject for learners from Grades 10–12 starting from 2023. Changes would include a revised curriculum, teacher training and other issues. Expectedly archives would also be factored into this transformation process, as they are integral to history. Therefore, this study investigated the involvement and readiness of archivists in South African public archival repositories to support this development. Nineteen (19) archivists from the National Archives and Records Service of South Africa and the nine (9) Provincial Archives participated in an online survey. The findings indicate that there was minimal involvement of archivists. Nevertheless, the archivists were confident that they had the content and skills, to some extent, to support the revised curriculum. The study recommends that archivists be more proactive in raising awareness about the archives and linking various stakeholders, such as the Department of Basic Education, with these valuable records.

Exploring intellectualisation of South African indigenous languages for academic purposes

Language represents an individual’s identity in many respects. It is a natural ability of any average person that they use to express thoughts and ideas, investigate their traditions and experiences, and better their community and the laws that govern it. The ability to choose the official language was acknowledged in the Bill of Rights, and the Constitution acknowledges that indigenous languages are a commodity which has not been fully used. By studying the difficulties of intellectualising indigenous languages in modern South Africa, this research aims to promote the usage and enhance the prestige of indigenous languages. The challenge in basic education in South Africa is that South African indigenous languages are not prioritised. Moreover, there appears to be a disconnection between language policy and implementation.Contribution: A document analysis was undertaken to review literature on the possibility of intellectualising South African indigenous languages by considering various theories and methods of terminology development, including interborrowing within South African indigenous languages and adaptation of some English and Afrikaans words as already entrenched languages in education.

Professionalising ECCE in South Africa is not child’s play! Determining skills gaps and implications for future sector development

ABSTRACT In line with international trends in early childhood care and education (ECCE) recognising the importance of early learning, the Department of Basic Education in South Africa has pledged to professionalise the sector, increase access and improve quality. From a systemic point of view, professionalisation of the sector will require collaboration on multiple levels between various stakeholders working in different systems to bring about simultaneous improvement in conditions of employment, resource provision, and infrastructure development. To aid the government in supporting skills development in this sector, particularly for those servicing the most indigent populations, we employed a multi-method design to determine critical skills gaps and how they could best be addressed. Data were gathered through online questionnaires, a desktop review and focus group and individual interviews. Thematic analysis revealed the need for managerial training, practical learning opportunities for practitioners, the necessity for more home-based ECCE services and systemic improvement. Based on the findings, we make suggestions of how key stakeholders could partner to best address these needs.

Exploring the impact of the COVID-19 school reform plan on teachers’ assessment practices

ABSTRACT To mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on teaching and learning, the School Recovery Plan (SRP) was implemented by the Department of Basic Education in South Africa. In this study, we explore the impact of the SRP on teachers’ conceptualisation of new and different assessment practices. Data were obtained from 1098 teachers using an online survey and analysed using Cultural Historical Activity Theory. The findings revealed that the reduced emphasis on formal assessments and the enhanced emphasis on formative assessment had a positive impact on teachers’ teaching practices. These findings point to a conducive environment for transforming teachers’ assessment practices and for developing new patterns of learning that could potentially challenge prevailing accountability and performativity cultures. Additional research is required to determine whether the intent of the SRP can lead to sustained change in teachers’ assessment practices across fee and no-fee schools, and its impact of on learners’ learning.

The Child’s Right to Basic Education in South Africa: The Importance of Reporting to the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child

The African Children’s Charter explicitly recognises the child’s right to education in Article 11(1). As South Africa is a party to the African Children’s Charter, periodic reports must be submitted by the state to the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child. These periodic reports play a valuable role in establishing the manner and extent to which state parties have fulfilled their obligations in terms of the African Children’s Charter. The accompanying Concluding Observations provided by the Committee serve a complementary role by identifying positive and negative aspects of the state parties’ reports and possible recommendations on how challenges could be addressed. This article centres on a discussion of the child’s right to basic education through the lens of South Africa’s obligations as imposed by the African Children’s Charter, by drawing a comparative analysis of the South African legal framework to Article 11 of the African Children’s Charter and by studying South Africa’s periodic reports. The question posed in the article centres on whether we are dealing with mere lip-service by state parties submitting periodic reports, rather than taking action and ensuring that their obligations are met in accordance with the African Children’s Charter. The value of the periodic reports and the committee’s accompanying Concluding Observations as a monitoring tool for measuring compliance with the African Children’s Charter is ultimately considered.

Load-Shedding in South Africa: An Immediate Threat to the Right to Education, “Section 29 Inquiry”

The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa pledges in its preamble that “every citizen must equally be protected by the law, and further foster the quality of life of all citizens”. Thus, as a way of fostering the quality of life of all citizens, the Constitution in the Bill of Rights embodies a concoction of rights that enable citizens to exercise in nurturing their livelihood. In the midst of these rights, section 29 affords everyone the right to basic education. Against this backdrop, South Africa has failed for some time to resolve the electricity crisis infamously dubbed “load shedding”. Consequently, the load-shedding crisis confronting the country adversely impacts, and to some extent violates the Constitution in particular, section 29. In the same breath, media reports further ignite the reality that some learners during the examination period could not access, write or even attend to other educational activities due to load shedding. Therefore, the electricity crisis summonses the researchers to explore the degree of violation of section 29 and the effects that load shedding has on education and its infrastructure. Apart from that, the paper examines the role of load shedding apropos to the right to basic education by demonstrating that load shedding is severally and jointly liable for some challenges confronting the education sector. Finally, the paper establishes through judicial and legislative jurisprudence the State’s duty to afford everyone adequate access to basic education in South Africa.
 
 Received: 15 May 2022 / Accepted: 12 December 2022 / Published: 5 January 2023

Towards interventions on school dropouts for disabled learners amidst and post-COVID-19 pandemic.

BackgroundDespite objective arguments for inclusive education, there is a dearth of mechanisms to reduce dropouts amongst disabled learners in the extant literature. Thus, this article is one of the outputs of a study, which was conducted after a consistent observation of dwindling numbers of disabled learners who succeed in basic education in South Africa. Of late, the dropout rate increased because of adherence to lock down regulations amidst the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. This triggered the need for research on co-creating interventions to mitigate the rate of dropouts amongst disabled learners.ObjectiveThe article explores underlying obstacles that induce school dropouts for disabled learners amidst and post-COVID-19 and postulates interventions accordingly.MethodsDescriptive-narrative research upheld reality as emerging from empirical experiences of parents and guardians of disabled children, heads of primary and secondary schools, social workers, the Department of Social Development and Basic Education, and provincial associations for disabled persons that focus on children. Lived experience-based opinions were obtained from provinces with different economic growth, namely, Limpopo and Gauteng. Forty-one in-depth one-on-one interviews and two focus group discussions used Google Meet. The collected data were analysed using Creswell’s qualitative data analysis framework (steps) and Atlas.ti.8.ResultsThe findings show a consistent pattern that the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the parents and guardians’ fear of exposing and risking their learners to the health crisis. Based on the parents and guardians’ narrative, mainstream school administrations discriminate and are unwilling to enrol disabled learners. Furthermore, the narrative from the school leadership shows that teachers use exclusive teaching and learning methods for the enrolled disabled learners because of ignorance, misconception, misunderstanding, misinterpretation of disability, disability inclusion, and reasonable accommodation.ConclusionBased on the finding, it is clear that dropouts amongst disabled learners can be alleviated by using a systematic multi-stakeholder local community-based intervention approach. This, therefore, implies that government authorities and agencies should incorporate disability into mainstream policies that guide planning, budgeting, staffing, and mobilisation of other resources. This would ideally enhance the provision of learning opportunities to disabled learners whilst supporting their diverse educational needs without dichotomies set by ‘ability and disability’, or normal and abnormal. In this manner, inclusive education can contribute to the educational success of disabled learners through developing sustainability and resilience amongst disabled learners.

Exploring the Decline of Agricultural Science Teachers in South African schools: A Case Study

The Department of Basic Education in South Africa is experiencing a shortage of Agricultural Science teachers since their numbers are drastically decreasing. Several schools are failing to recruit appropriately qualified Agricultural Science teachers. This decline seems to be worsening annually. It is not peculiar to the Kwa-Zulu Natal Department of Education Kwa-Zulu Natal province only but seems to be a national phenomenon. This study aims to identify and analyse the causes of the decline of Agricultural Science teachers in the Provincial Department of Education. A qualitative method of research was employed. Data was collected by interviewing respondents on either cell phones or telephones. The findings revealed severe shortages of Agricultural Science teachers in Kwa-Zulu Natal schools. However, it is not peculiar to the Kwa-Zulu Natal Department of Education only, but it seems a national phenomenon. The study recommended, among other things, a clear line of the communication channel between the national Department of Basic Education, Kwa-Zulu Natal Department of Education and the Department of Higher Education and Training to facilitate at local, provincial and national levels, a comprehensive recruitment and training plan for the Department of Basic Education. The study also recommended the introduction of a Bachelor of Education degree with a specialisation in Agricultural Science in some universities, especially in rural areas.

Evaluating the Promotion Requirements for the Appointment of Office-Based Educators in the Department of Basic Education in South Africa

Various promotion requirements are adopted in the appointment of classroom or subject educators as office-based educators or subject advisors (education specialists) in the Department of Basic Education. This qualitative adopted interpretive paradigm study sought to explore educators' lived experiences on the promotion requirements espoused by the Department for the appointment of qualified educators as office-based educators. Ten educator-participants were purposively selected for a semi-structured, face-to-face interview to collect in-depth data for the study. Collected data were thematically analysed to generate themes for the presentation and discussion of findings. The promotion requirements for office-based educators are inadequately utilised in the selection of suitable candidates for the posts. The study established an unfair promotion process in the appointment of office-based educators, and thus, many qualified educators are disadvantaged. The study recommends that promotion requirements should be adhered to in the selection process, to ensure fairness and social justice for all qualified candidates.

Evaluating the Promotion Requirements for the Appointment of Office-Based Educators in the Department of Basic Education in South Africa

Various promotion requirements are adopted in the appointment of classroom or subject educators as office-based educators or subject advisors (education specialists) in the Department of Basic Education. This qualitative adopted interpretive paradigm study sought to explore educators' lived experiences on the promotion requirements espoused by the Department for the appointment of qualified educators as office-based educators. Ten educator-participants were purposively selected for a semi-structured, face-to-face interview to collect in-depth data for the study. Collected data were thematically analysed to generate themes for the presentation and discussion of findings. The promotion requirements for office-based educators are inadequately utilised in the selection of suitable candidates for the posts. The study established an unfair promotion process in the appointment of office-based educators, and thus, many qualified educators are disadvantaged. The study recommends that promotion requirements should be adhered to in the selection process, to ensure fairness and social justice for all qualified candidates.

BROKEN & UNEQUAL: THE SOUTH AFRICAN EDUCATION SYSTEM AND THE ATTAINMENT OF THE RIGHT TO BASIC EDUCATION THROUGH LITIGATION

In 1994, South Africa transitioned into a new democratic and constitutional society. Since then, the South African Constitutionnecessitates the transformation of the public basic education system. A new public education system aimed at addressing the malaise of the past. To this end, South African jurisprudence recognises the right to basic education as a right that must be (i) equally accessible to all and (ii) immediately realisable without delay. However, the new education system has not completely succeeded in eliminating the legacy of apartheid, and there are residual differences and polarisation on various grounds, such as race and/or class. Accordingly, this article concedes that a critical survey of South African jurisprudence on the realisation of the right to basic education reveals that there are problems in the delivery of the right to basic education in South Africa. This is particularly the case in relation to black and/or poor South African pupils in the public education system. As such, the article intends to show that litigation (or the threat thereto), plays a fundamental role in the realisation and fulfilment of the right to basic education in South Africa.

SCHOOL OF COURT: THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE RIGHT TO BASIC EDUCATION THROUGH LITIGATION IN SOUTH AFRICAN COURTS

Education is a means to an end and a ‘good’ in-and-of-itself; but not everyone has equal access to it, if at all. South Africa’s history and extant legacy of colonial-apartheid has left in its wake structural barriers which continue to deny access to basic education for many, both young and old. Although there have been admirable reform efforts to engender system-wide improvements to access to and the quality of basic education through governance and the provisioning of resources, there are glaring shortfalls in making basic education ‘immediately realisable’ to ensure our constitutional vision of a transformed South Africa. Over time, non-governmental efforts aimed at realising basic education have turned to the courts to compel the state to make more equitable and qualitatively better provisions. In the historical and present circumstantial and structural status quo of basic education in South Africa, this paper explores the efficacy of such litigation efforts as well as litigation as a device to improve governance and access to basic education in our country.

Illegitimate tasks of primary school teachers at selected schools in the Western Cape: A reality for a developing country?

Orientation: The quality of basic education in South Africa is in need of interventions to improve the general standard of education offered in many public schools. Teachers and their work experiences are important factors that impact this standard.Research purpose: The aim of this study was to shed light on the factors that contribute to the experiences and outcomes of illegitimate tasks, as experienced by teachers, and the potential buffers to the negative effects of these tasks.Motivation for the study: The motivation for this study was to inform human resource practices and interventions to enhance the work experiences of teachers.Research approach/design and method: Exploratory qualitative research was conducted with 10 primary school teachers (n = 10) from a selected Western Cape education district. Responses to semi-structured individual interviews were transcribed verbatim, unedited and categorised into main themes through directed content analysis.Main findings: Environmental and psychological factors that lead to the experience of unnecessary and unreasonable illegitimate tasks, the time-consuming nature and outcomes of these tasks, as well as mechanisms that can buffer the harmful effects of illegitimate tasks, were identified.Practical/managerial implications: The identification of various contributing factors resulting in teachers’ experience of different types of illegitimate tasks and associated outcomes. Potential interventions and recommendations for future research are made.Contribution/value-addition: Qualitative studies regarding teachers’ experience of illegitimate tasks in the South African context are lacking. This article sheds light on the contributing factors, unnecessary and unreasonable tasks experienced and outcomes, as well as mechanisms that buffer the effect of illegitimate tasks amongst primary school teachers.

Learner pregnancy in secondary schools in South Africa: Have attitudes and perceptions of teachers changed?

Many secondary schools in South Africa have elaborate school policies on learner pregnancy. Many of these policies state that in the event of a female learner falling pregnant, the said learner will be suspended from the school. The application of these policies has been challenged in the courts of law either by the parents of the learners or the Department of Basic Education in South Africa. The study used a qualitative research approach to explore the perceptions of Life Orientation teachers with regards to learner pregnancy policies and their efficiency. A purposive sample of nine Life Orientation teachers was chosen, and a focus group was used to collect data from the respondents. There were five female and four male teachers in total who participated in the study. Their age ranged from 27 to 52 years with an average teaching experience of 15.3 years. The study showed that despite the legislation stating that schools should be supportive of the needs of the pregnant learners at the school, teachers interviewed demonstrated their unwillingness to adhere to the law. As a result, pregnant learners are advised or coerced to stay at home for the remainder of their pregnancy as the school environment is not tolerant towards them.

Accessing the Right to Basic Education in South Africa: Four Years after the Ratification of the Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights

Abstract This article examines access to the right to basic education enshrined in the South African Constitution. Underpinned by the human rights-based approach, the study employed survey questionnaires and in-depth interviews as methods of data collection. The results of the study revealed that the majority of the survey respondents contend that the post-apartheid state has fulfilled the right to basic education only to a small extent notwithstanding the existence of pre-schools, primary, and secondary schools located within a reasonable walking distance from the communities. Preference for the three classes was not equally distributed in the population, X2 (2, N= 500) = 99.68, p < 0.05. On the contrary, the majority of government participants interviewed rated the post-apartheid state fulfillment of the right to basic education in the Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality as fair. Overall, all the government participants had a moderate view regarding the fulfillment of the right.

A Comparative Trend Analysis of Changes in Teacher Rate of Absenteeism in South Africa

The aim of this research was to analyze the changes in the rate of teacher absenteeism among South African provinces as a major in-class factor contributing to student performance and effective learning. Time series analysis of exponential smoothing, moving average, and seasonal autoregressive integrated moving average model (SARIMA) were applied to model and assess the designed hypothesis as a major factor for educational advancement using different provincial data input from the Department of Basic Education in South Africa. The performances of all the models were analyzed using statistical indexes: Mean Square Error (MSE) and Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE). The overall performance showed that the absence rate increased statistically significantly from 2011 to 2017. Thus, this opinion was held by more than half of the general populace depending on the province type. The findings of this research could assist the management of the basic education department in general, and in schools in particular, to understand the problem of absenteeism and thereby enabling the implementation of effective strategies that can be used to curb the practice.

Perceptions of cyber bullying amongst student teachers in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa

Cyber bullying has become a topical issue in South Africa. However, there is very little guidance and training for teachers on how to deal with cyber bullying in the classroom. This study investigated the perceptions of cyber bullying amongst student teachers in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. The backdrop of this study is a context where there is a proliferation of technologies in much of South African society. Within this, there are calls to not only investigate the positive side of technology but also aspects where technology may have a “dark” side. The study made use of a quantitative survey approach to collect data from 150 student teachers at a university in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. The student teachers were representative of all three the school phases used in South Africa. The results indicated that almost half of the student teachers had been victims of cyber bullying. Overall, cyber bullying was considered a serious issue for the student teachers but awareness of the prevalence of the issue decreased outside the classroom. The topic has not been incorporated into policy or the school curriculum in South Africa. The recommendation of the study is that the Department of Basic Education in South Africa must provide a standardised policy and curriculum that schools can use to implement and enforce cyber safety behaviour in the schools.

COVID-19 and the inclusion of learners with disabilities in basic education in South Africa: A critical analysis

This article examines the extent to which basic education, which is compulsory under international law, was inclusive of learners with disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. To this end, it examines measures taken by the government to ensure the continuity of basic education and the extent to which these measures are inclusive of learners with disabilities. It argues that moving education to online platforms, and conducting classes via radio and television are not accompanied by related reasonable accommodation measures to ensure the inclusion of leaners with disabilities. Among others, study material and numerous resources, online platforms and media are not in accessible formats, and learners with disabilities do not have access to data or internet broadband. In addition, the parents of these learners with disabilities are not trained to assist their children to study from home. The exclusion from school of learners with special needs is also characterised by a limited number of special schools in the country. In making its case, the article relies on South African and foreign jurisprudence on equality and inclusive education to inform the analysis. Ultimately the article finds that learners with disabilities are not included in the education system in the time of COVID-19. It explores general lessons learned during the pandemic which could be considered as an opportunity to re-think how emergency education planning can be inclusive of children or learners with disabilities in the future. While the discussion focuses on South Africa, lessons learned apply across Africa where persons with disabilities generally are marginalised.

Media’s role on the reputation of the Department of Basic Education in South Africa

Media’s role on the reputation of the Department of Basic Education in South Africa

The right to basic education: a comparative study of the United States, India and Brazil

The developing South African jurisprudence on the right to basic education suggests that the courts have adopted a substantive approach to interpreting the right. The Supreme Court of Appeal in its judgment in the case of Minister of Basic Education v Basic Education for All held that every learner is entitled to a textbook in every subject at the commencement of the academic year. The judgment further explicitly noted that the corollary to this entitlement is the duty of the state to provide these textbooks to each and every learner. The lower courts have similarly identified other entitlements that make up the content of the right to basic education. However, while the courts appear to be firmly veering in the direction of a substantive approach to interpreting the right to basic education, no discernable test for determining the content of the right is apparent from the jurisprudence. Furthermore, many of the education provisioning cases have necessitated repeated visits to court and increasingly creative, even coercive remedies to ensure compliance with court orders. This article will, therefore, undertake a comparative study of the United States, India and Brazil. It will examine the approach of the courts in each of these jurisdictions to interpreting the right. It will examine the efficacy of some of the remedies adopted by the courts in each of these jurisdictions to realise the right, whilst simultaneously mediating the institutional concerns in respect of the doctrine of the separation of powers. It will further examine the role of civil society in education litigation in each of these jurisdictions. The aim of the article is to draw on the lessons provided by each of these comparative jurisdictions so as to strengthen public interest litigation in respect of the right to basic education in South Africa.