Implementation In South Africa Research Articles

Jonathan Jansen and the Curriculum Debate in South Africa: An Essay Review of Jansen’s Writings Between 1999 and 2009

South Africa’s attainment of democracy in 1994 culminated in an educational reform anchored on an outcomes‐based curriculum which was initially labelled Curriculum 2005 (C2005). The reform process and ensuing policy was rooted in labour movement debates and informed by the outcomes‐based education (OBE) experiences in Australia and New Zealand. The policy was soon viewed by some as an anachronistic albatross, with built‐in contradictions that would eventually lead to its demise. It lasted 12 years after surviving heated contestation from a wide academic and political spectrum. This essay review concentrates on Jonathan Jansen’s critique and perspectives on OBE policy and its implementation in South Africa as articulated in his various writings between 1999 and 2009. His seminal “thesis” on why OBE would fail started a public debate that would attract other South African scholars into what would become one of the most important and captivating debates in the last decades of educational reform in developing countries. Jansen engages with issues of policy, knowledge, curriculum and pedagogy in a post‐conflict society. He proposes what we can refer to as an epistemology of empathy that takes seriously the experiences of both the victims and the perpetrators of apartheid (including their descendants) and proposes a post‐conflict “pedagogy of reconciliation.”

Efficacy of recent transport policy making and implementation in South Africa

Despite the importance of transport to the social and economic development of a country, very little, if any, work appears to have been done in South Africa to assess the impact of transport policy in achieving its aims and objectives. Two policy areas that have wide social and economic impacts are the public transport industry and the development of the national roads network. Public transport, or more specifically commuter bus transport policy, is aimed at improving the mobility and affordability of the travelling public while at the same time increasing the transparency of the subsidy system through a tender and negotiated contract regimen. The policy on national roads directly impacts the general economy as an estimated 88% of all freight tonnage (excluding the dedicated iron ore and coal lines of Transnet Freight Rail) is moved over the road network of South Africa with the national roads linking the main economic centres of the country. This research assesses the impact of these two areas of policy making by comparing policies for commuter bus transport and primary (national) roads for two policy periods, namely, 1986 to 1994 and 1994 to 2004. The research methodology used is that of the mixed-methods research procedure explained more fully in the article and the annexure to the paper. The research arrives at conclusions in respect of the impact of the policy on the problems and issues in the two separate sectors of transport during the policy periods analysed. It also draws conclusions on the policy-making process used as well as identifying deficiencies in the process. Finally it makes recommendations to address these inadequacies.

New perspectives in small-scale fisheries management: challenges and prospects for implementation in South Africa

Worldwide, the past 15–20 years has seen a significant shift in thinking and approaches to the management of small-scale fisheries. This is in response to the recognition that conventional fisheries management is not equipped to deal with the complexities, uncertainties and challenges prevalent in small-scale fishery systems. Consequently, a new fisheries paradigm is emerging based on the principles and ideas underpinning systems thinking, complexity theory, participatory democracy and adaptive management. Although fishery science is required to inform management decisions, it must be seen as one of the inputs needed for effective governance. Incorporation of other disciplinary perspectives, knowledge sources and local information is considered necessary for understanding the fishery system and identifying appropriate management responses. Although South Africa has incorporated many of these ideas and principles into broad policies and legislation governing resource management, implementation of this new paradigm in the context of small-scale fisheries is proving difficult. However, recent developments such as the recognition of the socio-economic rights of this group of fishers, the formulation of a new draft small-scale fisheries policy, efforts to identify and address human dimensions in fisheries through research and stakeholder workshops, as well as opportunities for greater participation in policy formulation and management, are all indicative of a shift in institutional culture and approach to this sector. This paper aims to provide an overview of the main ideas underpinning the new small-scale fisheries paradigm and explores the application of these ideas in the context of small-scale fisheries in South Africa. Challenges and prospects for implementing this new management paradigm are discussed, as well as some practical ideas for progressing this new approach.

CIES Bibliography 2010

CIES Bibliography 2010

District Officials’ Assumptions about Teacher Learning and Change: Hindering Factors to Curriculum Reform Implementation in South Africa

Investigation into the non- implementation of new curriculum reforms has enjoyed considerable attention in the literature. Recent work has highlighted socio-cultural, political and economic issues as critical factors in teachers' beliefs, the learning and understanding of their work, and the complex process of change. This paper casts further light on these issues by exploring how the relationships between district officials and teachers can shape the outcomes of curriculum implementation. This will be done by examining the assumptions held by district officials about teacher learning and change in a district in South Africa. This paper argues that district officials’ assumptions influence the nature of the support they give teachers, for they become the lenses for viewing and engaging with teachers. These assumptions, the paper shows, also contribute to shaping the curriculum reform implementation or non-implementation process. This paper intends to shed light on the issue of non-implementation of new curriculum reforms by exploring how district officials’ understandings of teacher learning and change process can shape the outcomes of the curriculum implementation. This will be done by examining the officials’ assumptions about teacher learning and change, their source and impact in the reform implementation process in a district in South Africa. The paper argues t hat district officials’ assumptions influence the nature of the support they give teachers, for they become the lenses for viewing and engaging with teachers. These assumptions, the paper shows, also contribute to shaping the reform implementation or non-implementation process. In conclusion, it is recommended that officials enhance their communication channels and work rapport with teachers as these will facilitate their understanding of the various issues confronting teaching and impacting reform implementation.

Exploring task-shifting practices in antiretroviral treatment facilities in the Free State Province, South Africa

There is good progress with the implementation of South Africa's antiretroviral treatment program. The country, however, faces human resource shortages that could be addressed through appropriate task shifting. During 2009, we studied task shifting from nurses to community health workers (CHWs) for HIV treatment and care at 12 primary health-care clinics in Free State Province, South Africa. We found inefficiency in nurse deployment, and nurses spent considerable time on training, counseling, and administrative tasks that could be shifted to CHWs. Such a shift will require the South African Ministry of Health to recognize CHWs formally in the health system.

Constraints to implementing an equity-promoting staff allocation policy: understanding mid-level managers' and nurses' perspectives affecting implementation in South Africa

Much of current research on issues of equity in low- and middle-income countries focuses on uncovering and describing the extent of inequities in health status and health service provision. In terms of policy responses to inequity, there is a growing body of work on resource reallocation strategies. However, little published work exists on the challenges of implementing new policies intended to improve equity in health status or health service delivery. While the appropriateness of the technical content of policies clearly influences whether or not they promote equity, policy analysis theory suggests that it is important to consider how the processes of policy development and implementation influence policy achievements. Drawing on actor analysis and implementation theory, we seek to understand some of the dynamics surrounding the proposed implementation of one set of South African staff allocation strategies responding to broader equity-oriented policy mandates. These proposals were developed by a team of researchers and mid-level managers in 2003 and called for the reallocation of staff between better- and lesser-resourced districts in the Cape Town Metropolitan region to reduce broader resource allocation inequities. This was felt necessary because up to 70% of public health expenditure was on staff, and new financing for health care was unavailable. We focus on the views and reactions of the two sets of implementing actors most directly influenced by the proposed staff reallocation strategies: district health managers and clinic nurses. One strength of this analysis is that it gives voice to the experience of the district level--the key but much neglected implementation arena in a decentralized health system. The paper's findings unpack differences in these actors' positions on the proposed strategies, and explore the factors influencing their positions. Ultimately, we show how a lack of trust in the relationships between mid-level managers and nurse service providers influenced the potential to implement a specific set of equity-oriented strategies.

TB and HIV integration: obstacles and possible solutions to implementation in South Africa

To identify key obstacles to operational integration of TB and HIV services and to suggest strategies to promote integration in the prevention, treatment and care of patients with TB and HIV. This is a health systems research case study of operational integration of TB and HIV in South Africa. Peer-reviewed and grey literature together with the experiences of the authors were used to identify key obstacles to integration in service implementation practices and community-level care. Relevant legislation, policies and guidelines were analysed to determine whether they facilitated or undermined the integration of TB and HIV services. Obstacles to integration exist at contextual and epidemiological levels as well as at intervention design and implementation levels. Importantly, integration at an operational level is undermined by fundamentally different principles underpinning the design of TB and HIV programmes and national policies and legislation which mitigate against integration. South Africa has an opportunity to effect changes that will facilitate TB/HIV integration and improve care for all those infected with TB, HIV or both conditions. An analytic approach necessary to understand the obstacles to and ensure effective strategies facilitating integration is required. This needs to be followed by mobilisation of clinical and health systems expertise, health infrastructure, commitment and experience in creative and appropriate ways for the variety of health care settings.

Mental health care user participation in mental health policy development and implementation in South Africa

This paper describes current support for mental health care user participation in policy development and implementation in South Africa and suggests strategies for improving participation. The World Health Organization (WHO) Mental Health Policy Checklist and WHO Mental Health Legislation Checklist were completed. Between August 2006 and August 2009 96 semi-structured interviews with national, regional and district stakeholders were conducted. Most respondents felt that inclusion of user perspectives in policy processes would improve policy development. In practice, mental health care user consultation in policy development and implementation has been limited during the 16 years of democracy in South Africa. Strategies to create a supportive environment for user participation include social action directed at reducing stigma, advocating for acceptance of users’ rights to participate in decision making, crafting a supportive regulatory framework to promote participation, and equipping providers and policy makers to support inclusion. User capacity for participation could be strengthened through early and effective access to treatment and support, development of a national user lobby, skills training and practical exposure to the policy and service development environment.

The Role of Water Boards in Water Safety Plan Implementation in South Africa

Water boards act as water services providers to water services authorities (local authorities) in most of the major metropolitan areas in South Africa. These water boards manage a significant portion of the water supply chain and influence both up and downstream activities in this chain. It thus stands to reason that these agencies play a pivotal role in the development and implementation of appropriate water management plans aligned to universally accepted practice. As a leader in the water industry in South Africa, Rand Water is well advanced in implementing a “customised” water safety plan in its area of operation, and has been requested by various stakeholders in the industry to assist with a similar process in other regions. During the development of the organisations' water safety plan it became evident that certain support systems had to be put in place to ensure successful implementation of such a plan. As a result, an additional procedure (procedure 11) was included in the water safety plan to address support activities such as communication, training/education and consumer relations. These support systems have been developed to address specific requirements of internal and external stakeholders/customers and cover the entire supply chain to ensure a sound understanding of all aspects influencing water supply.

Challenges and opportunities of e‐government in South Africa

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present challenges and opportunities of e‐government implementation in South Africa with special reference to service delivery and implications for libraries.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is based on an in‐depth literature review from government documents, presidential state of the nation addresses, global and nation reports on e‐government, and reports on service delivery concerns in South Africa.FindingsThe Government of South Africa has put in place enabling policies, poverty alleviation programmes, ICT infrastructures and regulatory frameworks which as yet have not been effectively leveraged to enhance service delivery to its citizens. Furthermore, libraries have yet to make any attempts to benefit from the emergence of e‐government in South Africa.Practical implicationsThere is a need to infuse an e‐government ethos in poverty alleviation programmes in order to enhance service delivery. At the moment there is a lack of synergy between the two in South Africa. Additionally, South African ICT infrastructure is under‐utilised to enhance service delivery. Libraries have the opportunity using e‐government infrastructure to improve the provision of information services to the people.Originality/valueService delivery remains a priority for the post‐apartheid South African government, and the paper reveals that a disconnect exists between the e‐government vision and the poverty alleviation programmes aimed at enhancing the standard of living of the people. Libraries in South Africa have yet to leverage e‐government to provide information services and the paper may assist them in doing so.

Local and global perspectives on overcoming literacy challenges in South Africa

This article outlines the current challenges inherent in the disjuncture between language in education policy and policy implementation in South Africa and offers some perspectives on existing opportunities for addressing these challenges. Factors alienating young people from valuable opportunities for meaningful self-expression within existing educational structures are, among others, externally imposed norms and standards, the continued low status of African languages, misapplications of the prevailing Western “culture of reading,” and failure to address linguistic diversity overtly in the classroom, at the community level, and in the wider political context. Failure to acquire literacies which may enable youth to participate meaningfully in the ever-widening neo-capitalist economic global context lays them open to exploitation. Insights into the kinds of initiatives on the ground, such as tapping multiliteracies and multimodal engagement, hold great promise for more equitable participation of the youth and go a long way toward putting structures in place to curb the downward literacy spiral. In conclusion, without radical structural transformation and opportunities for equitable recognition and exchange of resources between mainstream and currently marginal populations, “accommodations” and “add on” paradigms of diversity will be perpetuated. These lack the moral imperative for effecting meaningful change in educational practices.

World Class Cities for All Campaign—“This World Cup is not for us poor women”

abstract The World Class Cities For All (WCCA) Campaign was launched by StreetNet International to denounce the negative impact of mega sporting events on the lives of street vendors, the majority women, and to call for inclusive urban planning processes. The Reportback outlines the Campaign implementation in South Africa in the run up to the World Cup 2010 and in India, the Commonwealth Games, in October. It also examines how the WCCA Campaign was able to link national demands and actions focusing on the ban on trading in the exclusion zones around fan parks and calls for a xenophobic free World Cup with support from world renowned leaders Mary Robinson and Ela Bhatt to apply pressure on FIFA. The Reportback concludes with some lessons to be passed on to Brazilian street vendors and their allies as they prepare for the World Cup 2014.

A group of educators' stance on the implementation of South Africa's further education and training curriculum

In their dealings with educators in the Southern Cape region of South Africa, the researchers observed among them a degree of negativity and pessimism about the implementation of the Further Education and Training (FET) policy and curriculum during 2006. Exploratory discussions supported the surmise that a gap existed between policy formulation and the actual implementation of the policy in secondary schools. A qualitative research project confirmed this surmise, and served as the basis for a theoretical examination of the dynamics behind the stance adopted by the participants.

Routine checks for HIV in children attending primary health care facilities in South Africa: Attitudes of nurses and child caregivers

Management of HIV-infected and exposed children is challenging for health workers in primary care settings. Integrated management of childhood illness (IMCI) is a WHO/UNICEF strategy for improving morbidity and mortality in under 5 children attending first level facilities in developing countries. In high HIV-prevalence settings, IMCI includes an HIV component for identification and management of HIV-infected and exposed children, which requires health workers to ask all mothers about their HIV status and check all children for signs of HIV. Effective implementation of the HIV component depends on the ability and willingness of health workers to take every opportunity to identify HIV-infected children during routine care, and implementation in South Africa is poor. In 2006, we conducted 10 focus groups in two provinces in South Africa with IMCI-trained nurses, and with mothers attending first level facilities, to determine their attitudes towards, and experiences of, routine checks for HIV during consultations with sick children. Nurses were frequently unwilling to check for HIV in all children, believing it was unnecessary, unacceptable to mothers, and that they lack skills to implement HIV care. Nurses feared mothers would become upset or make a complaint. Mothers consistently recognised the importance of checking children for HIV and supported implementation of routine checks, although the attitude of the nurse was important in determining the acceptability of HIV-related questions. Mothers expressed fears about lack of confidentiality from nurses, and that receiving HIV-related services could lead to unintentional disclosure of their HIV status. Nurses lack the skills in HIV management and communication skills to implement the HIV component of IMCI. We identify issues relate to improved training, clear policies on record keeping, and organization of health services to respect privacy and confidentiality, to improve the willingness of health workers to provide HIV care and mothers to accept it.

The nature of science and indigenous knowledge systems in South Africa, 2000–2007: A critical review of the research in science education

In this paper we describe and analyze the research in science education on the nature of science (NOS) and indigenous knowledge systems (IKS) done in South Africa, and published in local and international refereed journals between the years 2000 and 2007. Through an examination of the current state of NOS and IKS research internationally, we explore and locate the research done in South Africa within what we call the international “research programmes”. Our discussion shows that the research being done in South Africa is attuned with contemporary international research agendas, theoretical paradigms and methodological tastes. We tease out and explore the patterns of the research, highlighting its major strands. Our description and analysis also identifies some of the major drivers of the research. Within that effort we point out that the major impetus behind the research has been the deliberate effort to inform the implementation of South Africa's new science curricula. An interesting observation coming out of our analysis is the fact that for both NOS and IKS research, the primary and secondary school levels are clearly under researched. Recommendations for future research are given.

REVIEW OF PROGRESS AND EXPENDITURE ON THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN FOR HIV AND AIDS FOR SOUTH AFRICA

AbstractThe main objective of this paper is to review progress made in the implementation of South Africa's Comprehensive Plan for HIV and AIDS (CPHA, or simply ‘the Plan’) from its inception in 2004 to date [2006], with special emphasis on anti‐retroviral (ARV) treatment rollout. In light of the HIV and AIDS situation in the Sub‐Saharan Africa, and South Africa in particular, there is an urgent need for governments to roll out the ARV drugs to people living with HIV and AIDS. This has to be complemented with strong political will, parliamentary oversight, real private‐public partnerships, and of course the involvement of civil society.The South African government must as a matter of urgency develop and utilise effective monitoring and evaluating systems to validate the effectiveness and efficiency of its responses to the epidemic. Increasing HIV prevalence rates demand that the government must strengthen its HIV prevention strategies to ensure that the majority of people uninfected remain that way. Such improved government response would eventually reduce the socio‐economic impact of the epidemic in South Africa.The CPHA was devised at a time when the price of ARVs had decreased significantly. Indeed, the plan noted that: “Two years ago, this programme for comprehensive care and treatment would have been impossible amongst other things due to the cost of the medicines and laboratory tests required.”1 Thus the main purpose of this paper is to review the implementation of the CPHA and to report on the new budgets and expenditures for the Comprehensive Plan in the health sector. Special attention is given to the delivery of ARV treatment to AIDS patients.Methods used to collect data for this review included a detailed literature review (desk study analysis) of official government budget and expenditure documents, interviews and email correspondence with key government officials and engagement with the Joint Civil Society Forum formed to monitor the implementation of the CPHA by the Department of Health.

A review of ICT systems for HIV/AIDS and anti-retroviral treatment management in South Africa

Telemedicine and e-health systems have been proposed as a support tool, to monitor and evaluate HIV/AIDS management strategies. The aim of the present study was to provide an overview of telemedicine and e-health systems for HIV/AIDS in South Africa as a basis for developing an e-health toolkit for anti-retroviral treatment (ART). An initial literature review and a subsequent interactive networking approach were chosen to identify telemedicine and e-health systems, projects and services for HIV/AIDS and ART facilities in low-resource settings and under-served areas. The literature review produced little useful information. In contrast, the face-to-face interviews and the focus group discussions provided useful information about projects and systems which had not been published. The meetings involved 1 - 5 people per session, about 30 people in total. The review showed that there were some plans for telemedicine and e-health implementation in South Africa. However, there was no all-inclusive ICT-based system in place for AIDS treatment there. With the exception of the major health information systems and electronic patient record systems, none of the telemedicine and e-health systems identified in the review were ready to be deployed across the country as a whole.

Making management procedures operational—innovations implemented in South Africa

Abstract Plagányi, É. E., Rademeyer, R. A., Butterworth, D. S., Cunningham, C. L., and Johnston, S. J. 2007. Making management procedures operational — innovations implemented in South Africa. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 64: 626–632. Operational management procedures (OMPs) have become an indispensable fisheries management tool in South Africa in light of their ability to consider the consequences of the main sources of assessment uncertainty. An overview is provided of the MP approaches applied to the major South African fisheries for hake, sardine and anchovy, and west coast rock lobster. As these are among the first OMPs to be implemented worldwide, some for periods longer than 10 y, they provide useful examples of some of the successes and problems encountered with the approach. Particular emphasis is given to some recent innovations and adaptations. These include moves to (i) joint two-species OMPs for the hake and sardine/anchovy resources; (ii) a reference set of weighted operating models for primary testing and tuning in preference to a single model; (iii) consideration of a “research-conditional” approach for hake to allow greater catches in the short term, conditional on research being implemented to resolve a key uncertainty; and (iv) incorporation of some ecosystem considerations by developing appropriate robustness tests (which link with moves towards an ecosystem approach to fisheries). Key lessons gained from experience over the past decade of OMP implementation in South Africa are summarized.

The design and implementation of Activity Based Costing (ABC): a South African survey

Activity Based Costing (ABC) has been researched extensively in developed countries. Research on these issues in South Africa is limited. This article creates a better understanding of the design of ABC systems in South Africa, comparing ABC implementation in South Africa to that in several developed/developing countries. A quantitative methodology was adopted to evaluate the extent of ABC implementation. A survey‐case study methodology was used to identify reasons for implementation/ non‐implementation, problems and critical success factors relating to implementation. The results show that the extent of ABC implementation in South Africa is lower than that found in developed countries, but the evidence is inconclusive. Nevertheless, the results suggest that the issues facing ABC implementers in South Africa are similar to those faced in many other countries. This study provides South African companies with a comparative framework of important variables to be considered in implementing ABC.