South African Education System Research Articles

Overcrowded classrooms – The Achilles heel of South African education?

Background: The South African education system is characterised by a shortage of teachers and inadequate school infrastructure which is contributing to the overcrowded nature of South African classrooms. The current national learner–educator ratio (LER) is 33:1, and some classes have even reported an LER value of 50:1 and higher. The South African LER is more than double the average of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s international average of 16:1. Aim: This research has been conducted to identify overcrowdedness in classrooms as a factor associated with poor academic achievement. Setting: A qualitative research approach served this study best when an investigation was launched into the impact of overcrowded classrooms in the Foundation Phase in the Tshwane-West district. Methods: The study’s sample comprised 10 purposefully chosen participants who are knowledgeable and experienced in the field of teaching in overcrowded classrooms in the Foundation Phase. The participants included heads of departments, primary school principals, higher education lecturers and a department of basic education official. In-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with each of the participants. Findings: Based on the findings, the impact of and challenges (such as didactical neglect, discipline issues and negative teacher attitudes) related to overcrowdedness was elaborated on, and practical recommendations were made regarding possible solutions. Conclusion: This study conclude by emphasising the importance of a combined effort between all role players, such as the School Management Teams and the teachers, when dealing with the challenges posed by overcrowdedness.

THE SUPPORTIVE ROLE OF SCHOOL MANAGEMENT ON THE WORK SATISFACTION OF MALE TEACHERS IN A SOUTH AFRICAN SCHOOL DISTRICT

The paper focused on a specific research group (male teachers); firstly because of the shortage of male teachers in South African schools, and secondly, because male teachers are more dissatisfied in their overall work environment than female teachers. This study aimed to investigate, from an educational management perspective, the factors that influence job satisfaction amongst male teachers in schools in a sampled school district in Mpumalanga province. Throughout the study, it became apparent that male teachers are more likely to leave the South African education system than their female counterparts. A quantitative research approach was used to investigate factors affecting job satisfaction amongst male teachers distributing Likert-scale questionnaires amongst male teachers in selected schools in the district. The results of the study provide an outline of the crises that teachers in South Africa schools are facing, while the statistics and information portrayed in this study help to paint a picture of their work environment. A shortage of teachers, increasing learner enrolment and work overload are enough to create a highly stressful profession. Aspects identified as factors that affect job satisfaction amongst male teachers are the professional development of teachers, capacity building of teachers through collaboration and teamwork, effective support systems to teachers by management, workload of teachers, effective leadership of the principal, effective management of learner behaviour, positive work experiences by teachers, emotional distress of teachers and positive feelings towards teaching as a profession.

Contribution of teaching assistants to quality education in Grade 1 classrooms

Grade 1 learners in South Africa are not receiving the quality education they deserve. Early Childhood Education forms the basis of all education; however, numerous challenges in the South African education system impede the teaching and learning of young children. In this article we investigate Grade 1 teachers’ responsibilities in the class and the teachers’ management of the complex teaching environments. Qualitative data using semi-structured interviews with 9 Grade 1 teachers and teaching assistants (TAs) at 6 schools were used to gain insight into and explore various perspectives on the need for the services of teaching assistants in Grade 1 classrooms. The participants were selected from public, private and rural schools, using purposeful sampling, to allow for a broad spectrum of inputs. Findings indicate that participants regard the presence of teaching assistants as a necessity in Grade 1 classrooms as it allows the teacher to focus on quality teaching. The support provided by teaching assistants contributes to the quality of the learning facilitated by the teacher and allows learners access to the individualised attention that they need. Keywords: assistant; early childhood education; educational challenges; Foundation Phase; Grade 1; learners; support; teacher; teaching assistant

Invisible Statues of Colonisation: Regulatory Curriculum Requirements in South African Higher Education

Over the past 20 years, the South African higher education (HE) system has become increasingly regularised. All programmes offered at South African public universities have to be registered and accredited by the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET); the Higher Education Quality Committee (HEQC) under the auspices of the Council on Higher Education (CHE); as well as the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA). Such accreditation, registration and quality assurance is subject to a growing series of stringent regulatory frameworks that must be adhered to, chief amongst which are the Higher Education Qualifications Sub-Framework (HEQSF) and the Classification of Educational Subject Matter (CESM) manual and the later Addendum. Increased calls from both students and government for curriculum transformation and the decolonisation of HE require a critical review of the regulatory regime as one of the barriers to curriculum transformation at South African universities. The aim of this article is to present a conceptual analysis of the CESM and its regulatory context within a decolonial framework in order to show that the regulatory requirements for curricula have created a rigid and colonised conception of what universities may and may not teach. The CESM categories and their concomitant requirements have become the so-called invisible statues of colonisation based on narrow and morally decadent Western conceptions of academic disciplines in current university curricula.

The development of education for learners with diverse learning needs in the South African context: A bio-ecological systems analysis.

BackgroundPrior to 1994, special education in South Africa was marginalised and fragmented; therefore, the new democratic government promoted inclusive education as a means to transform education in general and diverse education in particular. However, transformation in diverse education is seemingly moving forward at a snail’s pace – too slow to benefit all learners experiencing barriers to learning and development.ObjectivesThis article serves a dual purpose: firstly, to apply a bio-ecological approach to highlight the historic development of diverse education and, secondly, to explore the interactive processes within the systemic levels in the South African education system, which affects the learner on the person dimension of the bio-ecological approach.MethodA document analysis approach was utilised to collect information by exploring a large body of research literature, which included academic articles, reports, policies and policy reviews. Data were categorised within the systems of the bio-ecological model to determine successes and challenges at each level.ResultsResults from the bio-ecological systems analysis of related literature revealed not only many successes but also many challenges that inhibit change, growth and development in the South African education system, even more so for children experiencing barriers to learning.ConclusionThe transformation process of change from what was to what should be, regarding diverse education, seems to be stuck at what is and not moving forward to what could be. It has not transformed significantly enough to fill the gap between reality and the envisaged aim or dream of quality education for all.

The Emergence of Decentralised Centralism in the South African Education Governance System

After the advent of post-apartheid democracy, the government was confronted with the dilemma of how to address the inequities of the apartheid education dispensation by increasing access and participation while simultaneously allowing self-managing schools and promoting efficiency. In addition, the political transformation was accompanied by a strong emphasis on the need for shared responsibility for the governance of schools by local school governing bodies (SGBs) in partnership with the state. However, it is argued that ‘decentralised centralism’ has permeated the South African education system at the expense of the notion of community participation. The first part of the article examines the concepts of decentralisation and decentralised centralism. This is followed by an examination of the enactment of decentralisation in the South African education system. The third section shows how re-regulation of the periphery has gradually led to the education system becoming more centralised and how vested interests contributed to the development of decentralised centralism. The article concludes with a discussion of the schism between policy idealism and the practical reality and the connection between a legitimacy crisis and political realism as drivers of the movement towards decentralised centralism in the South African education system.

Reimagining academic identities in response to research demands at Universities of Technology

In the last volume of this journal, Garraway and Winberg called for a reimagination of Universities of Technology (UoT) within the South African higher education system. This article continues that conversation by looking at the implications that the formation of the UoT had for academics’ identities. Technikon lecturers’ identities were closely tied to workplace expertise, but demands for research in UoTs have changed this. A social realist analysis of interviews with fifteen academics at three UoTs finds that research remains a contested issue. Interviewees understood research to take the form of acquiring postgraduate qualifications, rather than as an ongoing activity tied to their identities. Echoing Garraway and Winberg’s study, the bureaucratic nature of the institutional culture was referred to as a constraint. There was also a view that for this programme, Dental Technology, a demand for research was needed from industry if this was to be a valued aspect of academics’ identities.

The effect of the ideology of new managerial professionalism on the South African education system

If the intention of South African education legislation is to professionalise teachers, and if this is seen as empowering them for their task, connected to quality education, then it is indeed a worthy ideal. However, pedagogical values have been redefined within a neoliberalist framework, serving corporate culture and lowering the pedagogical role of teachers to a position of obedience to market norms. In the attempts of professionalising teachers, education has fallen prey to an ideology of new managerial professionalism – the worthy ideal of professionalising teachers has become a mechanism for dominating the very people it set out to liberate. Within the context of a growing global economy the pedagogical values that embody the professionalisation of teachers have been replaced by values aligned with economic growth. The professional role of the teacher and educational reform has been driven by a political ideology committed to new managerial professionalism. The paper highlights the way in which an overemphasis of the professional status of teachers within a neoliberalist framework establishes and sustains relations of domination in South African education. The effects of new managerial professionalism on education are also explored. Keywords: decentralisation; goalsetting; managerialism; neoliberalism; new managerialism; new public management; performativity; professionalism

Transformation, stratification and higher education: exploring the absorption into employment of public financial aid beneficiaries across the South African higher education system

Improving access to higher education is an important strategy for achieving equity in the labour market. Against the backdrop of the ‘massification’ of higher education in a number of countries, most notably in the UK during the 1990s, a growing literature on graduate un/employment has aimed to investigate whether the graduate labour market has absorbed the increasing number of university completers. In post-apartheid South Africa, this question assumes an added significance corresponding with the need to redress sharp inequalities in access to higher education inherited from the colonial and apartheid eras. Measuring graduate employment outcomes, however, is notoriously difficult. Graduate employment studies are often ad hoc and focus on graduates from only a handful of universities or degree programmes. Exploring a novel dataset, this paper presents the first analysis of the labour market absorption rates of publicly funded (through the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS)) graduates from low-income households across all South African universities between 2005 and 2015. While our findings illustrate the expected differences in the probability of employment by race and gender, we also identify a strong and significant association between the type of university from which NSFAS students graduate and the probability of employment and show that this association holds irrespective of race, gender and the field of study in which a degree is obtained. We conclude with a reflection on what a hierarchical higher education system means for the role of higher education in transformation and creating an equitable society.

Learners and educators as agents of social transformation in dysfunctional South African schools

The problem addressed in this theoretical paper is that of learners and educators as agents of social transformation in dysfunctional schools of South Africa. While 80% of South African schools are said to be dysfunctional, learners and educators in these schools can be activated to challenge and actively struggle against any form of social oppression that dehumanises and renders them failures. Educators can work in collaboration with learners to conscientize the latter so that they are able to question different forms of inequalities and discrimination implicit in the curriculum offered at school, which excludes their cultural learning experiences. This paper argues that township and rural school educators and learners can become social agents for change if they are exposed to critical pedagogy which fosters emancipatory methods of teaching and learning. Consequently, structural factors surrounding the South African education system must be addressed if learner performance in dysfunctional schools is to improve. Keywords: agency; conscientization; critical pedagogy; curriculum development; dysfunctional schools; educators; learners; liberation; oppression; social transformation

Learning through Linguistic citizenship: Finding the “I” of the essay

In recent years, the South African higher education system has seen growing calls for broadened epistemic access, decolonised curricula and transformed institutions. Scholars across South Africa have taken up the challenge and are working on new theoretical approaches to teaching and learning in higher education. In this paper, we reflect on students’ experiences of a multilingual, multimodal module called Reimagining Multilingualisms, which was jointly offered by the Universities of the Western Cape and Stellenbosch in April and May of 2018. In this paper, we provide an overview of the module and the different types of activities it involved. We reflect on these experiences using the theoretical lenses of decolonial scholar Mignolo (2009) on the ‘locus of enunciation’, and Stroud (2018) on ‘Linguistic Citizenship’. We present extracts from focus group interviews with students from both campuses to illustrate the involvement of ‘the body’ in ‘knowing’ and the ways in which the module enabled different ‘voices’ to emerge. We focus particularly on the role played by students’ perceived ‘vulnerability’ in the transformative benefits of the module and discuss this by way of conclusion. In sum, we suggest how the centring of multilingualism and diversity – not only as core pedagogic principles, but also as a methodology for transformation – may be used to enhance access and recapture voice in the building of a more integrated and just society.

Challenges experienced by learners with visual impairments in South African township mainstream primary schools

Diversity in education is not about different races only; in the South African context it also refers, for instance, to types of schools or different learning styles. Inclusivity in education thus refers to all learners, regardless of their abilities, being noticed and encouraged to share and learn in the same space. However, the South African education system is still struggling to ensure that learners with disabilities, especially those with visual impairment, are fully catered for in mainstream schools. In the study reported on here a qualitative research methodology was used to collect data through semi-structured interviews and observations with selected participants to explore challenges experienced by partially sighted learners in mainstream schools. It was found that even though learners with visual impairment are now physically integrated in mainstream classes, they are not truly included. Furthermore, teacher training should be enhanced, and teacher support reviewed while involving parents of visually impaired learners in their children’s schooling. Keywords: full-service school; inclusion; inclusive education; mainstream school; partially sighted; township school; visual impairment

IsiZulu as an indigenous African language, and technology in the basic education sector in KwaZulu-Natal

This article seeks to discuss issues associated with the inconspicuousness of isiZulu as an indigenous African language in the South African education system as established during empirical research conducted by the author for his PhD thesis. The research revealed that the integration of isiZulu into information and communication technology (ICT) in the basic education sector in KwaZulu-Natal is very slow, and yet it could positively fast-track the elevation and promotion of this language as medium of instruction. Despite numerous attempts by the democratic government to elevate the status of the African languages, they are still not seriously considered in the education sector. Institutions of learning have developed multilingual language policies, yet their implementation remains a major problem and a pipe dream for a majority of South Africans. Based on a critical review of the literature on African languages and ICT, the article highlights various opportunities, benefits and challenges that are associated with the integration of indigenous African languages into ICT in the education sector. The article concludes with a discussion of some linguistic challenges that are responsible for the continued low profile of indigenous languages in education and for the high failure rate in South African schools.

Displaced margins and misplaced equity: Challenges for South African higher education

This paper makes a single point: that the goal of institutional diversity falls short of the goal of equity in higher education. Put differently, while the margins for diversity have increasingly been displaced and dislocated, equity appears to be misplaced. I contend that through significantly increased access, the South African education system has made remarkable progress in achieving racial, ethnic and gender diversity in their student populations. Despite these achievements in diversity, however, equity, measured through the graduation rates of historically disadvantaged students, trails behind diversity achievements. At the risk of taking a parochial posture, my goal is use the challenges of the mature (American) and relatively immature higher systems (South African) to point to ‘lessons’ that may be locally valuable. I draw on selected quantitative data that illustrates the trends in diversity and equity. I use the challenges with respect to diversity and equity in the United States system as a foil against which to read the South African quantitative trends. In so doing I show that time and maturity, demonstrated through the highly reputed American system, may not fix issues of equity and that conscious and that the South African system requires active interventions to address these challenges.

Micro-politics of student participation in university leadership across the historically black universities

In the post 1994 South African higher education system, there have been significant moves and achievements at the transformation of higher education institutions. The chief instrument of institutional transformation has been the university governing councils. The key assumption was that transformation of the university council was key to the transformation of the universities. However, over the same period several former historically black universities have experienced periods of unrest and protest. As a result, several of these universities have remained in a state of a risk of protest. This state of tension and uncertainty that characterizes these institutions has made the different stakeholder begin to question their faith and confidence in the institutional values that govern these institutions. This paper argues that participation in leadership is key to effective governance. The paper makes use of the concept of culture within a micro-political framework to generate modes of good governance within such stakeholder institutional environments. To have been able to collect and analyze this kind, the study relied on data collected through documents, interviews and surveys. The paper ends with implications for effective governance in stakeholder governed university environments.

The Impact of Assessment for Learning on Learner Performance in Life Science

This study investigated the impact of ‘assessment for learning’ on learner performance in Life Science. Simple random sampling was used to select four schools from the King Cetshwayo District of KwaZulu Natal Province, South Africa, to participate in the study. A quasi-experimental, pretest-posttest comparison group design was used, involving four schools - two forming the ‘treatment condition’ while the other two served as the ‘comparison group’. Altogether, 160 grade eleven learners participated in the study. Two teachers were trained to use assessment for learning (AfL) as an instructional approach, while the two teachers of the comparison group used their usual instructional approaches. Data were analysed using SPSS (V23) and the statistical technique used was the 2-factor ANOVA with repeated measures. The result revealed that learners following an AfL instructional approach performed statistically higher that those following normal classroom instruction. This result is discussed, and recommendations made in respect of both classroom practice and further research. The findings of this study had implications for policy, further research as well as instructional and assessment approaches to be used in the teaching of Life Science in the South African education system.

Understanding engineering education system responsiveness through the lens of social realism

ABSTRACTThis study aims to ascertain how the relationships between structures in the South African engineering education and training system condition the likelihood of the systemic transformation required by the changing contemporary engineering industry. Drawing on social realism as its theoretical framework, this qualitative case study analyses the relationships between the Engineering Council of South Africa, higher education and industry. The findings show that the South African engineering education and training system exhibits a tendency towards maintenance of the status quo and that systemic transformation is therefore unlikely. The relationship that shows the most potential for evolution is that between higher education and industry as their relationship is based on tenuous containment and compromise. The implication of the study is that those interested in engineering education and training should delve beyond curriculum- and pedagogy-based initiatives in order to better understand the likelihood of the occurrence of systemic transformation.

Early learning experiences, school entry skills and later mathematics achievement in South Africa

Background: The acquired skill set prior to school entry has emerged as an important issue in research and policy internationally. Much evidence exists advocating the importance of early numeracy and literacy skills in later academic achievement and economic outcomes of students. Aim: The goal of this study was to determine the association between parents’ reports of engagement in pre-Grade 1 learning activities and school entry skills, and mathematics achievement in Grade 5. Setting: This study was based on empirical evidence using South African data from the 2015 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study. Methods: These relationships were investigated by using stepwise multiple regression analysis. Results: It was found that parent reports of engagement in pre-Grade 1 activities and acquired school entry skills are positively associated with student achievement at the Grade 5 level. This held even when taking other contextual home factors into account: socio-economic status and the frequency of speaking the language of the test at home. Conclusion: The role of the home is important in preparing children for school and has an impact on their later achievement. The home context should therefore be a key consideration in enhancing the South African education system. Parent reports are a good indicator of engagement in early learning activities and acquired numeracy and literacy skills prior to school entry.

On the Inconspicuousness of Indigenous African Languages: The Case of IsiZulu Linguistic Integration in KwaZulu-Natal’s Basic Education Sector

This paper investigates the challenges associated with the inconspicuousness of indigenous African languages in the South African education system, as established during empirical research conducted by the author for his PhD thesis. According to the findings of the research, integrating indigenous African languages in the basic education sector is a key strategic shift that should be considered for it could fast-track efforts to elevate and promote indigenous African languages as media of educational instruction. These languages have been discriminated against for decades, since the era of colonisation and Apartheid South Africa. Despite attempts by the democratic government, through transformative legislative frameworks, African languages are inconspicuous within the education sector. Institutions of learning have developed multilingual language policies yet their implementation remains a problem. Based on the critical review of the literature on indigenous African languages, and with a focus on information and communication technology (ICT), the paper investigates policy opportunities and challenges. The paper concludes by assessing the low profile of indigenous languages in education, and its likely impact on the high failure rate in South African schools.

The Cost of Repetition in South Africa

An almost unnoticed problem in the South African education system is the high rate of grade repetition. In this report, a combination of household and administrative datasets is used to identify patterns in learner repetition and dropout in South African schooling and the costs associated with these issues. According to the most conservative estimate, the number of learners in public schools repeating in grades 1 to 12 could have been 1 180 000. In monetary terms, this implies that the cost of having repeaters in the public education system was at least R20 billion (in 2018 prices), absorbing 8% of the total national budget allocated to basic education in 2018/2019. At least a half of these repetition costs is attributed to the high prevalence of repetition in the secondary school phase, with the largest number of repeaters located in grade 10 (at least 1 in every 5 grade 10 learners repeat). Despite the promulgation of repetition policy that limits the number of times learners can repeat a school phase, repetition trends in the past decade display a strong inertia, especially in higher grades. To monitor these trends better, and to track the implementation of these policies, significant improvements will need to be made to the quality of reporting on repeaters and dropout in EMIS data. While repetition is a problem, it is merely a symptom of a weakly functioning education system. The repetition debate is thus secondary to the need to address the quality of the education provided in our schools, and particularly in the foundation phase. Quality improvements will also make it easier to implement sensible policies on repetition and to provide remediation and support where these are needed. Moreover, by freeing resources currently needed to deal with repetition, improved education quality would also make remediation more feasible.