Covid-19 Vaccine and Scholastic Performance of Learners: A Perspective of Internal Stakeholders

This paper interrogates the relationship between the availability of the Covid-19 vaccine and the impressive learner results in secondary schools. The paper resulted from diverse discourses, some of which emphasize that the prevalence of Covid-19 in the world has dampened schools' learning moods to the level of flooring learner performance. This paper is conceptual and empirical within the qualitative research paradigm. The question guiding this paper is: to what extent could secondary schools produce inspiring learner results through revelatory information on the availability of vaccination for Covid-19 sufferers? Narrative inquiry and interviewing techniques were used to collect data. Out of the population of 15 secondary schools in one of the circuits in Sekhukhune district in Limpopo Province, South Africa, 3 were conveniently sampled. In each of the 3 sampled secondary schools, only Deputy Chairpersons of the School Governing Bodies and Chairpersons of the Representative Council of Learners became research participants. Findings revealed that underrating the revelatory information of vaccine availability for Covid-19 sufferers was costly for schools. Secondly, failure to consolidate learner solidarity against Covid-19 to improve the quality of schooling life was a problem. Thirdly, the inability by schools to prevent passive teaching and learning through the utilization of the Covid-19 threat. Fourthly, the inability by secondary schools to apply Covid-19 threat to encourage overachievement by learners. Fifthly, inability by schools to push back the frontiers of mediocre performance by applying Covid-19 as a rallying point. Lastly, schools failed to utilize the prevalence of Covid-19 to keep pupils psychologically and developmentally ready for lessons. The researcher recommends applying the ebullient classroom environments to keep teaching and learning memorable, theatrical, and therapeutic, despite the prevalence of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Change Management as a requirement in introducing ICT in curriculum delivery – The Gauteng Experience

The main objective of this study is to establish the role that change management plays in introducing ICT in curriculum delivery with special reference to Gauteng Province. A desktop literature review was adopted to gather information on how change management can impact on the effectiveness of ICT integration, not only in the South African context but also on the global and African context. Support for ICT integration in education is overwhelmingly positive; ICT is seen as having made a positive contribution to education; More training is required to improve teachers’ competencies in ICT usage and More support needs to be provided to the principals, School Management Teams (SMTs) and School Governing Bodies (SGBs) in terms of training. In order to optimise the results of the change management process in ICT integration into the curriculum, the researcher recommended the following: Establish a change management committee whose sole mandate is to ensure an effective integration of ICT projects; Ensure sufficient and effective continuous training support to the educators, principals, SMTs and SGBs before, during and after launch of the ICT project; Continuous evaluation of the change process to assess if intended objectives are being achieved; Ensure undivided buy-in and support from the district and top management and Ensure funding is made available to increase the provision of ICT equipment in schools and to invest in the ongoing maintenance and upkeep of the infrastructure.

Exploring the Patterns of Values Integration in Denominational School Discipline

In line with social justice education, this paper attempts to demystify the pattern of values integration in denominational school discipline by focusing on ways through which values are integrated and the sorts of values emphasized in the denominational school. The researchers evaluated secondary documents such as archival materials, dissertations and school reports with a view of identifying forms of values integration and the types of values widely used in primary and secondary schools of Kampala district. Using a grounded theory approach, it was found out that the roles of School Governing Bodies, the need to promote denominational school interests, the educators role, governments role and the socialization process are some of the ways in which values are imparted. The paper also examines that different values are emphasized by different denominations depending on the divergence of interests and founding philosophies. The paper concludes that in order to build positive discipline, citizenship and social justice education; values integration should be a collective educational responsibility. More so, school stakeholders should harmonize values for purpose of promoting universal education and not their personalized interests at the expense of the learner and the society that is going to take on that learner.

Recruiting Competent Teachers in South Africa for a Sustainable Future: The Role of School Governing Bodies

Given the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 2030 agenda, several countries have introduced various initiatives and reforms towards attracting and recruiting competent teachers to empower the next generation so that they can face global challenges and transform and sustain the development of society through education that is inclusive, equitable, of quality, and life-long. This study is, therefore, concerned with the role of school governing bodies to recruit competent teachers for a sustainable future. The study is grounded within the interpretative paradigm using a case study approach for data collection from a small sample consisting of ten school governing Bodies (SGBs) in uMkhanyakude District. The findings from this study establish that SGB members perform supervisory duties, prepare interviews, and conduct marking and selection as well as recommending staff. However, members of the SGB were not aware of the qualities required of competent teachers for a sustainable future. Furthermore, the study indicated that external influences and a shortage of qualified teachers are the major challenges encountered by members of SGBs in the process of recruiting competent teachers. The study concludes that the role of SGBs is significant and should not be downplayed if sustainable education that can transform our world is to become a reality.

Implications of Covid-19 on the management of school financial resources in quintile 5 public schools

With the promulgation of the South African Schools Act, public education in South Africa was decentralised and communities were made responsible for the governance of public schools. White Paper 1 on Education and Training confirmed the inability of the state to meet the financial requirements of public education. Despite the fact that school governing bodies are responsible for raising substantial funding, their ability to appropriate school funds is limited by legislation, irrespective of the origin of the funds or assets in question. These restrictions have a substantial impact on the way financing is structured and managed by public schools. In 2020 schools were closed for more than 2 months due to the Covid-19 lockdown, and many parents were left questioning why they should pay for services not rendered. Using a qualitative research approach, we aimed to determine the impact of Covid-19 on the management of school fees and resources in public schools. The findings reveal that Covid-19 has had an impact on school budgets, teaching posts and fundraising activities, as well as on the day-to-day running of schools.

The resourcefulness of school governing bodies in fundraising: Implications for the provision of quality education

With the promulgation of the South African Schools Act of 1996, public education in South Africa was decentralised and communities were made responsible for school governance. This placed the responsibility on school governing bodies (SGBs) to take all measures within their means to supplement state funding for the acquisition of adequate human and physical resources. In this article we explore various fundraising initiatives that will increase the coffers of public schools. Funds provided by donors and sponsors should allow SGBs the discretionary powers to appropriate funds that will promote effective teaching and learning in schools. The perceptions and experiences of principals and SGBs on the management of funds were investigated by means of a qualitative multiple case study. Findings reveal that SGBs have to take an entrepreneurial stance towards supplementing funds provided by the state. In addition, there are serious challenges surrounding school fees such as bad debt and fee exemptions, and this necessitates SGBs to find other sources of revenue. Thus, based on best business practice, SGBs should be given autonomy and take accountability for the management of private funding within the legal framework of the South African Schools Act.

Principals’ views on the implementation of the no-fee policy through the lens of capability theory

The purpose of the study reported on here was to investigate the implementation of the no-fee schools policy in quintile 1 schools in the Frances Baard district of the Northern Cape province. The South African schooling system categorises schools into quintile 1 to 5 schools, and, since 2006, disadvantaged learners in quintiles 1 to 3 have been exempted from paying fees. This study explored the perceptions of school principals regarding the implementation of the no-fee policy in the South African context, by applying a capability approach, which offers a novel perspective. In the study we used a descriptive design located within the qualitative tradition. Nine principals from quintile 1 schools were purposively selected as participants. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews, and a thematic framework was used for analysis. The findings indicate that the no-fee schools policy is only implemented partially by stakeholders (principals and school governing bodies). Furthermore, it was found that there is a lack of knowledge about the content of the policy which consequently inhibits effective implementation. Based on the findings, it is recommended that the Department of Education monitors the implementation of the no-fee policy more closely.

Governance in South African schools: Democratic advancement or hindrance?

The introduction of school governing bodies in South African schools has largely been motivated by a democratic discourse of communal participation, belonging and accountability. How this has been interpreted has seemingly been limited to understandings of parental participation in the daily functioning of schools. In turn, research on school governing bodies has focused extensively on two contrasting narratives, underscored by an imbalance of power – that is, either the incapacity of parents to fulfil their mandate, or a dominance of parental involvement, which often undermines the principal’s authority. Very little, if any, attention has been afforded to the role of school governing bodies in relation to democratising and diversifying schools. By paying particular attention to the roles and responsibilities of parents on school governing bodies, this article considers two inter-related questions. Do current practices and actions of school governing bodies promote or hamper the democratising agenda, necessary for the transformation of schools? How can school governing bodies, and specifically parents, contribute to the transformation of schools that extend beyond parochial conceptions of parental involvement?