A critical perspective of national norms and standards of school funding in Eastern Cape East London District
- Authors: Mamatu, Ntombizonke Lydia
- Date: 2009
- Subjects: Education and state -- South Africa , Education -- South Africa -- Finance , School management and organization -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Public schools -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Poverty -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , M Soc Sc (Dev)
- Identifier: vital:11413 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/303 , Education and state -- South Africa , Education -- South Africa -- Finance , School management and organization -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Public schools -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Poverty -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Description: Education policies remain a contested terrain in both the social and political environments. They are not neutral instruments and are used both to maintain the existing social order and also to promote varying kinds of change or mobility. The South African Schools Act, 1996 (Act 84 of 1996) hereafter SASA, which is the source of all policies that regulate school issues in South Africa promotes democratic methods of school governing and education provisioning that favours the previously disadvantaged groups. The NNSSF is one of the policies of SASA that makes schooling accessible to the poor through school fee exemptions while attempting to close the gap between the rich and the poor through differentiated school funding created according to researched poverty levels and standardized target lists. This has been designed to fulfil one of the essential human rights of man- education that has been entrenched in the Bill of Rights of the Republic of South Africa Constitution, 1996 (Act 108 of 1996) hereafter, Constitution. Thus, the study’s objective is to evaluate the implementation of the NNSSF policy in public schools focussing on school fee exemptions. The extent to which poor parents and learners are given school fee exemptions as they are supposed to according to the policy will be indicators of whether the NNSSF is justly or unjustly implemented in public schools. Learners are the recipients of the right to education. Parents are given the responsibility to fund the education of their children. However, for poor parents to fulfil that they need advice and assistance from the teachers and SGBs to be able to access the school fee exemptions while they have a right to just administrative action and to human dignity in dealing with them. SGBs and teachers have to create a favourable environment for the just implementation of the NNSSF by advising and xiii assisting deserving parents and learners to access school fee exemptions so that the right to education is fulfilled. The duty of in loco parentis and acting in the best interest of the child enforce teachers to do everything possible to ensure that learners access education. EDOs are supposed to guide, monitor and supervise the implementation of the policy while legal bodies should assist parents and learners to demand their right when it is violated through litigation. The study used the method of survey which is quantitative and interviews which are qualitative. Questionnaires and interview schedules were tools used to collect data that was analysed through statistical methods and represented in the form of tables and pie-charts. Various significant findings were made that had a bearing on the implementation of the NNSSF policy in public schools, most important to note is that some learners who have the right to education are aware of this right but do not know how to ensure that it is not violated. Parents are not given the opportunity to decide whether school fees should be charged in their schools. Above that they are not given the advice they need to be able to access school fee exemptions. Some teachers think that by advising and assisting learners and parents they will be buying cheap popularity- showing ignorance. EDOs do not know how schools implement the NNSSF, they are not involved in anyway. Thus the study views the implementation of NNSSF policy in public schools as unjust and recommends that SGBs and teachers need to be educated, guided and monitored by the EDOs on the policy and its implementation. They in turn will have to educate parents and learners so that they are able to access school fee exemptions thereby receiving education – their right.
- Full Text:
Social security and the national orphan care policy in Zimbabwe: challenges from the child headed household
- Authors: Muronda, Yeukai
- Date: 2009
- Subjects: Orphanages -- Zimbabwe , Social security -- Zimbabwe , Child welfare -- Zimbabwe , Households -- Zimbabwe
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , M Soc Sc (Dev)
- Identifier: vital:11417 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/564 , Orphanages -- Zimbabwe , Social security -- Zimbabwe , Child welfare -- Zimbabwe , Households -- Zimbabwe
- Description: This study focused on the policy responses formulated by the government of Zimbabwe and their implementation to meet the social needs of the people with special emphasis on the Zimbabwe National Orphan Care Policy (ZNOCP) of 1999. The challenges this policy is facing from the newly evolving structure of the child headed households was the centre of this study. At independence, the government adopted the incremental approach to policy making and extended formal social policy to the previously marginalized black majority. The ZNOCP was introduced in 1999 during the second phase of ESAP. The same period saw the spread of the HIV and AIDS pandemic. HIV and AIDS led to an increase in the number of orphans some of whom ended up in CHH without adult supervision. The day to day challenges of this group of orphans was investigated in Masvingo rural district. For this study both the qualitative and quantitative methodology paradigms were used. Secondary sources such as journal articles, published books and computer databases helped in complementing the field work. Four sets of questionnaires were administered to four groups of people which were the heads of CHH, extended families, community leadership and government officials. The analysis of this study led to the following conclusions about social policy and the plight of children in CHH. Firstly, that social policy has failed in Zimbabwe due to the incremental approach to policy making which was taken by the government because of its nature of being reformist as opposed to being transformative. Secondly, that the xiii ZNOCP is not being properly implemented therefore it does not have any impact on the lives of children in CHH. These children are struggling for basic social services like food and nutrition, clothing, education health, shelter and birth registration. Thirdly, the extended families and the community have been weakened by HIV and AIDS and impoverished by ESAP such that they cannot take care of their own families, let alone their deceased relatives‟ orphaned children as stipulated by the ZNOCP. Finally, the passive role being taken by the government in the care and protection of the children in CHH is detrimental to their welfare. The comparative case study of the Slangspruit informal settlement in South Africa shows that challenges faced by orphans are common. This study therefore recommends that there is need for the review of the ZNOCP. The new policy should come up with child care strategies which take into cognizance the evolutionary nature of the community. A human rights based approach ought to be the basis of child protection interventions in Zimbabwe. The study recommends that all stakeholders from the government down to the community need to fully participate in their various capacities in child care and protection. Resources in terms of finance and human resources should be made available and channeled to the intended beneficiaries. There is also need for capacity building in the communities and to intensify HIV and AIDS prevention, mitigation, care and treatment interventions to reduce the prevalence of orphans.
- Full Text:
The effectiveness of traditional leaders in the development of the rural Eastern Cape
- Authors: Kewana, Nonzaliseko Gladys
- Date: 2009
- Subjects: Local government -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Tribal government -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Rural development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Political leadership -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , M Soc Sc (Dev)
- Identifier: vital:11411 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/296 , Local government -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Tribal government -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Rural development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Political leadership -- South Africa
- Description: Traditional leadership is a contested field in social and political environments. The new, democratic government has created an environment that accommodates the existence of traditional leadership by introducing policies that guide their functioning. The White Paper on Traditional Leadership of 2003 spells out the roles and responsibilities of traditional leaders. This document when used with the Municipal Structures Act 117 of 2003 may minimise the existing tensions between the traditional leaders and the democratically elected councillors. The White Paper on Traditional Leadership of 2003 has been designed accordingly with the Bill of Rights. Equality and prevention of unfair discrimination, has been entrenched in the Bill of Rights of the Republic of South Africa. Traditional leaders, therefore, do have a space in the governance of South Africa. They are expected to participate in development programmes and in promoting service delivery. This study used the method of a case study. It is a qualitative study. Questionnaires and interviews are tools used to collect data. Various observations and findings were made with proposed recommendations. Most important to note is that, the traditional leaders are aware of the White Paper on Traditional Leadership but do not know what to do about it. This reveals that there is a gap between practice and policy. is the recommendation of the study that, the officials from Local Government and Traditional Affairs and those from the municipalities workshop and mentor the traditional leaders as well as the democratically elected councillors. Such a practice could minimise if not eliminate the tensions that result in poor service delivery.
- Full Text: