To realise the ideal of quality inclusive education, proper financial management is vital. Existing literature indicates that the mismanagement of school funds is largely due to principals and the school governing bodies (SGB) in many schools not having good working relationships with stakeholders and lacking the necessary financial skills, more specifically in schools in townships and rural areas. The study we report on in this article investigated the financial management of public primary schools situated in urban areas by adopting a qualitative research approach and employing a multiple case study research design. Five schools participated and data were collected through individual semi-structured interviews with the principal, school accountant and chairperson of the SGB of the selected schools. Findings revealed that, despite the fact that all South African schools are governed and controlled by the South African Schools Act, the financial management of fee-paying schools differs from no-fee schools situated in townships and rural areas. In many schools, the unavailability of the parent members of SGBs and their limited financial skills were barriers to effective financial decisions. Based on these findings, we recommend that the relevant stakeholders involved in school financial management obtain continuous training from the Department of Basic Education, in order to empower and support school governors to effectively carry out their financial functions.
Background: Although technology plays a significant role in the development and learning of young children, early childhood development (ECD) practitioners are often under-informed and lack confidence in using information and communications technology (ICT).Aim: Understanding ECD teachers' acceptance of technology usage is crucial to the implementation and integration of ICT resources. This study examines the perceptions of ECD teachers regarding the use of technology in South Africa's early childhood classrooms.Setting: A sample of eight Grade R teachers was conveniently and purposefully selected from inner-city ECD centres in Pretoria, South Africa.Methods: A qualitative research methodology was used. Data were collected by using semistructured interviews and classroom observation. This study is grounded in the extended technology acceptance model. Results:It was found that the teachers understood the advantage of technology incorporation in early childhood education and also have a positive mind-set about the use of ICT in teaching and learning in early years. However, the acceptance level of ICT use by these teachers appear to be low because of barriers such as poor parental and school support towards technology use, lack of technological resources, teachers' poor knowledge and lack of practical training on the use of developmentally appropriate technology for children as claimed by the teachers. Conclusion:Despite this positive belief and attitude towards ICT use for supporting playful learning and child's development in young children outside the classroom, teachers are less inclined to using ICT in teaching and play activities in their classrooms.
The growing utilisation of digital technologies in today's complex and fast-changing world has taken the reality of education beyond the physical classroom. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has forced many educational institutions to make hasty and unprecedented decisions as they switched to the virtual classroom. This study explores teachers' experiences in transitioning from traditional teaching to virtual teaching during and after the COVID-19 college closure. A sample of seven Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) educators was conveniently selected from colleges in an urban area in South Africa using a case study research design. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analysed using thematic analysis. In this regard, all ethical considerations were adhered to during this study. Three of the educators demonstrated a positive cognitive, affective and behavioural attitude towards transitioning to virtual learning. Six of the educators used WhatsApp and online platforms integrated into their college's website to communicate during virtual teaching. However, challenges such as lack of support on the integration of technology into their practice, access to connectivity, provision of little or no training on pedagogical practices, unconducive home environment, students' attitudes in the online space, lack of infrastructure and poor policy guidelines and framework for implementing virtual learning pose a threat to educators' desires to change and support a transition to virtual learning permanently. Therefore, it is recommended that TVET education providers and managers provide adequate support and training for educators to foster pedagogical practices aimed at enhancing students' virtual learning.
The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has compelled education systems across the globe to fully embrace online learning as an alternative to face-to-face classes. This has resulted in a paradigm shift, in which online teaching and assessment practices continue to gain prominence at the tertiary level. Hence, this study explores lecturers' teaching and assessment strategies for teaching university students through online platforms during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study has used a framework of SWOT (strength, weakness, opportunities, and threats) analysis as its theoretical base. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews with five lecturers from three universities in Gauteng Province, South Africa. The collected data was analysed using content analysis. This study found that lecturers were able to manage the teaching and assessment processes during the COVID-19 school restrictions, using a combination of platforms such as Blackboard-collaborate, WhatsApp, Kahoot, and Google Classroom. The findings also revealed that a wide variety of teaching and assessment methodologies, including small group work, collaborative learning, case methods, discussion posts, multiple choice quizzes, chats, game activities, open-ended questions, and essays were utilized on these platforms. Although the methodologies used for teaching and assessing on these platforms require additional preparation time, they also help increase interaction between students and enable immediate grading of scripts and student feedback. Further findings revealed that online assessment is highly susceptible to test/examination malpractices. This study provided recommendations helpful to policymakers, lecturers, and students regarding online teaching and assessment strategies.
Background: Quality early childhood development (ECD) is crucial for protecting children against a multitude of socio-economic challenges such as poor living standards, lack of education, and substandard healthcare. Furthermore, research has revealed that educational resources used at ECD centres enrich the all-round well-being of young children. Despite these findings, the provision of educational resources in the ECD learning environment has received little or no attention at national and local levels.Aim: This study aimed to explore registered ECD centres to understand the available infrastructure resources and how they are used to promote quality early childhood care and education (ECCE).Setting: A sample of eight participants (four ECD centre principals and four practitioners) from four registered ECD centres were purposively selected in suburban and township areas of Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa.Methods: An interpretative, qualitative multiple case study was used and the Woodhead quality framework for ECD centres was used as a guide for this study. Data were collected through face-to-face semi-structured interviews, non-participant observation and field notes.Results: The findings revealed that practitioners know how the use of learning resources improve young children’s growth and development. However, the township centres have fewer infrastructure resources that promote quality ECCE because of the dire socio-economic conditions of the parents.Conclusion: The lack of modern and age-appropriate play equipment at township registered centres indicated that the (township) practitioners are not able to use such equipment, even though they are aware of their benefits in promoting quality ECCE. Hence, quality ECCE is not equally available. The great equaliser, called ECCE, is merely a smokescreen.
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