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- 2023| University of Manage...Various scholars have demonstrated the intricate and diverse nature of social disparities in South Africa. These inequalities are evident in dividing schools into urban and rural settings and distinguishing between wellequipped and inadequately equipped institutions. This division significantly impacts learners' performance across the nation's schools. Of particular disadvantage are rural schools, which grapple with constrained resources. This scarcity poses challenges for stakeholders involved in curriculum management and effective delivery within these schools. The legacy of apartheid has further compounded the hurdles faced in curriculum management within rural schools. The lingering imbalances from that era remain primarily unresolved, evident in the deficient resourcing and infrastructure prevalent in many rural schools. This study embraced an interpretivist perspective to gain insight into the experiences of 40 school principals from rural educational institutions in KwaZulu-Natal and Limpopo. Employing semi-structured interviews, researchers analysed audio recordings through thematic analysis. The findings disclosed a pronounced need for more clarity in curriculum management as a principal impediment to efficiently handling resources and sustaining infrastructure. Moreover, the study uncovered a novel social phenomenon of collusion between principals and suppliers, which detrimentally impacts the education system by restricting access to quality and sufficient resources. Thus, the study proposes that school principals adopt pragmatic and transparent strategies in resource management. It further advocates for implementing suitable oversight mechanisms to ensure accountability and effective infrastructure utilisation in curriculum execution.
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- This study explored the perspectives of teachers on learners’ performance in scarce skill subjects. A qualitative approach was used to investigate the challenges of teaching and learning scarce skill subjects in King Cetshwayo District. Bronfenbrenner's theory of ecological systems was adopted as the theoretical framework to underpin the phenomenon. The theory enables the researchers to understand human development in various social, legal, economic, political, and technological environments. A semi-structured interview guide was used for the data collection for the study. Data from the face-to-face individual interviews were thematically analyzed to present interpretive findings for discussions. Findings revealed that several factors, such as overcrowded classrooms, inadequate infrastructure, and inadequate appointments of teachers, contributed to learners’ poor academic performance in scarce skill subjects. Seemingly, inadequate necessary support from stakeholders affects the teaching and learning of these subjects in South African high schools. The study recommends collaborative effort among all stakeholders through regular evaluation of teaching to enhance learners’ academic performance.
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- First year students in different universities in South Africa are usually confronted with series of challenges when transmitting from high schools into the universities. The environments most times are different from what exist in their high schools. The focus of this paper was to explore the academic hurdles confronting the undergraduate students at a rural university. Robert Havighurst's developmental task theory which talks about different problems faced by people at different stages of life was the theory that underpin this qualitative study. Twenty first year students were engaged in focus group in-depth interviews. Thematic content analysis of the data revealed themes that were findings of this study. Findings revealed that first year students, especially at the rural university were confronted with academic challenges such as problems of academic writing in higher education, teaching and learning in English, lack of computer knowledge or skills. Findings further indicated that the students also experience challenges in social relationships and access to support services in the universities due to their socio-economic background. The study therefore recommends that all stakeholders should provide adequate and necessary support services for the students to integrate them appropriately into the system.
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