Research Paper on Policy Changes of the WCED

8/20/2019 Research Paper on Policy Changes of the WCED.

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Challenges facing the policy formulation and implementation phases within the

Department of Education

Abstract

Curriculum, learning and educational quality

The challenge facing South Africa in a global environment is how to accommodate the unique

problems and characteristics of change, during the recent developments in policy analysis,

formulation and management, thus the policies that are in place and those still to be formulated,

ought to bring about change in organizational behavior, therefore resulting in improved public

service delivery, in other words, policy development and policy management need to be

addressed within the South African context (an de !alt, an "ie#er#, $oyle, %nipe, $u Toit,

&''&)

*very child should have the chance to go to school, but it+s not ust about getting them into the

classroom, it+s also about ma#ing sure they are well taught and that what they learn actually

improves their opportunities in life)

!ithout a good education, they will be less li#ely to get a ob and loo# after their families in the

future) !ith fewer people in wor# and more people in need of support, they will struggle to

prosper, holding their own countries bac# and ultimately the global economy)

-igh quality education can change this, helping to transform countries for the benefit of us all)

.uality education helps citizens wor# together to create strong, open institutions and societies

/ood quality is arguably the most important aspect of any education system0 however, with the

meaning being relative to educational aims, defining good quality education is not an easy tas#)

According to Alexander (&''1, a need arises as to clarify the confusion surrounding the

meaning of 2quality+ (Alexander, &''1 and goes on to distinguishes between the usage of the

term as a noun and as an adective and argues that certain discourses on the aspect of quality

focuses on the concept being prescriptive (a desirable level of quality rather than descriptive

(what constitutes quality) 3n the descriptive sense, quality implies characteristics or attributes

(Alexander, &''1)

1



The question that arises from this is which characteristics or qualities define quality4

/iven the various debates about quality, the definition agreed upon at the !orld *ducation

5orum (!*5 in $a#ar in &''', is that the concept of quality when referring to the context of

education, refers to the excellence in teaching and learning, in order to recognize and measure

the learning outcomes which ought to be achieved by all, especially in literacy, numeracy and

essential life s#ills ($a#ar 5ramewor# for Action, &''')

The notion of quality education therefore requires an understanding of learning, which is the

fundamental aim of any effort towards educational reform) 6earning is an active process in

which self7monitoring and self7regulation are central, prior learning can assist or hamper new

learning and the context in which it ta#es place is vital (8adroodien, Chisholm, %allaway,

9ason, Soudien, &':')3t is therefore both an individual and a social process and is assisted, or hindered, by others,

notably peers and teachers (8adroodien, et al, &':') 3n this context, formative feedbac#, defined

as information communicated to the student that is intended to change the student+s thin#ing or

behavior for the purpose of improving learning, it is therefore becomes important in enabling

students to improve their wor#, motivation and sense of self (Schute &'';)

These ideals are thus achieved through policies, which form a means to achieving these goals)

The nature of the educational and training system within South Africa that was therefore

constructed and the style of operation, reflects the democratic values as ensured by the

Constitution of South Africa)

Since :<<=, the educational policy has been through various developmental, implementation and

revision cycles) School access, governance, curriculum, teacher deployment and financial

regulations have all gone through the policy mill) The ambitions of that time have in many cases

been rolled bac# in the face of financial and capacity constraints and policy has increasingly

been refined in order to create better efficiencies and outcomes) 3t has also resulted in a number

of unintended consequences and contradictions that manifested in the implementation phase

(8adroodien, et al, &':')

2



This paper provides a brief overview of the trends in policy effecting equity and quality in the

South African educational environment) The analysis thus traces some of the #ey policy

imperatives and shows the shifts in policy from access to quality and performance, from a stance

of decentralisation to more streamlined and centralised education approaches) 3t also suggested

that the continuous policy revisions, particularly at the curriculum level, have resulted in extreme

challenges with regard to the implementation thereof, as policies are not given sufficient time to

be embedded and adapted on the ground as seen with the curriculum changes that occurred since

:<<=)

The policy proposals contained in the preceding sections are wide ranging in their scope and

profound in their implications, which therefore presented vast and complex challenges for the

reconstruction and development of education)

:) 8ac#ground

The term >looting? (8ond, &''@, has been used to describe the modern technological wonders

and intricacies of the mar#et with the strategy now #nown as neo liberalism (8ond, &''@)

Therefore, when loo#ing at the birth of the democratic dispensation within South Africa as an

introduction to the modus operandi for neo liberalism, one can thus deduce that the rationale for

policy formulation and implementation is embedded within this approach that South Africa has

adopted, which as seen with the $epartment of *ducation, has had spill over effects on the

impacts the policies has had on the lives of the citizens)

The mission, goal and strategy adopted by the government of the day, can be applied to the

"ational $epartment of *ducation) The mission of the $epartment is to provide quality

education to the country) 3t has incorporated this goal in its strategy called Tirisano and has

formulated various goals to achieve >quality? education (an der !alt, et al, &''&)

3n South Africa, in terms of >batho pele?, there would be one common goal, namely achieving

the highest possible standards of service delivery for those who rely on public services (an der

!alt, et al, &''& which is highly debatable)

There are a number of intricacies when it comes down to implementing these ideas in practice)

3



ne is that if a citizen is defined as a customer of the services, this tends to ignore other aspects

of citizenship) This assumption of new public management can be approached the same way as

the private sector management overloo#s real differences between the two, and other important

differences lies the customer or citizen concept (The 8ritish Council, :<<<, as cited in an de

!alt, et al, &''&) 5or example, in the area of education as customers of schools, citizens can

exercise parental choice as to which school in an area satisfies their needs) -owever, the concept

of customers would not extend to influencing the national curriculum that is in central

government control, it is only as citizens in a democracy that they would be entitled to

participate in a decision ma#ing process around curriculum development)

As the highest policy in the country, any policy or strategy that follows must be in compliance

with and consistent with the Constitution)

&) 3ntroduction

3n this essay, the temperament of public policy formulation and implementation challenges will

be discussed whereby the introduction of relevant concepts associated with policy challenges and

management will be briefly discussed) This study will therefore question the extent to which

South Africa+s $epartment of 8asic *ducation+s policies formulation and implementation are

inundated with challenges and the way in which South Africa could move beyond these barriers

which will extensively introduce the core challenges and hindrances undermining public policy

formulation and implementation)

The challenges will therefore be identified with the intention of understanding then policy

initiatives, this essay will therefore illustrate that an appropriate management course of action for

public policy formulation and implementation would lead to a better quality in education, against

the mantra of >a better life for all?

The BC protocols (8rynard, $e Coning, n)d, of the $epartment of 8asic *ducation policy

development and implementation challenges such as influence of pressure groups and

international or external bodies will be briefly touched on, dealing with the approach underta#en)

) The nature of public policy intricacies and related concepts

4



3t is not easy to formulate public policies which are universally acceptable >it is excruciatingly

hard to implement them in a way that pleases anyone at all, including the supposed beneficiaries

or clients? (8ardach, :<;;)

According to 8ardach (:<;;, it is a misleading notion to assume that policy implementation

merely entails carrying out of what was decided on by the policy ma#er, but is rather a complex

process which involves many considerations, such as the policy7ma#er+s intentions, the adequacy

of resources to implement the policy, the political feasibility of the policy, economic

uncertainties and administration capacity and practicality)

According to 8rynard (&''', this is an important development since it is only through the actual

implementation of a policy that government+s goal realization and delivery function becomes

possible) 9uch of what government departments do during the implementation of policies may

appear to >be routine, mundane or tedious? (8rynard, &''', however close examination reveals

that vigorous and sometimes bitter political struggles ta#e place during the policy

implementation phase (Anderson, &'') The assumption of bureaucratic neutrality, claimed by

early scholars of public administration, such as !oodrow !ilson as cited in Anderson (&'' is

not supported by actual experience, and most government agencies have a great deal of

discretion in how they implement policy)

=) /overnance and organisation

The SA Constitution (DSA, :<<@a provides for the national government to have exclusive

responsibility for tertiary education, whereas responsibility for other levels of education is a

concurrent responsibility of the national government and the nine provincial governments)

At a national level, the function of education is administered by two departments, namely the

$epartment of 8asic *ducation ($8* and the $epartment of -igher *ducation and Training

($-*T) At provincial level, each of the nine provinces has its own education department)

!ithin this constitutional framewor#, schools, adult learning centre+s and further education and

training colleges are administered by the provincial education departments (E*$s in terms of

national policy and legislation, supplemented by provincial policies and legislation

B) The >wic#ed issue? facing the $epartment of *ducation

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The word 2wic#ed+ is used to describe problems faced by government which was first used by

two American AuthorsF Dittel and !ebber, in the early :<;'s, which stated that solving social

problems is a hard tas# on it+s own, and becomes even harder when one is not even sure how to

define the problem, things therefore, according to the Authors, become even harder to solve, as

seen with the educational crises and policy changes it underwent, as a result of the challenges in

the formulation and implementation phases)

Tim Curtis (n)d as quoted in the 9ail and /uardian (&''1 goes on to state that the >social

issues and problems are intrinsically wic#ed or messy, and it is very dangerous for them to be

treated as if they were >tame? and >benign?, thus in reality, problems have no definitive

formulation as there is no point at which it is definitely solved as there is no test for a solution as

every solution contributes to a further social problem, therefore there are no well defined set of

solutions as wic#ed problems are unique and are symptomatic of other problems, as they do not

have simple causes and have numerous possible explanations which in turn frame different

policy responses and in particular (9ail and /uardian, &''1)

Since its inception outcomes based education (8* has been controversial and confusing for

South African educators and policyma#ers ali#e, let alone the general citizenry) The current

outcry against the 2educational crisis+ or >blac# out? must be seen against the bac#ground of

South Africa+s desultory performance in the comparative international benchmar# trends in

literacy and numeracy, as well as in numerous national evaluations and tests (8adroodien, et al,

&':')

$espite the new policies and overlay of new trends coming from a new era of international

educational reform post Apartheid, according to Chisholm, 6, 9otala, S and ally, (&'',

researchers repeatedly point to the presence of the past in the present educational system)

@) The theory of decision ma#ingThis involves ma#ing a choice from alternatives (Anderson, &'';)

The $epartment of *ducation+s policies have been drafted around decisions presented within the

incremental theory (Anderson, &''; when reflecting on the policies of the $epartment of

*ducation, it considered only some of the alternatives for dealing with the problem of the quality

6



of education which differs only marginally when reflecting on existing policies, for each

alternative as cited by the $epartment of *ducation, only a limited number of consequences were

evaluated ($epartment of *ducation, &''@)

South Africa has array of education Acts and Eolicies) The gremlins of the educational system

that arises are therefore continuously redefined, as seen with the rationale of the curriculum

changes) !hen analyzing the $epartment of *ducation, one can deduce that essentially the

decision ma#ing of those policies were merely a remedial one which was geared more to

ameliorating the present and concrete social imperfections than at promoting future social goals)

Thus, a common theory on policy processing with regard to formulation and implementation is

that it is interlin#ed with five variables, also #nown as the >B C protocol? (8rynard, $e Coning,

&''@) The primarily the problem relates to a lac# of understanding of the complexities of policy

implementation

3n an attempt to assist in rectifying this situation, which has many both economic and social

deleterious consequences, this paper provides some theoretical bac#ground to policy

implementation, and puts forward, for consideration by transport authorities, approaches culled

from policy implementation theory) f particular relevance is a >protocol? for addressing the

problem which was first proposed by Erof) 8rynard) This approach recognizes five variables in

the implementation processF context, content, commitment, capacity and clients and coalitions,

which act together, often simultaneously and synergistically, but always in a complex fashion, to

create both an opportunity and a challenge for policy implementation) The challenge is adapt

policy implementation and programme delivery to the resultant complexity through tools such as

8rynard+s >B7C protocol? (8rynard, $e Coning, &''@)

;) !hat does policy implementation comprise of 4

!hilst implementation is easy to understand in the abstract and is defined in dictionaries, the

>doing? of policy implementation is not always so simple) 3t is a process that ought to be is

highly interactive with other administrative activities) Eressman and !ildavs#y (:<;< have

7



defined it as >a process of interaction between setting of goals and the actions geared towards

achieving them?, and also suggest that it is >the ability to forge subsequent lin#s in the causal

chain connecting actions to obectives? (Eressman, !ildavs#y, :<;<) !hilst this might appear

not very difficult to bring about, the >interactive? element of the process can lead to

complications in the implementation process) The problem and issue definition, and acceptance,

the agenda setting process as well as the policy formulation activities are not always conclusive

in any sense, and unresolved dilemmas and conflicts are often carried over the to implementation

or delivery process)(Gones,:<1= as cited in 8adroodien, et al, &':')

!illiams (:<;B as cited in 8adroodien, et al, &':', states that the most pressing implementation

problem is moving from a decision to operation in such a way that what is put in place bears a

reasonable resemblance to the decision and can function in the institutional environment)

Eolicies are not self7implementing and public officials play a maor role in this process or on theother hand have power to nullify the process through discretion (-ane#om, :<1;, as cited

8adroodien, et al, &':')

The process of interpreting the will of the legislators and of giving practical meaning to this

affords considerable latitude to the bureaucracy in imposing their own views on policy

implementation which might well be different from the legislative arm of government) 3n general

the more complex the policy issue is, the more ambiguous the policy is0 then in turn leads to

ambiguity which spirals to a greater use of administrative discretion, particularly in respect of

wic#ed issue (Gones, :<1= as cited in 8adroodien, et al, &':') As seen with the $epartment of

*ducation)

1) 6ong ranging continuities and contradictions)

Since the early :<<'+s the quality of education lin#ed to the equity in the system has been

identified as the main challenges facing the South African educational system) As international

and provincial assessments of children+s literacy and numeracy s#ills lower down in the system

have gathered momentum, so has new concerns risen about the efficacy of existing policies to

deal with the evidence relating to the underperformance and dysfunctionality of schools

(Chisholm, et al, &'') $espite improvements in more equitable spending, relieving poor

schools of the fee burden, introducing school nutrition, increasing the number of children

attending pre school classes, achieving near universal enrolments in the compulsory phase of

8



schooling and dramatically expanding the number of formally qualified teachers in the system,

learning outcomes are still appalling by any measure (Chrisholm, et al, &'')According to Chrisholm et al (&'' those who >survive?, the secondary school leaving

certificate becomes the gateway into the labour mar#et) 9ore candidates are now enrolling and

passing this final hurdle that results at both the lower and upper levels of the schooling system

remain heavily s#ewed by race and class (Chrisholm etal, &'') Therefore, given the poor

quality of schooling, the quality of the pass is highly questionable) $eep historical patterns are

seemingly unaffected by new policies which are implemented, of which due to the numerous

policies and programs initiated by the $epartment of *ducation, only a select few of the policies

will be analysed in terms of the implementation challenges facing these policies (Chrisholm, et

al, &'')This is a contradiction so profound that it has resulted in significant doubts about the current

directions and call for private alternatives) The essay will therefore also show that public

education has changed, under specific conditions and the past still weighs heavily on the present)

To understand why the educational system reinforces current patterns of poverty and privilege,

van der 8erg as cited in Chrisholm, etal (&'' refers to a >double burden? that learners from

poorer communities within South Africa, face the burden of poverty and the burden of attending

a school that still bears the scars of neglect and underfunding under the Apartheid dispensation)

"ew state driven policies have enrolled individuals and individual school to escape this legacy

and particularly those within the new middle class able to access formerly privileged schools, but

not yet maority (Chrisholm, et al, &'')

!ithin this broader context, competing and complementary approaches to resolving the

challenges in education have emerged) !ithin the private sector, corporations and thin# tan#s

promotes various forms of privatization of public schooling and private schooling) >Choice?,

>accountability?, >school improvements? and >effectiveness? (Chrisholm, et al, &'' are all #ey

words in the South African educational discourse, evidence for Stephen 8all >endogenous?

forms of privatization, namely the important improvement of techniques and values from the

private sector) $ifferent #inds of private public partnerships exist, also evidence of >exogenous

privatization?, an example on a national level is the harnessing of private sector funds and

initiatives for the improvements of school infrastructure and teacher mathematics and science

upgrading needed, indeed, at a national accord, with protocols for engagement with schools has

9



been struc# between government, business and labour, to enable corporate and unions to >adopt a

school?, one of these corporations is the !oolworths adopt a school scheme, this however does

not entail managing the finances or other aspects of the school, which legally remains the

responsibility of the School /overning 8ody, >exogenous privatization?, or the opening up of

public education services, has increasingly been the aspect of government and the $epartment of

*ducation+s wor#, since :<<=, but Gohn Eampillis as cited by Chrisholm (&'' has argued that

in the preliminary research on this, which should not be exaggerated, as it still forms a very small

proportion of the national and provincial budgets for education (Chrisholm ,et al, &'')

!ithin the state sector, there are two broad approaches0 that of the "ational Elanning

Commission and the $epartment of 8asic *ducation, while there are overlaps in terms of

policies, there are also #ey differences respectively (Chrisholm, et al, &'') There is also a

broad agreement that learning outcomes are the #ey challenge and with this formulation itself ofthe redistributive and regulatory policies become part of the policy challenges)

The $epartment of 8asic *ducation+s interventions strategy include a more scripted but still

relatively broad curriculum guideline, re centralization of decentralized schoolboo# development

and the provisioning process and a funded role for teacher unions in teacher professional

development) Target setting and performance monitoring are common international tools, well

#nown in the H"*SC *ducation 5or All (*5A and 9illennium $evelopment /oals (9$/

processors, but also the *C$+s Erogram for 3nternational Student Assessment (E3SA,

3nternational Association *ducational Assessment (3A*A, assessments and among others the

H% national curriculum and testing and HS >no child left behind? policies (Chrisholm, et al,

&'')These have had both strengths and challenges as strategies for intervention have led some

analysts questioning the good that targets can do, here the values as some policies will be

discussed below of these targets and tests against the teacher education and textboo#s are

debated)

According to Chrisholm et al (&'', among university based teacher educationists, a critique of

the logic of the expectations of these respective policy performatives, have led to the discursive

gap between student+s subectivities and the modalities of the school, which spea#s to the

disuncture of the policies set out by national which is influenced by the political agenda and the

ability for the policy to be implemented at an administrative level)

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<) The fundamental nature of the school+s stri#e

A crucial obective of a teacher+s stri#e action should be related entirely to the whole body of the

schooling system) The history of stri#es therefore indicates that it ta#es some time for the culture

of learning and teaching to be fully restored, this issue arises when a teacher returns to hisIher

own place of wor#, that being the school, as they need to be imbued with a new sense of

revolutionary fervor and commitment)

The above >wic#ed issue? illustrates the challenges facing policy formulation and

implementation within South Africa, as it faces the socio7economic impacts on the educational

system)

:') Eolicy challenges with regard to the formulation and implementation phases

The bitter fruits of democracy and freedom

ne may argue that we are free, that South Africa has a democracy, as we vote for our own

government, if this was true, why are so many still intertwined in the cycle of the socio7

economic struggle4 3t ust costs one to loo# around and as# oneself as to how many people go to

bed on an empty stomach4 -ow many children+s careers are truly nipped in the bud and

destroyed by poverty and a degenerated educational system)

The answers to these questions are not as easy to attain when formulating policies, due to the

complexity of state systems within, as one can as# the question as to whether we strive for a

system where there is no hunger4, no poverty4, no unemployment4, where there is access to

decent healthcare and education for all, against the mantra of the A"C vision of >a better life for

all?)

• :'):) Coordination of 3mplementation

The priorities of the Second $ecade Elan of Action and the SA$C Erotocol on *ducation and

Training have been integrated into the educational development or strategic plan (SA$C,

C9*$A5 , &'::)

The five outputs contained in the $epartment of 8asic *ducation+s Strategic Elan for &':: J

11



&':= and $elivery Agreement addresses directly itself to the AH Second $ecade Elan of Action,

as well as the SA$C Erotocol on *ducation and Training as outlined by SA$C and Comedaf

(&':: The following are such examples as per their researchF

.uality managementF utput :F 3mprove the quality of teaching and learning

utput &F Hnderta#e regular assessment to trac# progress

*arly Childhood $evelopmentF utput F 3mprove early childhood development

*ducation 9anagement 3nformation SystemsF utput =F *nsure a credible outcomes7

focused planning and accountability system Teacher $evelopmentF utput BF 3mprovements in the capacity of the $epartment of

8asic *ducation

• :')&) Curriculum and teaching and learning materials

3n Guly &''<, the 9inister of 8asic *ducation, appointed a panel of experts to review the

"ational Curriculum Statement ("CS and to develop a set of recommendations designed to

improve its implementation) A report of the tas# team for review of "CS was published in &''<)

The recommendations of the Tas# Team were adopted and the "CS was amended) A single

comprehensive Curriculum and Assessment Eolicy Statement (CAES has been developed for

each subect to replace the old Subect Statements, 6earning Erogramme /uidelines and Subect

Assessment /uidelines in /rades D J :& (SA$C, C9*$A5 , &'::)

The amendments to the "CS are meant to leave more time for teaching and learning in #ey

learning areas) As stated in the &':' State of the "ation Address by the Eresident of South Africa

the focus in basic education this year is Triple TF Teachers, Textboo#s and Time) This means

teachers must be in schools on time and all learners must receive the required textboo#s in their

grades) Thus the $epartment+s proposed changes are in line with the /overnment+s goals)

ver the years, there has been some monitoring and evaluation of the curriculum, at both

national and provincial levels) -owever, there has not been little coherence on how this occurs,

nor has there been an adequate longitudinal approach to monitoring) Additionally, the revision of

the "CS calls for a revision of existing tools used for the monitoring curriculum implementation)

/iven this bac#ground the $epartment of 8asic *ducation is going to develop a framewor# for

monitoring and evaluating curriculum implementation in all grades in the schooling system

(SA$C, C9*$A5 , &'::)

12



3t was outlined that the Teacher $evelopment Elan (T$E was a result of the collaborative wor#

that too# place after the Teacher $evelopment Summit held in &''<) The >evidence based?

approach ta#en by the $epartment of 8asic *ducation ($8*, $epartment of -igher *ducation

and Training ($-*T, teacher unions, SAC* ( the professional council for educators, that aims

to enhance the status of the teaching profession through appropriate Degistration, management of

Erofessional $evelopment and inculcation of a Code of *thics for all educators), the *ducation,

Training and $evelopment Eractices 7 Sector *ducation and Training Authority (*T$E S*TA,

Services Sector *ducation and Training Authority (Services S*TA, *6DC, and *ducation

$evelopment 5und (*$5 culminated in the oint launch by 9inisters of 8asic *ducation and

-igher *ducation and Training on 'B April &':: (8adroodien, et al, &':')

The plan was developed to respond to challenges being experienced in teacher education and

development) These included teachers poor subect #nowledge and educational content

#nowledge0 inadequate and wea# system to accurately identify systemic and individual teacher

development needs0 insufficient numbers of teachers to meet system requirements0 lac# of

support to teachers at the local level and teacher education system capacity constraints) 5urther

concerns included the quality of teacher education programmes, poor coordination and lac# of

coherence in the teacher education and development system (8adroodien, et al, &':')

3t was highlighted that the "ational 3nstitute for Curriculum and Erofessional $evelopment

("3CE$ could be launched shortly)

SAC*+s role was to register teachers, enforce compliance with the code of professional ethics

and promote professional development) 3n addition, SAC* would manage the Continuing

Erofessional Teacher $evelopment (CET$ 9anagement System with the support of the $8*,

E*$s and other sta#eholders (8adroodien, et al, &':')

SAC*+s professional development mandates came from Section B(b of the SAC* Act ("o): of

&''' as amended by the 8asic *ducation 6aws Amendment Act ("o) :B of &':: (8*6A) This

Section provides SAC* with professional development mandatory and discretionary functions)

Section B(b of the SAC* (8adroodien, et al, &':')

13



Some of the challenges encountered included that while SAC* had clear pieces of legislation and

policies for its professional development role, there existing conflicting views and different

expectations regarding that role between SAC* providing professional development while also

promoting professional development) These conflicting views and expectations had, to a large

extent, compromised the implementation of the mandatory professional development functions

such as advising the 9inister, promoting the development of teachers and maintaining the image

of the profession) -owever, the 8*6A Act clarified and gave clear direction on these conflicting

views (8adroodien, et al, &':')

3t was highlighted that while the SAC* Act (www. sace .org.za) had room for provisioning of

professional development it was not viable for SAC* because of the amount of human and

physical resources needed to perform this function adequately (8adroodien, et al, &':')

5urthermore, SAC* had over the years attempted to focus on training programmes around

professional development portfolios, ethics and values in education, ethics and legal training, and

3ntegrated .uality 9anagement Systems (3.9S) The experiences on these training sessions had

proven that very few educators benefited from them despite the fact that a lot of resources were

spent on them (8adroodien, et al, &':')

Secondly, the SAC* Act and "ational Eolicy 5ramewor# for Teacher *ducation and

$evelopment ("E5T*$ provides SAC* with a new role of managing the Continuing

Erofessional Teacher $evelopment (CET$ System and part of this process involved approval of

providers to offer professional development programmes and endorsement of the submitted

programmes and activities and due to this new role and focus, SAC* could not be a provider of

professional development because it will be seen as a player and referee at the same time

(8adroodien, et al, &':') Consequently, it was necessary that Section B(b(v of the SAC* Act

be amended in the next round of the 8asic *ducation 6aws Amendment Erocesses (8adroodien,

et al, &':' and in doing so ensure the implementation of a district wide strategic plan which

could be translated at schools levels)

ther challenges includeF poor teacher training0 uns#illed teachers0 lac# of commitment to teach

by teachers0 poor support for learners at home0 and a shortage of resources in education despite

14

http://www.sace.org.za/







the large budgetary commitments by government) 3t is clear, based on the facts, that there is a

need to improve the quality and functionality of education) !ithin this context there is also a

need to place emphasis on the human rights of learners, which guarantee the right to education

and protect them against any disciplinary action that might be harmful to them (8adroodien, et

al, &':')

The Action Elan does not envisage too many radical changes preferring instead to >improving the

system within the existing structure? ($epartment of 8asic *ducation, &'::aF:<)

!hile the focus of Action Elan &':= is on improving efficiency using a more regulated teaching

programme and more systematic monitoring and assessment, implementation remains a

provincial function) The more top7down approach still depends on procedures and systems

functioning at provincial level) 8asic education is a so called >schedule four department? which

means that the national and provincial departments have concurrent powers)

Therefore, while the focus is on smoothing out inefficiencies in the system, inequalities in the

capacities of provinces to deliver remain a central problem)

Kears after the Devised "ational Curriculum Statement, the quality of teaching, learning and

educational performance shows overall poor learner performance and considerable variation

between provinces, districts and schools, lin#ed to material resources, social class and residence(Spreen, 5anscali, &''B0 5leisch, &''10 $epartment of *ducation ,&''0 Spreen, ally &''@)

Separating social inequality and focusing on teachers and outcomes was an ideological choice)

The focus on 8*, which was introduced as an incredibly complex and pretentious curricular

approach, resulted in the neglect of all other educational aims, and the focus on outcomes helped

create a climate where the only things that mattered were those you could measure) (Taylor,

inevold, :<<< (Taylor, inevold, 9uller, &'')

3n discussing 8* implementation many scholars have mentioned the disuncture or gap

between policy and practice, most suggesting that the policies have been sound but that the

problem lies with implementation) !ith 8* the common7sense generalization rested on the

claim that after the careful study and design of the curriculum, the next period would rely

seamlessly on teachers implementing it) -arley and !ede#ind (&''= as cited in 8adroodien, et

15



al, &':' called this 2policy meliorism+, describing how the rhetoric and the mere fact that policy

texts existed without being implemented was treated as a substitute for actual change)

As education quality continued to deteriorate over the last years since :<<=, there was a rise in

attac#s against teachers, suggesting they 2lac#ed capacity+, were 2lazy+ and 2incompetent+ or

downright resistant to change (8adroodien, et al, &':')

5ew policy research studies cited, have examined life within neither classrooms nor changes in

teaching and learning based on the actual perceptions of the teachers, and even fewer research

studies have provided learners+ perspectives on these important policy shifts (8adroodien, et al,

&':') Ket the Action plan and related policies spea#s about the implementation of the

$epartment of *ducation+s strategic obectives, this being the paramount need for quality

education, involving all sta#eholders, such as teachers0 learners0 and other sta#eholders

mentioned in the roll out towards this vision ($epartment of 8asic *ducation, &':'a)

3n order for policy aims to effect change, policy design and implementation has to reflect the

needs, understandings and social realities of its primary constituencies and not the more powerful

sta#eholders, protected interest groups or articulate policy crafters (8adroodien, et al, &':')

A 2good policy+ should therefore be measured by its relevance and applicability to the context

(Spreen, ally, &''@) /oals and aims need to be constructed at the grass roots level, which

should be embedded in the ideas0 dreams and visions that school communities and learners

themselves are empowered to articulate)

All education is value driven) !e have to decide on priorities) As DS Eeters (:<<@ used to put it,

2why do we teach this rather than that4+ (Eeters :<@@) Eublic policy ma#ers in education must

consider what they would regard as priorities and how they intend to achieve the goals set) 3n so

doing, 2the values and preferences integral to policy reflect not only different goals, but also

different means of achieving goals)

!e now no longer have economically and culturally autonomous societies anywhere in the

world) !hat modernity has done is to fundamentally reconfigure society to the point where the

social processes that characterise it are evident in and active in all the social spaces of human

16



interaction) As a consequence of this, autonomous social theory is epistemologically no longer

possible) The first point to emphasise, therefore, is that we should not encourage the idea that

there exists inside particular groups or communities, whether we are tal#ing of the metropole or

the periphery, the idea that >insider? theory to solely explain the condition of the division of any

one part of the world that one might be loo#ing at) The critique applies both to 2grand+ theory and

to theories from the margins) 3t is this that then leads us to her second point, which is that, the

impossibility of autonomous theory notwithstanding, there remains a hierarchy of #nowledge in

the world and that this hierarchy needs to be challenged by recognising the need to engage with

the specificity of the local) 3t is this that ma#es Connell deeply important for understanding the

complexity of comparison)

9ost critically in governments that subsist on practices of policy7borrowing, continue to operate

as if these issues have been resolved, there is a clear disuncture between the 3nstitutional

Capacity and the Constitutional mandate)

::) 3mplementation Challenges and *merging 3ssues

5ailing in the primary obective is that most schools do not have conditions required for the

effective attainment of the stated learning outcomes)

%ey factors contributing to system failure includeF the socio7cultural environment within and

outside schools0 enabling policy context coupled with capable bureaucracy to support schools

effectively0 school management and governance0 teacher capability and commitment0 parental

involvement0 adequacy of fixed infrastructure0 and adequacy of teaching and learning inputs)

There is also an alarmingly high repetition and unacceptable dropout rates in the lower sub

economic communities (8adroodien, et al, &':'

The $epartment still has a long way to go and that the eradication of inequality remains a #ey

priority in the schooling system) Significant challenges in terms of literacy and numeracy

attainment by learners)

The biggest challenge is the impact of high income and wealth inequality in country) There is a

huge differential gap in the discretionary income used to supplement education spending0 this is

a maor factor in reproduction of inequality) South Africa is experiencing a dramatic increase in

private education expenditure on school fees and extra classes (8adroodien, et al, &':')

17



A fragmented legislative and policy framewor# for *arly Childhood $evelopment, resulting in

uncoordinated service delivery0 limited access to *arly Childhood $evelopment services0

inequities in existing *arly Childhood $evelopment provision0 the variable quality of *arly

Childhood $evelopment services0 a lac# of adequate human and financial resources for the high

demand by the *arly Childhood $evelopment sector, at national, provincial and local or district

level0 as well as limited interdepartmental or intersectoral collaboration to ensure adequate,

efficient and quality *arly Childhood $evelopment provision for children) The Eresidency has

identified this challenge and government departments are wor#ing towards an integrated *arly

Childhood $evelopment approach to the provision of coherent and coordinated programmes for

developing young children in South Africa (8adroodien, et al, &':')

Teacher absenteeism appears to be a problem in many schools) A study on educator leave

underta#en by the $epartment concludes that the rate of educator leave in South Africa is about

:'L and, that in over one7third of schools, the leave rate is higher than :'L ($epartment of

8asic *ducation, &':'e)

$rawing on educational literature and experience from various parts of Africa this article has

argued for the centrality of educational quality to educational policyma#ing and practice)

Curriculum reform must be measured against its contribution to the development of educational

quality) These are not theoretical issues, but relate closely to other pressing matters, such as

health and social cohesion)

:&) !hy Eolicy 3mplementation fails within $8*

The implementation phase was thus confronted by the protocols of the policy content, context,

capacity, commitment, communication, clients and coalitions with tangible and intangible

resource limitations in terms of unfunded mandates, misinterpretation of the $epartment of

*ducations policy prescriptions, regulations, manual procedures and the policy intent, which

includes the policies being compliance based, formulated policies were not directed to the

specific context of the problem issue, the policies of the $epartment of 8asic *ducation led to

other challenges due to the copy and paste of policies)

18



The main critique of the post apartheid educational policies that followed was that policies

should be understood by the iterative interplay between the declaration and actions thereof,

including the mediations resulting from the competing internal and external interests of the

policies (Spreen, ally, &''@)

Eolicies should pursue the general interests of the public0 but who, or what group is ta#en as

representative of the >public interest?4

3ncreasingly, some researchers are grappling with the seemingly intractable nature of the

educational crisis, and believe that educational reforms within South Africa experience

difficulties because they have not always attended to the issues in which the social class context

of a school helps in determining the redistributive patterns within society (8adroodien, et al,

&':')

There has been constant shifting in South Africa+s educational curriculums0 therefore the role of

teachers has been of strategic importance for the intellectual, moral, and cultural preparation of

South Africa+s young people) Teachers therefore wor# in extremely complex conditions, largely

due to the pervasive legacies left behind by the apartheid system, but also as a result of the new

policies needed to bring about change in education (The $epartment of *ducation, &''@)

Desources are being used in a non efficient manner with little accountability and transparency)

There is also an inadequate organizational support provided to teachers and the bureaucracy

within the educational department)

The f ailure of the *ducation $epartments to deliver on their core responsibilities which include

South African learners which do not have a culture of reading and lac# the motivational push

needed to learn from their community and families) The failure also includes the lac# of basic

resources)

The issue with respect to commitment, conflict, disharmony and contradictions in principal agent

approach required strong political will and reliable administrative will active citizen participation

with consistent community engagement to roll out the proects of the policy) These and other

sta#eholders identified the challenge and tried to build an effort to align their values together in

support of these programmes) Some these bureaucrats and technocrat shared overwhelmingly

different dynamics of concerns and significance, interest, and their values collided) The policy

19



programs and the required strong consideration of clients and coalitions, which focused on the

different values and interests of the vast sta#eholders and parties involved) This would have had

the obectives this programme feasible and comprehensible) !ithout these correlations, it

become a proven difficulty to roll out the programs as internal and external conflict were

predominant requiring long time to institute conflict resolutions and settlement of agreement

:) Conclusion

South Africa has made remar#able progress in implementing the SA$CIAH 3mplementation of

the Degional *ducation and Training Elan) This is evident from the high percentage of children

of school going age that are accessing education regardless of gender) These achievements was

made possible through promulgation of regulations and policies to progressively ensure that

almost all children have access to some form of educational institution) *vidence from both

administrative data and independent surveys depicts an encouraging picture about access to

education via enrolment in education institutions in South Africa) 5urther, access to compulsory

basic education, that comprises /rades : to < by children aged ; to :B, is characterised by almost

all children in this age group) 5urthermore, this age group is characterised by high learner

retention through to /rade < (SA$C, et al, &'::)

-owever, the $epartment has realised that quality education is still elusive)

As displayed within the study, organizations that are facing change management, as a result of

"ew Eublic 9anagement, have been met with mix emotion, especially true with plethora of

gremlins that the *ducational system faces) (9po#osa, "daruhutse, &''1)

3t is therefore vital that even though management has the responsibility to provide the ongoing

support and training for employees to adapt to these changes, the responsibility is a two way

process thus meaning, is up to both parties, the employee and employer, the employer to provide

the necessary training and the employee to equip himIherself with the necessary wor#force s#ills

(9po#osa et al, &''1)

!ith regards to education, it+s important that teachers actively participate and involve themselves

in decision ma#ing within there clearly defined roles and responsibilities (9po#osa et al, &''1)

-ence with regards to effective teacher management it is important that from a managerial

20



perspective, that the employees maintain a good sense of motivation and morale, in turn by

ensuring that these levels are effectively maintained and managed, as it will produce a more

conducive wor#ing environment for both teacher and pupil and in turn, provide good learning

outcomes for the pupil as well, including all other aspects that are essential for quality education

(9po#osa et al, &''1)

3t is imperative that the qualities and leadership approach of teacher managers are maintained at

a high level) There ought to be continuous building of commitment, capacity and flexibility for

staff, in order for them to ma#e an impact on learning (9po#osa et al, &''1, it is thus important

that a shared vision amongst teachers and teacher management are harvested, in order to strive

for the same desired result, and to foster the same goal strategy to display and stimulate high

performance results from the schools leaders)

The >one size fits all? should be weighed against the substantive success of education as a whole,

with specific reference to the most important resource, irrespective of change, is the human

capital and core driver to the success of the educational system within society, which has

discretionary power to implement that change and policy, thus impacting on the individual that

ought to be contributors to society as a whole)

-owever, in many economic sectors the precise education and labour mar#et conditions that

prevail are not #nown in detail ahead of interventions) 3n this context it can be said that 2policyholes+ exist) 8urt (&'' defines a 2policy hole+ as a bloc#age in the information flow required to

produce informed policy)

A policy hole around educationF 9uch of the new higher education policy refers to the need to

develop a system that will 2meet national development needs including the high s#illed

employment needs presented by a growing economy operating in a global environment+

($epartment of *ducation &'':) Eolicy also spea#s to the importance of planning and the need

for three7year plans submitted by institutions that respond to 2regional and national need+

($epartment of *ducation &'':)

The driving force of any educational system is its implementers that being the teachers, as none

of the curricular or educational initiatives and proposals discussed here can proceed without

them)

21



!ithout a sufficient number of professionalism and motivated teachers, reform cannot be

implemented effectively)

*quality, quality and efficiency have been central principles of the education policy and have

intersected in various ways) 3nitially equality and quality were conflated in the vision of a single,homogenous system which was formed from the fragmented apartheid system0 quality relied on

resources and teacher capabilities) The framewor# that saw quality defined by equal treatment,

gave way to focus on the need to redistribute resource inputs as a way of effecting quality

outputs)

9ore recently, efforts to gain grip on equality and quality improvement have resulted in greater

centralisation) The curriculum has been increasingly filled with subect content and scripted,

whereby delivery in the classroom has been chec#ed by more systemic monitoring and

assessments) At the same time greater attention has been paid to teacher development (with a

report in &':: of an 3ntegrated Strategic Elanning 5ramewor# for Teacher *ducation and

$evelopment in South Africa, &'::J&'&B)

nce public policy is translated into service delivery programmes, effective management

functions, processes and structures should be put in place to ensure that service delivery

obectives are met) This includes the efficient utilization of physical, human and financial

resources, the establishment of control mechanisms to ensure accountability and policy

management and co operative governance.

:=) Decommendations

3mproving quality involves six interrelated factorsF

Creating inclusive and responsive learning environments so that schools are safe and

healthy learning spaces free from discrimination *nsuring effective teaching and learning)

This includes ensuring instruction in the home language and the teaching of 2values+, a

critical curriculum component which provides a broad7based understanding of living and

wor#ing as critical and active citizens (Sayed &''1) -owever, it is important to as#

whose values are being affirmed and whose voices are being heard and whose not)

22

http://www.education.gov.za/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=lXfDtQxRz3M%3D&






*ffective learning resources) These are vital to quality learning) -owever, for many

students in developing countries the reality is an acute shortage of good quality

textboo#s, adequate classrooms and other resources) .ualified, motivated and committed teachers) As the /9D (H"*SC &''B shows,

research consistently points to teachers as the most important determinant of effective

learning) -owever, the characteristics of good teachers and the incentives needed for

them to perform effectively are less clear) Dobust systems to monitor and assess student performance) Such systems deepen

understanding of which policies wor# and which do not, and of where change is most

needed) 3mproving institutional capacity) This includes accountability) The more schools are held

accountable, the more effective they can be) The degree of support for schools and the

types of incentive needed to ensure that they focus on and promote effective learning are

also crucial) 3ncentives focusing on learning are generally the most effective)

• Strengthening monitoring and evaluationF

Through collaboration with donors and all relevant sta#eholders it is possible to achieve the

desired outcomes) Therefore, the SA$CIAH Elan of Action provides the platform for member

countries to monitor the progress made by member states in the provision of quality education to

children (C9*$A5, et al, &'::)Countries can assess at different stagesF at the micro7level in classrooms, at national level and at

regional and international levels, with the last three normally being used to inform policyma#ing

and to compare results between countries) 5or instance, %enya used the regional assessment

results of the Southern and *astern Africa Consortium for 9onitoring *ducational .uality

(SAC9*. to set standards for minimum classroom facilities (H"*SC, &''<)

!hich really leaves one to ponder on whether there is a single set of standards for deciding what

is ust4 And whether one prioritizes individual choice or the >common good? in policies4

This signifies that the education system needs to rely less on individual contributions from

parents for compulsory education as well as higher education in order to be able to further aim at

>moving past the legacy of apartheid? (campo, &''= with South Africa, where government

23



cannot cover all sectors, however, the question remains as to the quality of our substantive

nature, when reflecting on current issues of citizenship, public participation, policy processing

and corruption, which is firmly rooted in our values as a nation, as there is definitely a

relationship between democracy, accountability, efficient service delivery and governance)

5urthermore, the $epartment ac#nowledges that there are challenges within the schooling

system0 therefore a turnaround plan has been introduced) The action plan of &':=, towards the

realisation of schooling &'&B, has been introduced) 3t is believed that the schooling &'&B will

assist in improving the quality of education in the long term)

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25

Documents

Research Paper on Policy Changes of the WCED