South African teachers experience challenges with the implementation of the national school curriculum -- the "Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement" (CAPS). In this regard, teachers may not feel empowered to effectively deal with the demands of the current educational policy. Concerns have been expressed about learners' poor…

This article is premised on the notion that the success of an education system depends entirely on the strong leadership and synergy at all its levels. The intention with this article was to assess the extent to which the circuit managers' views on quality education is affecting its provision at public schools. A Systems Thinking Approach to…

In many countries, including South Africa, the underperformance of Physical Sciences learners is a great concern. The purpose of this study was to find out how the academic achievement of science learners can be addressed through implementing a parental involvement policy. The policy on parental involvement can only be successful if there is an…

In many countries, including South Africa, the underperformance of Physical Sciences learner's is a great concern. The purpose of this study was to find out how the academic achievement of science learners can be addressed through implementing a parental involvement policy. The policy on parental involvement can only be successful if there is an…

Sprouting Entrepreneurs is a three-year teaching programme for rural primary and secondary schools that focuses on entrepreneurship in agriculture. It addresses the South African real-life challenges of food insecurity, youth unemployment and rural poverty from a classroom perspective, by linking agriculture, food and entrepreneurship as main…

The use of information and communications technology (ICT) is gradually increasing in South African schools. In the Gauteng province, the Department of Education has prioritised the provisioning of electronic textbooks (ebooks) to public schools since 2014. However, to this day, there seem to be multiple barriers that hamper the adoption and use…

Background: There is considerable agreement that learning to teach is optimised when coursework learning is combined with quality practice learning experiences in schools. Aim: The main aim of this study was to explore the views of a group of student teachers on their practice learning experiences in a 'teaching school' (TS) and in the other…

Grade 1 learners in South Africa are not receiving the quality education they deserve. Early Childhood Education forms the basis of all education; however, numerous challenges in the South African education system impede the teaching and learning of young children. In this article we investigate Grade 1 teachers' responsibilities in the class and…

Background: Learners from predominantly less priviledged South African schools encounter English as a language of teaching and learning for the first time in Grade 4. The transition from the use of home language to second language, namely English first additional language, is complexly related to the learners' inability to read text meaningfully.…

Research studies on financial management in South African public schools expands recurrent literature, most of which have largely pathologised school leadership and management, and rural schools in particular. This article instead draws from a qualitative case study of success, which examined how five novice principals in a rural setting went…

Aim: This descriptive cross-sectional study estimates the frequencies and kinds of potential developmental disabilities (DD) and behavior problems (BP) among children in grades R and 1 who attend a primary public school in rural Western Cape Province, South Africa. Methods: Data were collected on 174 children aged 5.1-8.8 years using the "Ten…

This article explores governors' perceptions of the role played by school principals in the democratic governance of secondary schools in South Africa. The South African Schools Act No. 84 of 1996 has mandated that all public schools in South Africa must have democratically elected school governing bodies, comprised of the principal (in his or her…

Perceptions of the reform of segregated education at urban/suburban schools, township schools, and rural mission schools in South Africa are presented. Reform is most evident in former white schools and private schools, but lags behind in African and rural schools. Official reforms with grassroots efforts are needed to eradicate apartheid. (MMU)