The effects of rationalization and redeployment on the culture of teaching and learning in selected primary schools.
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Date
2004
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Abstract
The research sets out to investigate the effect of the policy of Rationalization
and Redeployment on the culture of teaching and learning in three primary
schools in the Pinetown District in Kwa-Zulu Natal. Rationalization and
Redeployment was a policy adopted by the new government of South Africa to
address the inequalities in education created by apartheid. There was an
excess of educators in historically advantaged schools and a shortage of
teachers in historically disadvantaged schools. The average teacher: pupil
ratio in historically advantaged schools in 1991 was 1: 18 while the average
teacher: pupil ratio in historically disadvantaged schools in the same year
was 1: 43. Due to budgetary constraints the new government was unable to
employ more educators to fill vacancies in historically disadvantaged schools.
Therefore redeployment of human resources became imperative. While this
may have been a simple solution for the new government, it proved to be a
daunting experience for educators, which resulted in a negative influence on
the culture of teaching and learning in schools.
Two critical questions were posed:
1. What impact did the contents, claims, objectives, assumptions and
silences of the policy of rationalization and redeployment have on the
culture of teaching and learning?
2. How did the implementation of the policy of rationalization and
redeployment affect the culture of teaching and learning?
The two research questions were addressed by analysing the Kwa-Zulu Natal
Education Departmental Circulars, from 1996 to 2004 pertaining to the
rationalization and redeployment policy and by analysing questionnaires
administered to educators and the school management team in three schools
chosen for this study. 62 questionnaires were administered of which 56 were
returned. The responses were analysed and conclusions were drawn.
From the research it is quite evident that the policy of rationalization and
redeployment had a negative effect on the culture of teaching and learning. It
became evident that this policy was politically motivated rather than an
attempt to improve the education in the country. In addition several
conclusions and recommendations are presented in the concluding chapter.
Description
Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2004.
Keywords
Theses--Education., Educational change., Educators--Supply and demand--South Africa.