The strategy to align road safety education to the Further Education and Training band curriculum

Road safety education is a complex phenomenon which should be viewed holistically if taken into account the interconnectedness of education, infrastructure and enforcement. Effective road safety education is specifically important for learners in the Further Education and Training (FET) band, as they are active contributors to a community. The greatest criticism against road safety education is that it is aimed at changing learners’ knowledge about the subject, but not necessarily influencing their attitudes as road users. The aim of this discussion article is to explore a strategy to integrate road safety education into the formal curriculum of specifically schools responsible for the FET band. By applying the desktop research method, the article conceptualises what the specific purpose of the FET band is and what the possible focus of road safety education and training should be. The article then explores international common practices in road safety education and training, and considers the necessary synergy between education, engineering and enforcement. The article uses secondary data collected from documents which are then thematically analysed. A coordinated and comprehensive education and training strategy is needed, facilitating partnerships in various sectors to implement such education in the FET band, in multidisciplinary ways, in a contextualised curriculum.     

Adding Net Value: The Nature of Online Education at a South African Residential Institution

Online learning is usually implemented as a component of distance learning, although this technology also has definite advantages for residential educational institutions. When addressing issues such as computer literacy, improved communication skills, problem-based learning, inclusion of real-life issues and exposing students to the working world, the online environment holds tremendous potential. The first year journalism students at the Technikon Pretoria, South Africa, were incorporated in a carefully designed online course with assignments and activities to supplement and enrich their learning experience. This paper will report on the strategy that was implemented and will offer some suggestions when teaching a residential course online. Ajoutant la valeur du Net: la nature d'une éducation on-line dans une institution d'Afrique du Sud d'enseignement résidentiel. L'éducation on-line est généralement mise en m uvre comme une composante de l'enseignement À distance bien que cette technologie ait des avantages certaines pour les institutions donnant une éducation résidentielle. Lorsque l'on considère les problèmes comme l'aptitude À se servir de l'ordinateur, des aptitudes améliorés en communication, des apprentissages fondés sur l'étude de problèmes, l'inclusion de problèmes de la vie réelle et l'exposition des étudiants au monde du travail, l'environnement on-line offre un potentiel énorme. Les étudiants de la première année de journalisme au Technikon Pretoria, en Afrique du Sud ont été impliqués dans un cours on-line soigneusement planifié avec des devoirs et des activités qui complètent et enrichissent leur expérience d'apprentissage. Cet article fait rapport des stratégies qui ont été mise en m uvre et propose des suggestions pour un cours on-line en enseignement résidentiel. Der Vorteil des (Net) Netzwert: Online Ausbildung an einer Bildungseinrichtung in einer Wohngegend Süd Afrikas. Online lernen beschränkt sich am allgemeinen auf den Fernunterricht, obwohl diese Technologie Vorteile für Bildungseinrichtungen in einigen Wohngebieten bietet. Wenn es um Fragen geht wie: Computerfertigkeiten, Kommunikationsfähigkeiten zu verbessern, lernen auf der Basis von Problemlösungen, die Einbeziehung von Themen aus dem wirklichen Leben und die Schüler auf die Arbeitswelt vorzubereiten, bietet das online Umfeld ein enormes Potential. Die Studenten des Erstsemester für Journalistik am Technikon Pretoria, Süd-Afrika, wurden mit einem wohl geplanten online Kurs inklusive Aufgabenstellung konfrontiert, um ihre Lernerfahrungen auszubauen. Dieser Artikel berichtet über die angewandte Strategie und macht Unterrichtsvorschläge unter Einbeziehung von online Kursen in Wohngebieten.     

Institutional transformation at South African universities: Implications for academic staff

In South Africa the restructuring of the higher education system and the transformation of higher education institutions are located within the country's broad political and socio-economic transition to democracy. This paper focuses particularly on institutional transformation, and pays attention to the implications of the process of transformation for academic staff.The following five interlinked and interdependent issues characterizing institutional transformation in South African higher education are identified:democratising the governance structures of institutionsincreasing access for educationally and financially disadvantaged studentsrestructuring the curriculumfocusing on developmental needs in research and community serviceredressing inequalities in terms of race and gender.Although the overall effect of institutional transformation is experienced rather negatively by many academic staff members, the paper concludes that academics have to be empowered by means of staff development to remain active partners in the transformation process.     

The Experiences of Foundation Phase Teachers Regarding Reading Literacy Interventions at an Underperforming School in Gauteng Province

South Africa’s education system has been characterized by various curriculum changes since 1997 given that basic education is a priority of this government and policies have specifically been aimed at improving the overall standard of education in the country. Despite these curriculum changes, the findings of tests such as the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) of 2006 revealed that South African learners had obtained the lowest overall reading literacy average out of 45 participating educational systems and the South African Consortium for Measuring Educational Quality (SACMEQ) highlighted that the majority of children in South Africa’s primary schools are not even reading at the minimal required level. In view of the publicised results of PIRLS 2006 and SAQMEQ 2008, several reading literacy interventions, known as the Foundations for Learning (FFL), Annual National Assessments (ANA) and Gauteng Province Literacy and Mathematics Strategy (GPLMS) have been launched in the past few years to improve literacy and numeracy results in the country. Notwithstanding, the increasing prevalence of low reading literacy results in South Africa raised questions about the effectiveness of interventions intended to improve reading results (in: GDE, Gauteng Primary Literacy Strategy, 2010–2014, Government Printer, Pretoria, 2010). Given the background of this study, the primary aim was to establish the essence of the participant FP teachers’ lived experiences regarding the implementation of interventions for reading literacy such as FFL, ANA and GPLMS in order to theorise about the effectiveness of these interventions. The secondary purpose was to add to the body of knowledge concerning FFL, ANA and GPLMS implemented as interventions to improve reading literacy results in South Africa. To achieve these purposes, a phenomenological case study was conducted at one of the 832 identified underperforming schools in Gauteng with eleven Foundation Phase teachers. Three methods were used to collect data namely focus group interviews, non face to face interviews and artefacts. The focus group interviews were held in grade context whilst interview forms were given to each of the eleven participants and they were requested to complete it comprehensively in the absence of the researcher. Data from all interviews were corroborated through selected artefacts which were mentioned during the interviews or discovered by the researcher throughout the study. The key findings of this study show that the participants perceived FFL, ANA and GPLMS as mandatory interventions for reading literacy that are unwanted and repetitious. Most importantly the participants deemed ANA as unreliable and unfair whilst FFL and GPLMS were deemed unsuitable for the diverse needs of the learners at this school. In view of the findings, this study concluded that there is limited value in providing mandatory interventions to teachers with the intent of improving the reading literacy results of learners with diverse needs that are contextually bound.