KovsieJournals - University of the Free State (UFS)
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On violence in South African higher education: An ideological perspective
Get PDFSouth Africa is inherently a violent country. From the service delivery protests, rise in murder rates, gender-based violence, and an increasingly violent higher education sector; South Africans are increasingly feeling vulnerable and despondent about the future. In this paper, I attempt to provide a conceptual understanding of violence in higher education. Through Gramsci’s idea of the organic crisis, I propose two kinds of violence that need urgent attention if we are to realise higher education transformation and decolonisation. Firstly, I propose a focus on what I see as the deeply embedded and well-entrenched epistemic violence in higher education. This violence operates at the level of curricula and knowledge production, and occasions the need to displace the dominance of Eurocentric thought in curriculum design. Secondly, I propose a focus on social violence, which operates at the discursive level of the institutional culture. This relates to the growing frustrations, anguish, and depression among Black academics and Black students who continue to see, read and experience higher education in South Africa as inherently anti-Black, anti-women, and increasingly anti-poor. I end the paper with some concluding thoughts on the need to adopt a broader conception of violence, and the epistemic/ontological/methodological possibilities this gives us in transforming the higher education sector in South Africa
Middle leaders pursuing teacher safety against learner victimisation: A policy document analysis
Get PDFVarious scholars have confirmed that teacher safety against learner victimization is a growing concern worldwide, and this problem is exacerbated by a lack of understanding and readiness to implement policies to address this matter. In this regard, policy implementation by middle leaders (MLs) in creating safe school environments has attracted much less interest as a possible way of addressing issues of teacher safety and the prevention of learner victimization. MLs are regarded as individuals who have the potential to lead, plan, inspire and persuade, and in so doing, they are in an ideal position to translate policy into practice. As such, this paper provides a qualitative policy document analysis of The National School Safety Framework (NSSF) premised on the theory that every individual in the school experiences safety in dissimilar ways and has unique safety needs. The NSSF is endorsed by the Department of Basic Education to guide in addressing issues of violence and safety in South African schools. Underpinned by the rational choice theory and utilizing policy document analysis, texts in the NSSF were analysed and interpreted to propose transformative policy strategies that can assist MLs in managing teachers’ safety at schools more effectively. The findings suggest that administrative duties and a lack of time make it difficult for MLs to create a safe and supportive learning environment in schools. Another finding was that there is no clear plan outlined in the NSSF to guide MLs to pursue teacher safety against learner victimization in schools. To assist MLs, this paper proposes transformative policy strategies that can assist them in promoting teacher safety and preventing learner victimization in schools. The paper recommends that more explicit interpretation and implementation strategies be communicated with schools to assist them in fighting the war against violence in schools
From the editors
Get PDFRapid urbanisation experienced across the world is exacerbating urban challenges. The complexity of cities as spatial entities facing multiple problems poses challenges for urban and regional planners worldwide. These problems have intensified in scale and occurrence over the past decades as urbanisation and its effects grow exponentially. Weak institutions and adaptation capabilities characterise the Global South, and the Global North is also grappling with multiple urban challenges including urban health issues, climate disasters, international migration, as well as civil unrest and wars. While cities are spatial entities, they constitute individuals and communities that come from different contexts. The aspirations of these individuals are constantly evolving, as they age or migrate into or from urban areas. The persistence of these urban challenges compromises urban liveability and often planning initiatives have been blamed for the occurrence and scale of various problems. For example, Peter Hall in his book Great planning disasters provides evidence of how some planning projects in America were unintentionally responsible for wrongful socio-economic development. Several similar cases have been reported in the African context, where urban planning has not been effective in addressing emerging challenges
English and/in Africa: reflections on the language question, Afropolitanism, and linguistic orientation six decades after the ‘African Writers Conference’
Get PDFThe role of expert evidence in civil matters: A critical analysis (Part 2)
Get PDFIn the first part of this article, the author analysed the development and role of expert evidence in civil matters in the South African law (Bekker 2023:160-178). In the second part of this article, the author conducts an in-depth discussion of the position in England, Wales, andAustralia in relation to the application of expert witness testimony in civil matters. It is argued that, although there has been considerable progress in terms of the presentation of expert evidence in civil litigation in the South African law, a number of problematic aspects still need to be addressed. It is recommended that the Rules Board should intervene and that the rules relating to the presentation of expert evidence in civil matters should be amended in its entirety. In this regard, valuable insight can be gained from the English and Australian experiences
The School for Social Innovation at Huguenot College and congregational vitality through faithful innovation
Get PDFThis article presents a case study and the story of the School for Social Innovation (SSI) at Hugenote Kollege in Wellington, South Africa. It explores the influence of Andrew Murray Jr, the history of the college, the relationship between the college and the Dutch Reformed church in South Africa, and the establishment of the School for Social Innovation (SSI). It explores the concept of “social innovation”. The research provides a brief overview of SSI programmes, the short courses presentedfor church and community leadership on the theme of social innovation, and the social awareness programme known as #Integritas. The article also explores the interface and mutual insights between social innovation and faithful innovation and proposes ways in which the narrative of the SSI might enrich discourses on congregational vitality. These explorations might unearth theories, practices, and approaches to leadership that engage with Schoeman’s work and broaden the understanding of congregational vitality through faithful innovation
Law clinics at African universities: An overview of the service delivery component with passing references to experiences in South and South-East Asia
Get PDFModern forms of live client university law clinics developed in South Africa, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Tanzania and Uganda during the 1970\u27s, in Botswana and Nigeria in the 19BO\u27s, in Kenya in the 1990\u27s, and in Lesotho, Zambia, Mozambique, Malawi, Rwanda, Somaliland and Sierra Leone during the new millenium. Not all the clinics survived and several have been recently revived. Some law clinics are student-run, several are run by universities on a voluntary basis, and more recently many have been incorporated into the formal law faculty or law school curriculum. Most of the African law clinics are general practice advice clinics, a few engage in specialist or public interest work, and even fewer undertake litigation. The majority operate on university campuses, but some involve farming students out to other agencies, and a few operate off-campus. Many of the clinical programmes also include a legal literacy or Street law component. A component missing from most African law clinic programmes is the South and South East Asian \u27community law clinic\u27 concept a model that could be ideally suited to many African countries. These models have been successfully applied in the Philippines, India and Bangladesh and require law students to live with the local people in poor or vulnerable communities - often in rural areas; to identify the legal and social problems faced by the communities; to develop solutions to the community\u27s problems together with the community; and in some instances, to publish the results of their research and proposed solutions. For many middle class law students living and working with disadvantaged or marginalised communities has proved to be a life-changing experience. The socio-economic environment of many South and South East Asian countries mirrors those of most African countries and the \u27community law clinic\u27 model is well worth consideration by African law faculties and law schools
United in our challenges - Should the model used in clinical legal education be reviewed?
Get PDFThe University of the Witwatersrand Law Clinic has used the in-house real-client model of clinical legal education since 1973. Now, 30 years later, the author reflects on the challenges that this model poses, particularly in light of the evolution of clinical teaching in the 21 \u27\u27 century. This paper considers various models used in clinical teaching, with particular emphasis on the "real-client" model as used in clinical teaching at the University of the Witwatersrand Law Clinic. Various challenges posed by this model are identified and discussed. In conclusion certain recommendations are put forward on how to deal with these challenges
Leadership dynamics: Managing and leading continuous professional teacher development in schools to enhance learner performance
Get PDFPrincipals and school management teams are expected to provide unwavering leadership and professional and sustainable support to create opportunities for teachers and themselves to develop professionally. Currently, the lack of teacher content knowledge, low rates of motivation and accountability are key challenges resulting in the low-quality education systems in South Africa. Management teams perceive their roles to be managerial and administrative and detracts from leading teaching and learning and curriculum coverage. Furthermore, there are few systems to hold principals and teachers accountable for the academic performance of learners. This makes school leadership’s role inimitable with regard to creating a learning environment for teachers where they realise the value professional development has for the effective management of schools as well as improved learner performance. Fullan’s (2002) theory: “leadership in a culture of change” purports that school leadership has the responsibility to transform schools through collaborative efforts, working towards creating change as education evolves preparing for 21st century teaching and learning. This interpretive, qualitative study explores how principals and school management teams lead professional development in public schools in order to improve learner performance. Two principals and their management teams were purposively sampled. Data was collected through semi-structured and focus group interviews and was inductively analysed. The results show evidence of the importance of school leadership understanding the value of managing and leading development in order to attain organisational goals. Continuously capacitating teachers improved teaching and learning and ultimately improved learner performance
Sadness in young children and the inadequate development of inner outer containment in childhood
Get PDFViolent crimes and domestic violence are notoriously high in South Africa, which leaves many children defenceless to struggle with emotions such as loneliness and sadness. The healthy development and socialisation of children can be difficult in a society characterised by domestic tribulations, poverty, crime, single-parent homes, and absent parents. In South Africa, children often do not co-reside with their biological parents, mainly due to labour migration and low marital rates. Divorce and long working hours for parents also contribute to limited family interaction. Many children are raised by grandparents or older siblings and relatives, especially in rural areas. Due to these and other factors, children experience poor parental attachment, loss, sadness and loneliness, which impact their general well-being. These correlator factors often contribute to weak outer and inner containment, which are essential for a young person to develop sustained law abiding behaviour. Being sad and lonely often prompts issues such as delinquency, violence, insecurity, insufficient self-control, and bullying. Reckless’ containment theory shows that these behaviours often stem from the absence of the inner and outer controls that are necessary for the development of normative behaviour. Healthy bonding with and attachment to significant others are also important to the development of normative behaviour. In this contribution, the findings from a study conducted in Limpopo, South Africa, are discussed. The qualitative research study involved asking 373 children, between the ages of eight and nine years, to draw and narrate what made them sad. The researchers wanted to determine the specific challenges that young South African children face. In line with the interpretivist paradigm, it was also important to determine what these children regarded as sad and challenging situations, to understand their unique perspectives and life worlds. The study was therefore guided by the research question: What challenges do young South African children face in their daily lives? Findings revealed that exposure to bullying, loss, inadequate attachment, and crime can cause the development of weak inner and outer containment, which might lead to future misbehaviour, poor self-control, incorrigible actions, and bullying behaviour