Browsing by Author "Mbixane, Thozamile Alfred"

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    An assessment of the implementation of gender equality policies : a case study of four secondary schools in Mthatha education district
    (University of Fort Hare, 2015-06) Mbixane, Thozamile Alfred; Rembe, S.
    This study assessed the implementation of gender equality policies in four Mthatha district high schools in South Africa. Qualitative methods were used for data collection. purposes, specifically interviews, because these enabled the researcher to collect detailed, authentic information about what goes on in schools. These were therefore the best methods for this study which seeks to assess the implementation of gender equality policies in Mthatha district high schools. Purposive sampling was used to select 5 departmental officials, 12 teachers and 16 learners from 2 clusters in the district. The study findings showed that even though attempts had been made to deal with gender inequality in education, there were still a number of challenges faced by learners in their respective schools. As instance, two of the common challenges faced were that learners were discriminated against based on their sex, and ยท certain teachers still failed to use gender sensitive material in teaching and learning. The reason for the failure to make progress appears to be the lack of adequate training workshop, seminars and professional development courses that would help educators to become more aware of gender issues in the classroom. It was also established that the Department of Education does not monitor how gender equality policies are implemented nor are these policies properly implemented in the schools. Improper implementation of gender equality policies has led to the following: (1) Girls not being treated in the same way as boys in schools, (2) teachers showing a bias towards either boys or girls, (3) failure to take strict measures to deal with sexual harassment and sexual abuse in schools.