Abstract:
South African learners’ poor performance in general, and in the national matriculation
examinations, has necessitated the introduction of various curriculum implementation
improvement programmes in the country. The Jika iMfundo Programme (JiP) is a campaign of
the Programme to Improve Learning Outcomes (PILO) that was piloted, on scale, in two districts
of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), South Africa, in 2014, to improve the learning outcomes in the province
by supporting educators and school managers to improve curriculum coverage and
implementation. This study employs a constructivist worldview to explore the experiences of
educators and school managers in the King Cetshwayo District of KZN with the implementation
of the JiP. The study addresses the issues of the preparation of stakeholders for curriculum change,
the challenges experienced in implementing the programme and the adequacy of resources and
support that are required to implement the JiP.
A qualitative approach, and a multi-case study design involving nine educators, three department
heads and three principals, to investigate the key research questions within three primary schools
in the King Cetshwayo District were adopted. The educators were all teachers of mathematics
from grades 1-7 and were purposively selected as respondents. Data were elicited through semistructured,
one-on-one interviews, document analysis and observations. Since the data represented
the perspective of individuals, data analysis was descriptive and interpretive in nature and was
reported under pre-set and emergent themes.
The main finding from the study is that, although the majority of educators and managers have a
positive attitude towards the programme and are utilising the knowledge and skills attained
through the training, the resources and support provided to implement the programme, the
following factors inhibit efficacious implementation: lack of consultation, inadequate training,
lack of sufficient learner resources, inadequate support from schools and the district and the fast
pace and organisation of the mathematics curriculum.
School contextual factors also affect the implementation of revised curriculum. Other factors like
inadequate or non-reflection by educators on their curriculum coverage and insufficient
opportunities for conversation around curriculum coverage at schools were also identified by the
researcher as areas needing attention. Consultation with educators on future educational changes,
more frequent training sessions, the provision of adequate learner resources, reduction in class sizes, a review of the mathematics curriculum for the Foundation Phase are some of the
recommendations made in the study.
