Managing environmental education curriculum through distributed leadership strategies in the KwaZulu-Natal secondary schools

Abstract

Environmental education is a process that allows individuals to explore environmental issues, engage in problem-solving and take action to improve the environment. As a result, individuals develop a deeper understanding of environmental issues and have the skills to make informed and responsible decisions through environmental education. Therefore, environmental education is an important aspect of the school curriculum as it is embedded in the school’s curriculum of other subjects. In South Africa, subjects such as natural sciences (NS), mathematics, geography and so on are tracked and managed by those designated to do so, both at the school level and by the subject advisors of the department of education. However, the case is different from the environmental education content. This research explores strategies that are available to manage environmental education through distributed leadership by subject advisors, principals, school management teams (deputy principals and/or head of departments) and teachers. This research adopted a constructivism research paradigm, and employed a qualitative research approach, descriptive case study research design, non-probability sampling which is purposive in nature, individual interviews, observation, and document analysis as data collection tools. The population that contributed to the understanding of distributed leadership in schools in this research are three principals, three SMT members, three teachers, in three schools and two subject advisors in one district. The findings of this research point out that there are no strategies in place to manage environmental education as it is giving less attention as compared to other subject’s content due to the context of its content, lack of motivation from superiors as there is no empowerment through decision making taken collectively and roles are not distributed to all stakeholders. There is a lack of communication between stakeholders as there is no transparency and staff members are told what to do instead of having effective discussions. The curriculum is theoretical instead of practical which promotes participation.Distributed leadership seems to not be understood as the principals and the SMTs seem to practice delegation and confuse delegation with distributed leadership. Environmental education is also not tracked at a school level or at a departmental level. I can conclude by saying that environmental education is viewed as unimportant as it is not comprehended as something which adds value to a learner’s knowledge. Again, distributed leadership is not met in terms of environmental education management in schools. The findings of this research also involve a developing an environmental education model in the educational sector which made use of the strategies that might help in managing environmental education curriculum. Therefore, it is recommended that the content of environmental education is restructured to cater for practicality to best suit the current lifestyles. It is also recommended that all stakeholders are involved rather than thinking the management of environmental education is a sole responsibility of a teacher and be involved in the development and decision making in terms of the management of environmental education. Especially, since the world is experiencing a global crisis, it is recommended that we do not only aspire to a just community, but a society that is able to combat all global crises at an early stage to live in a sustainable community.

Imfundo yezemvelo iyinqubo evumela abantu ukuba bahlole izindaba zemvelo, bazibandakanye ekuxazululeni izinkinga, futhi bathathe izinyathelo zokuthuthukisa imvelo. Ngenxa yalokho, abantu ngabanye bahlakulela ukuqonda okujulile ngezindaba zemvelo futhi babe namakhono okwenza izinqumo ezinolwazi nezinomthwalo wemfanelo ngemfundo yezemvelo. Ngakho-ke, lokho kwenza imfundo yezemvelo ibe yisici esibalulekile sekharikhulamu yesikole njengoba igxilile ohlelweni lwezifundo lwesikole lwezinye izifundo. ENingizimu Afrika, izifundo ezifana nesayensi yemvelo (NS), mathematics, geography nokunye, zilandelwa futhi ziphathwe yilabo abaqokelwe ukwenza lokho, ezingeni lesikole kanye nangabeluleki bezifundo bomnyango wezemfundo. Nokho, icala lihlukile ngokuqukethwe kwemfundo yezemvelo. Lolu cwaningo luhlose ukuhlola amasu akhona okuphatha imfundo yezemvelo ngobuholi obusabalalisiwe ngabeluleki bezifundo, othishanhloko, amathimba okuphatha izikole (amaphini othishanhloko kanye/noma izinhloko zeminyango) kanye nothisha. Lolu cwaningo lwamukele ipharadigm yocwaningo lwe-constructivism, indlela yocwaningo lwekhwalithethivu, idizayini yocwaningo lwendaba echazayo, amasampula okungewona okungenzeka anenhloso ngokwemvelo, inhlolokhono yomuntu ngamunye, ukubhekwa, nokuhlaziywa kwemibhalo njengamathuluzi okuqoqa idatha. Inani labantu elibambe iqhaza ekuqondeni ubuholi obusabalalisiwe ezikoleni kulolu cwaningo yilaba: othishanhloko abathathu, amalungu amathathu e-SMT, othisha abathathu, ezikoleni ezintathu nababili abeluleki bezifundo esifundeni esisodwa. Okutholwe kulolu cwaningo kukhomba ukuthi awekho amasu okuphatha imfundo yezemvelo njengoba inika ukunaka okuncane uma iqhathaniswa nezinye izifundo ngenxa yengqikithi yalo, ukuntula ugqozi oluvela kubaphathi njengoba kungekho ukuhlonyiswa ngokuthathwa kwezinqumo. ezithathwe ngokuhlanganyela kanye nezindima ezingasatshalaliswanga kubo bonke ababambiqhaza. Ukuxhumana okungagciniwe phakathi kwabathintekayo njengoba kungekho obala futhi abasebenzi bayatshelwa ukuthi benzeni esikhundleni sokuba nezingxoxo ezisebenzayo. Ikharikhulamu iyithiyori kunokuba ibe yinto ephathekayo ekhuthaza ukubamba iqhaza. Ubuholi obuhlukene bubukeka bungaqondwa njengoba othishanhloko kanye nama-SMT bebonakala bezilolongela izithunywa futhi badida ithimba nobuholi obuhlukene. Imfundo yezemvelo nayo ayilandelelwa ezingeni lesikole kanye nezinga lomnyango. Ngingaphetha ngokuthi imfundo yezemvelo ithathwa njengengabalulekile njengoba ingaqondwa njengento

Thuto ya tikologo ke tshepedišo yeo e dumelelago batho ka bomong go hlahloba ditaba tša tikologo, go tsenela tharollo ya mathata le go tšea magato a go kaonafatša tikologo. Ka lebaka leo, batho ka bomong ba hlagolela kwešišo ye e tseneletšego ya ditaba tša tikologo gomme ba na le bokgoni bja go tšea diphetho tše di nago le tsebo le tše di nago le maikarabelo ka thuto ya tikologo. Ka fao, thuto ya tikologo ke karolo ye bohlokwa ya kharikhulamo ya sekolo ka ge e tsentšwe ka gare ga kharikhulamo ya sekolo ya dithuto tše dingwe. Mo Afrika Borwa, dithuto tša go swana le mahlale a tlhago (NS), dipalo, thutafase bjalobjalo di latišišwa le go laolwa ke bao ba kgethilwego go dira bjalo, bobedi maemong a sekolo le ke baeletši ba dithuto ba kgoro ya thuto. Le ge go le bjalo, taba ye e fapane le diteng tša thuto ya tikologo. Nyakišišo ye e hlahloba maano ao a lego gona go laola thuto ya tikologo ka boetapele bjo bo phatlalatšwago ke baeletši ba dithuto, dihlogo tša dikolo, dihlopha tša taolo ya dikolo (batlatšadihlogo tša dikolo le/goba hlogo ya dikgoro) le barutiši. Nyakišišo ye e amogetše mohlala wa nyakišišo ya constructivism, gomme ya šomiša mokgwa wa nyakišišo ya boleng, tlhamo ya nyakišišo ya nyakišišo ya mohlala ye e hlalošago, go tšea mehlala yeo e sego ya kgonagalo yeo e nago le morero ka tlhago, dipoledišano tša motho ka o tee ka o tee, go lebelela, le tshekatsheko ya ditokomane bjalo ka didirišwa tša kgoboketšo ya datha. Baagi bao ba bilego le seabe go kwešišo ya boetapele bjo bo phatlalatšwago dikolong nyakišišong ye ke dihlogo tše tharo, maloko a mararo a SMT, barutiši ba bararo, dikolong tše tharo le baeletši ba babedi ba dithuto seleteng se tee. Dikutollo tša nyakišišo ye di laetša gore ga go na maano ao a lego gona a go laola thuto ya tikologo ka ge e fa šedi ye nnyane ge e bapetšwa le diteng tša thuto ye nngwe ka lebaka la seemo sa diteng tša yona, go hloka tlhohleletšo go tšwa go bao ba phagamego ka ge go se na maatlafatšo ka sephetho go dira gore go tšewe ka kopanelo gomme dikarolo ga di abja go bakgathatema ka moka. Go na le tlhaelelo ya kgokagano magareng ga bakgathatema ka ge go se na go ba pepeneneng gomme maloko a bašomi a botšwa gore ba dire eng go e na le go ba le dipoledišano tše di šomago gabotse. Kharikhulamo ke ya teori go e na le ya tirišo yeo e tšwetšago pele go tšea karolo. Boetapele bjo bo phatlalatšwago bo bonala bo sa kwešišwe ka ge dihlogo tša dikolo le di-SMT di bonala di itlwaetša go abela le go gakantšha go abela le boetapele bjo bo phatlalatšwago. Thuto ya tikologo le yona ga e latišišwe maemong a sekolo goba maemong a kgoro. Nka phetha ka go bolela gore thuto ya tikologo e lebelelwa e le yeo e sego bohlokwa ka ge e sa kwešišwe bjalo ka selo seo se oketšago mohola tsebong ya moithuti. Le mo, boetapele bjo bo phatlalatšwago ga bo fihlelelwe go ya ka taolo ya thuto ya tikologo dikolong. Dikutollo tša nyakišišo ye di akaretša gape le go hlabolla mohlala wa thuto ya tikologo ka lefapheng la thuto seo se dirilego tšhomišo ya maano ao a ka thušago go laola kharikhulamo ya thuto ya tikologo. Ka fao, go šišinywa gore diteng tša thuto ya tikologo di rulaganywe leswa go hlokomela go šoma go swanela gabotse mekgwa ya bjale ya bophelo. Gape go šišinywa gore bakgathatema ka moka ba amege go e na le go nagana gore taolo ya thuto ya tikologo ke maikarabelo a morutiši a nnoši gomme ba amege tlhabollong le go tšea diphetho go ya ka taolo ya thuto ya tikologo. Kudukudu, ka ge lefase le itemogela mathata a lefase ka bophara, go šišinywa gore re se ke ra labalabela fela setšhaba sa toka, eupša setšhaba seo se kgonago go lwantšha mathata ka moka a lefase ka bophara e sa le ka pela gore se phele setšhabeng sa go ya go ile.