Code of professional ethics in education : a case study of Ilembe District.
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Date
2011
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Abstract
The failure of the many township and rural schools to improve learner outcomes
is not only recognised as a pervasive and insidious social problem affecting
those communities, but also entrenches inequalities and militates social
cohesion and unity. The study highlights the challenges experienced in the
Ilembe District that hamper the effective delivery of a quality education. The
study confronts these challenges from a constitutional and human rights
perspective, and seeks to unravel whether or not educators grasp the critical
nature of their role in facilitating the achievement, not only of the educational
goals but of other Constitutional imperatives as well. Given the turbulent nature
of the environment in which educators operate, the study also seeks to establish
if educators can keep up with the new challenges of teaching in the twenty-first
century. In this regard, the role of continuing professional teacher development
and the new competencies required of educators were investigated to ascertain
whether they lead to improved teaching and therefore more effective learning.
The study further investigated the effectiveness of the Code of Professional
Ethics in curbing unethical behaviour and thus ensuring the attainment of
objectives.
Furthermore, the study looked at the various interventions by the Government in
an endeavour to facilitate the realisation of the Constitutional ideals. This
involved looking at the legislative and policy framework put in place, as well as
campaigns and other initiatives that demonstrate the government’s commitment
to these ideals. A literature study added another dimension to it, in that it
provided the theoretical basis for the study and another perspective on how
these matters were dealt with elsewhere. The researcher used an eclectic
approach in an effort to get a better understanding of the problem. The choice of
methodology and design used in the study was, to a large extent, influenced by
the nature and objectives of the study. The study was premised on the fact that
the rurality of the Ilembe District should not be used to deprive the learners from
this community of a quality education and that, the many policies that seem
wonderful on paper are useless if they do not translate to effective
implementation.
Description
Thesis (MPA)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville, 2011.
Keywords
Professional ethics--KwaZulu-Natal--Ilembe District., Education--Moral and ethical aspects--KwaZulu-Natal--Ilembe District., Theses--Public administration.