A Case Study of Umlazi Township
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Investigating factors which influence parental school choice in post-Apartheid South Africa: A case study of Umlazi Township by THABISILE NOTHANDO NTOMBELA Submitted as the dissertation component (which counts for 50% of the degree) in partial fulfilment of the academic requirements for the degree of Master of Development Studies in the School of Built Environment and Development Studies, University of KwaZulu-Natal Howard College Campus Durban December 2013 As the candidate's supervisor I have approved this thesis/dissertation for submission. Date: Name: Signed: Table of contents Abstract................................................................................................................ iii Preface.................................................................................................................. iv Plagiarism declaration ………………………………………………………... v Acknowledgements............................................................................................. vi Chapter One: Introduction 1.1. School choice in post-apartheid South Africa............................................... 1 Chapter Two: Conceptual Framework 2.1. Understanding school choice......................................................................... 4 2.2. International experience of school choice..................................................... 6 2.3. How parents choose....................................................................................... 7 2.4. Introduction of school choice in South Africa.............................................. 10 2.5. Conclusion..................................................................................................... 14 Chapter Three: Background 3.1. Location of study........................................................................................... 16 3.2. Umlazi’s educational market......................................................................... 17 3.3. Conclusion………………………………………………………………… 20 Chapter Four: Methodology 4.1. Data collection............................................................................................... 21 4.2. Data analysis.................................................................................................. 23 4.3. Conclusion..................................................................................................... 23 Chapter Five: Findings and Analysis 5.1. Introduction................................................................................................... 25 5.2. Money matters............................................................................................... 26 5.3. Child safety................................................................................................... 29 5.4. Discipline....................................................................................................... 30 5.5. Language....................................................................................................... 32 5.6. Child-school matching: The few skilled choosers………………………..... 35 5.7. How schools choose...................................................................................... 36 5.8. Conclusion..................................................................................................... 43 Chapter Six: Conclusion 6.1. Introduction................................................................................................... 45 6.2. Understanding S-section’s educational market……………………………. 45 6.3. The social consequences of school choice policy.......................................... 49 6.4. Concluding remarks....................................................................................... 50 References............................................................................................................ 52 Tables Table 1: National allocations per quintile per child (2007-2009)……………. 59 Table 2: Household details as reported by interviewees (Informal settlements... 60 Table 3: Household details as reported by interviewees (S-section)…………... 62 Figures Figure 1: Umlazi S-section in relation to Durban suburbs................................... 64 Figure 2: Umlazi S-Section (in detail)………………………………………….. 65 Annexures Annexure A: Interview questionnaires 66 ii Annexure B: Informed consent form 68 iii Abstract While race played a dominant role in determining how South Africans accessed quality education during apartheid this study reveals that in post-apartheid South Africa, particularly in racially homogenous communities, class has come to play a greater role in securing quality education. The following case study provides a compelling vignette of how residents from the formal and informal settlements in Umlazi interact with schools in the local educational market. The study uses qualitative interviews with residents of Umlazi S-section who have chosen to have their children educated in Umlazi schools to extract narratives which expose how they have experienced the process of choosing schools in Umlazi. Choice theories are invoked in order to understand how parents perceive the value of education and how their own choices demonstrate their understanding of the educational market. In examining the factors governing school choice and its effects, the study employs a number of theories which add value to understanding this area of educational sociology including Pierre Bourdieu’s ‘theory of practice’, which provides insight into how class positions influence individuals’ perceptions of their own rightful place in society. Household narratives reveal that parental school choice is dominated by concerns with affordability, safety and preservation of culture. The study also reveals that schools themselves play an influential role in determining who is selected and excluded from schools in the community. The study reveals that societies perceive education as critical to the development of their children and most importantly, that their efforts and educational choices are geared towards providing opportunities that ensure their children have better opportunities in life. However, it is also revealed that school choice is a weak tool for redistributing educational equity in an educational system where access is largely determined by financial positioning. In the community under investigation the manner in which parents exercise choice has resulted in poorer children being pushed out of the local school market. Such movements, in pursuit of educational opportunities, have far-reaching consequences for funding models in the South African education system. iv PREFACE The research work described in this dissertation was carried out in the School of Built Environment and Development Studies, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Howard College Campus, Durban, from January 2011 to October 2012, under the supervision of Ms Catherine Sutherland. v COLLEGE OF HUMANITIES DECLARATION - PLAGIARISM I, Thabisile Nothando Ntombela, declare that 1. The research reported in this thesis, except where otherwise indicated, is my original research. 2. This thesis has not been submitted for any degree or examination at any other university. 3. This thesis does not contain other persons’ data, pictures, graphs or other information, unless specifically acknowledged as being sourced from other persons. 4. This thesis does not contain other persons' writing, unless specifically acknowledged as being sourced from other researchers. Where other written sources have been quoted, then: a. Their words have been re-written but the general information attributed to them has been referenced b. Where their exact words have been used, then their writing has been placed in italics and inside quotation marks, and referenced. 5. This thesis does not contain text, graphics or tables copied and pasted from the Internet, unless specifically acknowledged, and the source being detailed in the thesis and in the References sections. Signed ……………………………………………………………………………… vi Acknowledgements I would like to thank my two supervisors, Ms Cathy Sutherland from UKZN and Prof Mark Hunter from the University of Toronto for their on-going support as I conceptualised and researched this dissertation. Special thanks to Mark for funding which allowed me to pay off schools fees and also hire some research assistants1 who helped me access the community in which the study was based. I would also like to thank my research assistants, Mam’ Nomsa, Mam’ Mlambo and Sifiso Gamede. Furthermore, I should make special mention of my family and friends for their support during my studies. And lastly, to the lecturers and support staff at the School of Development Studies who managed to make studying towards this degree an enjoyable and enriching academic experience. 1 Research assistants were residents of S-section and performed the role of helping the researcher navigate the research area since they were familiar with the area. They introduced me to community members and enabled me to return to conduct interviews at a later date when necessary. vii Chapter One: Introduction 1.1. School choice in post-apartheid South Africa South Africa’s democratic era resulted in a shift in education policy, one which enhanced rights and accountability in line with prevailing democratic principles. The apartheid regime had cultivated an excessively unequal society where education was utilised as a tool to propel the reproduction of future race-based South African societies in a direction which suited the narrow interests of the regime. This