Focus schools and vocational education in the Western Cape

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The main goal of this thesis was to better understand the role and function of the focus schoolsproject in the Western Cape, to explore the reasons for their emergence in 2006, and to locate thepolicy initiative within historical and policy developments around vocationalism in the province. Thestudy focused in particular on how one focus school experienced the roll-out of this policy decision,what the impressions of the learners and educators at a case study school were, and also howofficials attached to the Western Cape Education Department described the emergence andimplementation of the policy.Further goals of the study were to contextualize the policy process that led to this form of provision,and to conceptualise how this fitted in with educational development issues in the province. A briefbackdrop of historical developments and its role in the education of communities in the WesternCape, particularly the coloured community, was provided to contextualize the policy initiative. Themain contribution of the thesis is its description and analysis of policy documents and theviewpoints of a range of people connected to a new provincial initiative, focus schools, with regardto what a focus school is meant to achieve and how it is experienced. Data was collected bystudying a range of unpublished policy documents, and to link these to interviews conducted withdepartmental and district officials, educators, learners, and one principal in relation to one casestudy school.The study showed that focus schools were regarded mainly as a form of vocational educationprovision to accommodate the desire of the Western Cape economy for intermediate skills in themid-2000s. It illustrated how the focus school band has run its own unique course withineducational structures since 2006, and highlighted how they have fulfilled their goal of getting morelearners from historically disadvantaged communities into further study or into positions that betterserve the needs of the local economy.The thesis suggested that the policy focus of getting learners into higher education seemedmisguided and contrary to the goals of vocational education provision. This policy confusion wasfurther highlighted by learners interviewed in the study who noted that they would have preferred tofollow a more academically-based path. Few believed they could either get to university (asclaimed by policy officials) or into a viable employment poisition by following a vocational route atschool.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University