Management strategy for optimising the implementation of educational enrichment programmes in youth development, recreation, arts and culture

[摘要] English: The study is intended to formulate a management strategy for optimising theimplementation of educational enrichment programmes (EEPs) in Youth development,Recreation, Arts and Culture (YRAC). The study was conducted in one educationdistrict of the Free State Province in South Africa where three EEPs managers at theoperational level were involved: a Deputy Chief Education Specialist (DCES) and twoSenior Education Specialists (SESs).The study adopted the Critical EmancipatoryResearch (CER) theoretical framework to direct its activities. To accomplish the idealsof CER the study employed the Participatory Action Research as a methodologicalapproach. PAR was applied to unveil the management of EEPs in YRAC, highlightingcommunity involvement, partnerships, constant participation and allocation of resourcesin the formulation of the envisioned management strategy.The study found that the management strategy for optimising the implementation ofEEPs was a function of collaborative and communicative engagement of stakeholders.It also emerged from the study that, among others, major inequalities in terms of accessto resources justified the need for the management strategy. The lack of participation ofparents in the EEPs was found to inhibit their democratic participation in theimplementation of EEPs and subsequently the application of the management strategy.Unilateral communication also espoused serious challenges for the managementstrategy. Despite its challenges, the formulated management strategy demonstratedsigns of usefulness: it supported collaborative and cooperative engagement amongstakeholders, participative democracy for social justice, regular and interactivecommunication between the EEPs managers and all stakeholders.The contribution of the study to the field of education lay in its identification of the gapswith respect to the equitable access and implementation of EEPs in schools. The studyhighlights the dire shortage of funding for the implementation of EEPs, lack of parentalsupport, the marked decline of learners' participation and the inadequate professionaltraining of EEPs managers in EEPs as compelling reasons for a management strategy. The study also highlights the importance of creating room for careers for learnersthrough EEPs as one of the critical rationale for the management of EEPs.

[发布机构] University of the Free State