Towards gender and sexual diversity in South African schools: exploring the policy development process in the Department of Basic Education

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Date
2016-06
Authors
Thani, Glodean Qondile Tintswalo
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Publisher
University of the Free State
Abstract
English: The purpose of this study was to explore the pronouncements of gender and sexual diversity in the education policies within the education system. The study was largely motivated by the high levels of homophobic sentiments within schooling communities in South Africa. The assumption of this study is that there is no implementation of policy promoting the rights of gender and sexually diverse learners within the education system. This perceived lack of implementation has been a contentious human rights issue in South Africa. Both educators and parents have often marred the teaching of the gender and sexual diversity curriculum. Although mandated by legislation and policies, it has often been marred by moral and religious opposition. This has led to the exclusion of gender and sexual diversity content from the education curriculum. The absence of the content has resulted in the vilifying of gender and sexually diverse learners and educators in the schooling system. As such, the thesis explores the bottlenecks that exist within legislation as well as pertaining to curriculum and programme content that prevents the teaching of gender and sexually diversity education in South African schools. The study employed a qualitative research design by using semi-structured interviews to obtain in-depth data about the experiences of officials in the implementation of gender and sexual diversity content, as mandated by the Constitution of South Africa. The study was conducted with ten officials in the Department of Basic Education from both the national and provincial offices. Four officials were based at in the School Safety, Social Cohesion and Equity in Education Directorate, Education Management and Governance Development as well as from the Curriculum Directorate, respectively in the national office. The six provincial officials were Gender Focal Persons of the following provinces, Limpopo, Gauteng, North West, Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal, so designated by the Gender Equity Task Team recommendations of 1997. Through policy analysis and semi-structured interviews with officials responsible for the development and implementation of a gender and sexual diversity policy in the basic education system, the study explores institutional challenges as well as the social and power dynamics that exist in the implementation of policies in the schooling system. The findings point to silences within legislation of the education system on the implementation of gender and sexual diversity. This lack of clear pronouncement has implications on the mainstreaming of gender and sexually diverse content within policy and curriculum. As such, it creates a challenge for the protection of the rights and dignity of learners within schools, and the curbing of violence related to the lack of tolerance, as well as integration and cohesion within society.
Afrikaans: Die doel van hierdie studie was om die uitsprake van gender- en seksuele diversiteit in onderwysbeleide binne die onderwysstelsel te ondersoek. Die studie is grotendeels gemotiveer deur die hoë vlakke van homofobiese sentimente in skoolgemeenskappe in Suid-Afrika. Die aanname in hierdie studie is dat daar geen beleidsimplementering plaasvind van beleid wat die regte van gender- en seksueel-diverse leerders binne die onderwysstelsel bevorder nie. Hierdie waargenome gebrekkige implementering is al vir ʼn geruime tyd ’n omstrede menseregtekwessie in Suid-Afrika. Sowel opvoeders as ouers belemmer dikwels die onderrig van die gender- en seksueel-diverse kurrikulum. Alhoewel dit deur sowel onderwyswetgewing sowel as -beleid onderskryf word, word dit dikwels in die wiele gery as gevolg van morele en geloofsoortuigings. Dit het gelei tot die uitsluiting van inhoud oor gender- en seksuele diversiteit uit die kurrikulum. Die afwesigheid van hierdie inhoud het gelei tot die swartsmeer van gender- en seksueel-diverse leerders en opvoeders in die skoolstelsel. Hierdie tesis ondersoek die knelpunte wat in die wetgewing bestaan, asook betreffende die kurrikuluminhoud wat die onderrig van gender- en seksuele diversiteit in Suid-Afrikaanse skole verhoed. Die studie het gebruik gemaak van ’n kwalitatiewe navorsingsontwerp deur middel van semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude ten einde diepgaande data oor die ervarings van beamptes te bekom in hulle implementering van gender- en seksueel-diverse inhoud, soos deur die Grondwet van Suid-Afrika gemagtig. Die studie is onderneem met behulp van tien amptenare in die Departement van Basiese Onderwys van sowel die nasionale en provinsiale kantore. Vier amptenare was onderskeidelik in die Skoolveiligheid-, Sosiale Kohesie- en Gelykheid in Onderwys-direktoraat, Onderwysbestuur en Bestuursontwikkeling gebaseer, asook afkomstig van die Kurrikulumdirektoraat, almal in die nasionale kantoor. Die ses provinsiale amptenare was die Genderfokuspersone van die volgende provinsies, Limpopo, Gauteng, Noordwes, Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal, soos aangewys deur die Gendergelykheidstaakspan se aanbevelings in 1997. Deur middel van beleidsanalise en semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude met die amptenare verantwoordelik vir die ontwikkeling en implementering van ’n gender- en seksueel-diverse beleid in die basiese onderwysstelsel, ondersoek die studie institusionele uitdagings asook die sosiale en magsdinamika wat in die implementering van beleide in die skoolstelsel bestaan. Die bevindings toon aan dat daar leemtes in die wetgewing van die onderwysstelsel bestaan wat betref die implementering van gender- en seksuele diversiteit. Hierdie gebrek aan duidelike verklarings het implikasies vir die uitlig van gender- en seksueel-diverse inhoud in beleid en kurrikulum. Gevolglik lei dit tot ’n uitdaging vir die beskerming van die regte en waardigheid van leerders by skole, en die beteueling van geweld as gevolg van die gebrek aan verdraagsaamheid, asook die integrasie en kohesie binne ’n gemeenskap.
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Thesis (Ph.D. (Policy in Education))--University of the Free State, 2016, Sex differences in education, Gender identity in education, Education -- South Africa
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