Implications of Educational Infrastructure Development on Educators Performance in Some Schools within Thulamela Local Municipality, Vhembe District

Abstract

Educational infrastructure are the material things which facilitate teaching and learning processes in schools and they include school buildings, equipment which covers teaching aids, computers, typewriters and computer science and laboratory equipment. Although South Africa has made a significant stride regarding the provision and development of educational infrastructure, a lot still needs to be done considering that education is no doubt, a dynamic instrument of change. There was a great anticipation that the educational system would be greatly transformed for the better by dismantling the apartheid order and creating a new system based on the Freedom Charter. The introduction of apartheid has affected all areas of life for South African populace and as a result, determined which South Africans were given privileges and which ones were deprived and oppressed. The purpose of this study is to investigate the implications of educational infrastructure development on educators’ performance. The general objective of this study will involve the comparison of provision of infrastructure prior and after 1994, examining the impact of educational infrastructure development on educators’ performance, identifying the challenges facing the Department of Basic Education to provide adequate educational infrastructure as the South African Schools Act, 1996 prescribes and to find the mechanisms that can be used to address the lack of adequate and sufficient educational infrastructure as a measure to promote educators’ educational performance. Methodologically, the researcher made use of a descriptive case study design. The study followed a mixed methodology approach that focuses on collecting, analysing and mixing both quantitative and qualitative strategies in different phases of the research process in a single study or series of studies. A combination of research questionnaires and interviews were used as data collection tools. Study findings were that some rural schools lack teaching and learning material and this has impacted on the performance of educators. Additionally, it was found that in most schools infrastructure might be there but it is poorly maintained for instance the buildings, books and school furniture. For instance, some schools the buildings have broken windows which affect both teachers and learners during winter and rainy seasons.