Page 73 - Research & Innovation Report 2020

EDUCATION

Sustainable Development Current education realities

Goal 4 Since 2011, the Centre for the Community School

(CCS) has initiated projects to strengthen and
The H♥PES project speaks to the United Nations
Sustainable Development Goal 4: access to quality support the work of schools in the Eastern Cape,
education, including contributing meaningfully with an emphasis on empowering those in poor
to scholarship on school improvement and working-class communities faced with severe socio-
evidence-based practices in education. It builds economic challenges. The school improvement
on this by enabling a deeper understanding of programmes span 25 schools (primary and
the community school’s role and value in a South secondary), organised into four networks. These
African context and offering practical suggestions involve multi-stakeholder communities of practice
on how hopeful schools might be fostered in poor (CoPs) who explore responses to the various
working-class communities. challenges confronting the schools within in their
network.
“We argue that to adequately address the current
education realities in the country, schools need
to re-evaluate their role within communities, and
how they can best serve these communities by
to the improvement and functionality of the school and its opening up possibilities for a better future for
surrounding environment.” all,” says Dr Damons. “The CCS firmly believes
that to advance teaching and learning effectively,
Prof Goliath (who is Malangeni’s supervisor, with Dr Damons as attention needs to be given to the multiple socio-
co-supervisor) says: “What I observed and experienced from economic challenges facing school communities.
the ALS is how the element of hopefulness came to life, and Therefore, it is critical to move away from the
how the research participants asserted their views on the types notion of getting schools ‘back to the way they
of research methods they would feel comfortable with. They were’, and instead to imagine new ways of dealing
showed a preference for co-constructing collages where they with current and future challenges, as well as
could jointly develop their views, as opposed to doing individual redefining school success and functionality.”
journaling. Furthermore, the role of small businesses as important
stakeholders in a community school, also came to the fore. What is
emerging across all the research engagements is the importance
of this form of positive activism.”

Dr Bruce Damons Silindele Malangeni

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