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An analysis of public accountability policies and practices in South Africa's schooling system from 1994 to 2018
Thesis (DPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2025.
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| Format: | Thesis |
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Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
2025
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| _version_ | 1867613909929689088 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Deliwe, Carol Oluyemi Nuga |
| author2 | Davids, Nuraan |
| author_browse | Davids, Nuraan Deliwe, Carol Oluyemi Nuga |
| author_facet | Davids, Nuraan Deliwe, Carol Oluyemi Nuga |
| author_sort | Deliwe, Carol Oluyemi Nuga |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | Stellenbosch University |
| description | Thesis (DPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2025. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/134599 |
| institution | Stellenbosch University (South Africa) |
| language | en_ZA |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:43:38.086Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publishDateRange | 2025 |
| publishDateSort | 2025 |
| publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| publisherStr | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| spelling | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/134599 An analysis of public accountability policies and practices in South Africa's schooling system from 1994 to 2018 Deliwe, Carol Oluyemi Nuga Davids, Nuraan Van der Berg, Servaas Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Education. Dept. of Education Policy Studies. Educational accountability -- South Africa Education -- South Africa -- Evaluation Education and state -- South Africa Educational law and legislation -- South Africa Educational leadership Education -- Decision making UCTD Thesis (DPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2025. Deliwe, C. O. N. 2025. An analysis of public accountability policies and practices in South Africa's schooling system from 1994 to 2018. Unpublished doctoral dissertation. Stellenbosch: Stellenbosch University [online]. Available: https://scholar.sun.ac.za/items/6acce58c-d30d-44ca-937f-d09b68c68bb5 ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This thesis investigates accountability as a driver of improvement in South Africa's schooling system, examining accountability arrangements, systems, and processes at administrative, school, and individual learner levels. The thesis identifies gaps and misalignments in accountability practices that undermine education quality, particularly for learners from resource-poor communities. The research addresses three interconnected questions: Does an audit-focused approach to accountability support or compromise long-term education goals? How can existing school-based assessments be developed to strengthen internal capacity and accountability for learning improvement? How have assessment practices evolved, and what opportunities exist for enhancing diagnostic assessment use in the foundation phase? Using qualitative policy and content analysis, and the quantitative analysis of learning outcome data, the study extends novel methods such as using assessment reliability as an indicator of internal accountability, explores information use by school managers, and develops novel methods for examining accountability pressure experienced by managers in education departments. Chapter 2 focuses on system-level accountability through analysis of parliamentary questions, strategic plans, and senior management meetings, revealing how audit-dominated frameworks influence behaviours that undermine educational quality. The findings confirm that audit-centric culture systematically diverts managerial attention from core educational functions. The chapter proposes a renewed focus on learning outcomes in accountability and oversight efforts. Chapter 3 examines school-level accountability and internal mechanisms in South African schools. Using School-Based Assessment-National Senior Certificate (SBA-NSC) correlations as diagnostic assessment reliability proxies, the research demonstrates significant capability variations across socio-economic contexts. Schools serving affluent communities exhibit higher correlations, indicating stronger internal accountability mechanisms, while resource-poor schools show weaker assessment practices. Three-province data analysis confirms assessment training deficits, weak support systems, and limited internal capacity in disadvantaged schools. The chapter recommends SBA moderation across all quintiles, targeted capacity building for quintile 1-3 schools in diagnostic assessment use, and incentivised assessment quality improvements through district support. Chapter 4 focuses on individual-level accountability. Foundation Phase numeracy analysis reveals how the absence of comprehensive assessment systems and emphasis on system performance accountability weakens individual learner-focused accountability and support. The DBE's emphasis on sample-based systemic assessments inadequately addresses individual learning needs, creating critical gaps in assessment capacity despite policy preferences for assessment for learning. The absence of diagnostic assessments in primary grades fundamentally undermines the system's ability to measure, support, and monitor foundational numeracy proficiency. Recommendations include developing diagnostic assessment systems for learning difficulty identification, intensive teacher training in data utilisation and formative assessment, and incentivised intervention support for identified learners. The thesis makes three significant contributions: theoretically, it develops diagnostic assessment reliability as a proxy for internal accountability; methodologically, it introduces novel ways to measure accountability pressure; and practically, it offers policy recommendations for configuring assessment systems to support the diagnostic use of assessments to improve foundational learning, backed by the evidence base on cost effective approaches to improving learning in schools. The findings have implications for education policy actors, incentives, pedagogy, and capacity as they focus on learning. The thesis demonstrates that learning improvement in South African schools requires comprehensive accountability approaches that prioritise learning outcomes, creating sustained improvement at all levels while addressing persistent inequalities. AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: In post-apartheid Suid-Afrika was inklusiewe onderwys 'n kritieke gebied van hervorming, met beleide soos Witskrif 6 oor Inklusiewe Onderwys (2001) wat 'n visie vir die akkommodasie van leerders met gestremdhede binne hoofstroomskole uiteensit. Alhoewel hierdie beleidsraamwerk progressief en goed verwoord is, bly daar 'n aanhoudende gaping tussen die bedoelings van beleid en die implementering daarvan op skoolvlak. Hierdie studie ondersoek hoe leerders met fisieke gestremdhede skoolopleiding in hoofstroom hoërskole ervaar, en in watter mate inklusiewe onderwysbeleide in die praktyk ingestel word. Die primêre doel van die studie was om die opvoedkundige ervarings van leerders met fisieke gestremdhede in geselekteerde hoofstroomhoërskole in die Kaapse Wynland-streek te ondersoek. Dit het verder gepoog om die implementering van inklusiewe onderwysbeleide, veral Witskrif 6 en die SIAS-beleid, te ondersoek met betrekking tot skoolleierskap, opvoederpraktyk en institusionele ondersteuningstrukture. Hierdie studie het 'n kwalitatiewe, interpretivistiese navorsingsontwerp met 'n etnografiese oriëntasie aanvaar, wat gebruik maak van diepgaande onderhoude met vyf leerders in vier hoofstroomskole. Data is ontleed deur die gekombineerde teoretiese lens van Kritiese Gestremdheidsteorie, Bourdieu se Praktykteorie en Stephen Ball se beleidssosiologie, wat 'n veelvlakkige begrip van beide leerderervarings en beleidsinwerkingstelling verskaf. Bevindinge toon dat hoewel beleidsbewustheid op leierskapsvlak bestaan, daar beperkte vertaling in klaskamerpraktyk is, veral as gevolg van hulpbronbeperkings, gebrek aan opleiding en houdingshindernisse. Leerders met fisieke gestremdhede staar dikwels ontoeganklike infrastruktuur, sosiale uitsluiting en 'n gevoel van marginalisering in die gesig. Verder funksioneer sleutelondersteuningstrukture, soos SBST's en DBST's, oneweredig oor skole heen. Die welstand en psigososiale behoeftes van leerders met fisieke gestremdhede word veral oor die hoof gesien. Die studie kom tot die gevolgtrekking dat die huidige model van insluiting grootliks simbolies bly en strukturele, pedagogiese en beleidsvlaktransformasie vereis om ware opvoedkundige gelykheid te bewerkstellig. Dit dra by tot die diskoers oor inklusiewe onderwys deur leerderstemme op die voorgrond te plaas en die skeiding tussen beleid en praktyk uit te lig. Die studie bied aanbevelings vir onderwysersopleiding, beleidsaanspreeklikheid en die sentraliteit van leerderwelstand in toekomstige inklusiewe onderwyshervormings. Doctoral 2025-12-18T06:51:26Z 2025-12-18T06:51:26Z 2025-12 Thesis https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/134599 en_ZA Stellenbosch University 178 pages : illustrations application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| spellingShingle | Educational accountability -- South Africa Education -- South Africa -- Evaluation Education and state -- South Africa Educational law and legislation -- South Africa Educational leadership Education -- Decision making UCTD Deliwe, Carol Oluyemi Nuga An analysis of public accountability policies and practices in South Africa's schooling system from 1994 to 2018 |
| title | An analysis of public accountability policies and practices in South Africa's schooling system from 1994 to 2018 |
| title_full | An analysis of public accountability policies and practices in South Africa's schooling system from 1994 to 2018 |
| title_fullStr | An analysis of public accountability policies and practices in South Africa's schooling system from 1994 to 2018 |
| title_full_unstemmed | An analysis of public accountability policies and practices in South Africa's schooling system from 1994 to 2018 |
| title_short | An analysis of public accountability policies and practices in South Africa's schooling system from 1994 to 2018 |
| title_sort | analysis of public accountability policies and practices in south africa s schooling system from 1994 to 2018 |
| topic | Educational accountability -- South Africa Education -- South Africa -- Evaluation Education and state -- South Africa Educational law and legislation -- South Africa Educational leadership Education -- Decision making UCTD |
| url | https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/134599 |
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