First education research summit for Eastern Cape

Moral leadership, ethics among tough topics raised in discussions

Tough topics facing Eastern Cape education officials were raised at the province’s first education research summit.

Academics and officials from the provincial department of education gathered to listen to presentations on research results and topics.

A case study of the department raised the issue of moral leadership and ethics in the public service.

Dr Mpumelelo Ndlovu said there were no punitive measures in place for officials who were unethical in their conduct, nor was there a commission allocated by the department to address the ills that were raised by the auditor-general to ensure the department was rectifying its wrongs and learning from its mistakes.

“We need to see managers who are more accountable and responsible and need to fill vacant positions timeously, because when people act in roles for long periods, they are not necessarily held accountable for their roles. Staff need frequent training for their moral and ethical behaviour, which affects the morale of the employees,” he said.

This was the first research summit which saw academics and other stakeholders partner with the state, including the departments of health and social development, as well as with Old Mutual.

Dr T B Rantsane discussed the implementation of the curriculum, the assessment policy statement and their influence on teaching methods in East London.

Rantsane said they had wanted to conduct the research in the Libode district, but after a year of failed attempts to engage with the district, they looked to East London.

“There is a big challenge among the children who may sometimes excel at physical science but struggle to grasp the whole idea of mathematics, which is the critical thinking behind finding the solution,” Rantsane said.

Assistant project manager Nkosi Nkabinde of Mzantsi Wakho, a research NGO based in the province working through the universities of Cape Town and Oxford, said they wanted to answer several research questions about youth health, with a strong focus on medicine-taking and sexual and reproductive health.