Key Findings of the Study

The aim of the study was to investigate the relationship between indiscipline in township schools and learner performance. Additionally, the study examined the causes of indiscipline and how indiscipline could be eradicated or stopped. Following are key and fundamental findings of the study:

5.2.1 Serious disciplinary problems in schools

From the interviews done and questionnaires filled in by principals and educators, the study found serious disciplinary problems in some township schools like:

 Drug and liquor abuse by learners;

 Gangsters carrying dangerous weapons in school;

 Assaulting of learners and sometimes educators by learners in school;

 Refusal of learners to obey instructions from principals and educators;

 Due to abuse emitted to educators by learners, low morale is found amongst educators, even resignations.

5.2.2 Causes of indiscipline in schools

The study has revealed several possible causes of indiscipline in township schools. Although it will not be possible to list all possible causes of indiscipline, the following were prominently mentioned by respondents:

 Lack of parenting of learners. Some learners coming from dysfunctional homes, lacking parental guidance misbehave in school as well.

 Bad influence by bad friends. Some learners come from good homes, but misbehave in school due to influence from bad friends. Some learners misbehave in order to be accepted by the bad company.

 Lack of parental involvement and support by parents in the education of their children. Parents do not monitor children at home and also do not respond when they are called by educators for meetings at school.

 Educators (some) absconding and neglecting learners when they get their salaries.

 Bad influence of over-age learners over young ones.

 Learners and educators coming to school intoxicated.

Given the above-mentioned findings, it is crystal clear that in our township schools there are abnormal situations. Under abnormal situations, there can be no normal learning and teaching. When there is no normal learning and teaching, quality education yielding good results is practically impossible, inevitably impacting upon learner performance. It seems that key findings of the study confirm the research question whether indiscipline in schools impacts upon learner performance. When a large portion of learning and teaching time is spent on disciplinary execution, less than normal time will be spent on effective learning and teaching.

5.2.3 Relationship between indiscipline and poor learner performance

The study found that due to the plethora of indiscipline problems in township schools, and plenty of time spent on discipline, there is little or, in some cases, no time for learning and teaching. It is a natural consequence, therefore, that if there is no effective learning and teaching in the classrooms, there will be no effective learning by learners. And the critical results of not learning by learners will _{definitely be poor performance} and poor academic results and even large scale failures. The participants, who were

educators and principals, unanimously concurred that indiscipline, by both learners and educators, is the direct consequence of poor performance of learners.

5.3 Recommendations

Having done the investigation on indiscipline in schools and found remarkable and important information in this regard, the researcher suggests some recommendations. What is of cardinal importance about this section is that most of the recommendations presented here are coming from the respondents, or are the result of discussing discipline issues between the researcher and respondents during research interviews.

5.3.1 Reactivating school governing bodies (SGBs)

The South Africa Schools Act, Act 84 of 1996, has provided for the establishment of SGBs in public schools. Findings in this study have revealed that in many schools, especially in township schools, SGBs are dysfunctional. This is a great blow because SGBs have a major and requisite role to play in the governance of schools and, in particular, in establishing codes of conduct, discipline and security.

According to SASA, one of the important roles of SGBs is to consult learners, parents and teachers about a code of conduct for their school. The code of conduct sets out school rules and says what punishment can be given if the rules are broken. The code of conduct also sets out a grievance procedure so that parents and learners can take up a matter if they feel they have been badly treated by a teacher or another learner at school. Regular meetings between teachers, parents and learners (particularly at high- school level) can do a lot to improve discipline in schools. Therefore, the School Management Teams (SMTs) must ensure that SGBs are established and are fully functional in schools. Not only should SGBs be established but continuous training of SGB members is also vital. If the school is feeling unsure about how to establish and train the SGBs or how to improve their SGB, they should contact the South African Association for School Governing Bodies for assistance.

5.3.2 Remuneration of SGB members

One of the educators in the study suggested some remuneration of SGB members as an incentive and encouragement for their contribution to the school and society. There were also some suggestions that SGBs, over and above standing members, co-opt and appoint people with specialised skills in terms of financial management, accounting, legal and planning, even if these people do not have children in that particular school.

5.3.3 The Absent Teachers Replacement System (ATRS)

According to the Human Science Research Council (HSRC) (2010), many hours of learning and teaching are lost in schools due to educator absence from the classroom. It has been mentioned in the study that to leave learners alone in class by educators results in chaos and indiscipline. In order to produce quality education and quality learners in our schools, teaching and learning in schools must not be disrupted. As much as it is not desirable, there are inevitable situations whereby it will be impossible for educators to attend school and perform his or her duties. This could be possible through illness, family responsibilities, attendance of courses and seminars, leave of absence and other unforeseen circumstances. In this regard, it is vital that schools implement the Absent Teacher Replacement System. The system is working excellently in other countries, which the HSRC calls, high-income countries, where an educator will indicate to the relevant authorities in school that he or she will not be attending school on a certain day or days. The authorities will then get hold of the educator’s timetable or lesson plan that he or she would have presented to her or his class. They will then contact a suitable substitute educator to present the lesson/s on behalf of the absent educator. This will avoid leaving the class alone. However, this need not be a haphazard activity. It should be a well-planned and organised system. If this system is well planned and executed, it could play a major role in eradicating unruliness, lost teaching and learning hours as well as poor performance of learners. If the system is not in existence in schools, it will be of importance that schools seriously

consider operating the system for their interest and the learners’ best interest. More so, it must be the government and the DoE’s responsibility to ensure that this system is legislated and implemented. Although it is said that this is no panacea for the absence of educators in classrooms, the system could play a major role in reducing chaos and disruption in our schools.

To accentuate the above, according to Kremer, Chaudhury, Rogers, Muralidharan & Hammer (2005: 658-667), when a teacher is away (whether taking leave or undertaking official duties away from school), the inevitable consequence is the loss of teaching and learning time. In addition, when teachers are away from school, learner absence also increases. However, we are not able to say which an effect is and which the cause is (Kremer et al 2005: 658-667).

5.3.4 Eliminate overcrowded classrooms

The crowding of classrooms has been mentioned as one of the reasons that cause indiscipline and instability of classes. In mainly public schools, it does happen that one teacher has to teach approximately 50 learners or more in one class. According to the educators, in this instance, they do not have sufficient time to seriously focus and spend ‘enough’ time on the individual learner to consistently assess his or her strengths and weaknesses. This is a sad situation, as in many cases, public schools, on their own; do not have capacity, funds or resources to eliminate the problem of overcrowding. The building of public schools, the hiring of an appropriate number of educators and the adding of more classrooms is the responsibility of the government and the DoE, which must seriously and urgently address this perilous situation. Experience has confirmed that unruliness, indiscipline and chaos become the order of the day in overcrowded classes. Jansen, as quoted by Abrahams (2001:23), emphasises that Outcomes Based Education (OBE) would work in classes where teacher-pupil ratio of 1:20 exists, but not in classes of 50.

5.3.5 Introduce extra-mural activities

Other than being institutions of learning and teaching, schools should be places of interest and attraction that learners would want to be at every day. It is important that many strategies should be devised to attract learners to school. Extra-mural activities like sport, drama, art and indoor and outside games should be made available in schools. There are instances where some learners are not academically gifted at school. They get frustrated and this leads them to disturb others and ultimately resort to indiscipline. But the same learners may be excellent at one of the sports, art, drama or games, where they could compensate for their lack of academic dexterity.

An example of this is at Mzamomhle Special School, KwaNobuhle, Uitenhage, where physically and mentally challenged learners, despite their disabilities, through sport, drama and arts, become national and international heroes. These learners, although they are mentally and physically challenged, have had, through their dexterity in sport, numerous opportunities to travel, occasionally to several overseas destinations. Schools, especially in the townships, should, as matter of seriousness and urgency, cultivate an extra-mural culture at their schools to complement academic shortcomings. It is believed this, at least to a certain extent, will contribute to the alleviation of indiscipline in schools. Extra-mural activities would not only alleviate indiscipline and misbehaviour in schools but also would contribute to the mental, psychological and physical fitness of learners.

Going together with indiscipline in many township schools is the lack of sport facilities, libraries and laboratories. These aforementioned resources, if made available to learners, could go a long way in equipping our learners to positively feeding their minds in order to be better learners and citizens of tomorrow.

Plato said ‘Do not train a child to learn by force or harshness, but direct them to it by what amuses their mind, so that you may better be able to discover with accuracy the peculiar bent of the genius of each’.

5.3.6 Banning of cellular phones in schools

Cellular phones are one of the most important, helpful and indispensable gadgets that was ever invented. Now that cellular phones are with us, one wonders how life was before cellular phones and how life would be without them. The above statement is based only on the communication side, let alone the other multiple features that these gadgets have like calendars, cameras, calculators and many, many more features. As such, these gadgets have their advantages but they also have their disadvantages if not used wisely. They have the capacity to capture and trap one’s mind in an unbelievable way. They are so enticing and attractive that some people could easily disregard anything else around them and just concentrate on the cellular phone. It is not an exaggeration to say that people could spend hours browsing through their cellular phones and seem to enjoy them very much.

Many reports have been made of learners, worshippers and mourners in funerals, who would during school classes, divine services and funerals respectively, disregard these sessions and be ‘busy’ with their cellphones. Much has been said about learners at school not concentrating on their lessons, playing games or communicating with their cellphones, thus losing a lot of teaching and learning. In some cases, these learners are passing on messages and pictures that are injurious to their mental and moral temperament, passing on obnoxious messages and pornographic pictures. There have been instances of learners that were enticed, through cellular phones, out of school and lured to injury or even death.

It is against this background that there are many calls from several quarters that advocate for the banning of cellphones in schools. When one peruses and seriously considers the above-mentioned startling information, one finds justification and vindication for the banning of cellphones in schools. It is ostensible that although cellular phones are designed to be communication tools, in schools, more often than not, they are not used positively by the majority of learners. In South Africa, the idea of

banning cellular phones in schools is strongly supported, amongst others, by the Association of School Governing Bodies (ASGBs).

5.3.7 Cultivating better relationships between teachers, learners and parents

One principal who also has participated in the study mentioned that because they have minimal experiences of indiscipline in their school, their school is achieving good results overall, including Grade 12 examinations. This school is one of the best achieving school in the townships. He said that one of the reasons for their success is to build better relationships with their learners and parents, not relying much on corporal punishment and learner retribution. He mentioned that the Grade 12s, somewhere in the year, are brought together in school and made to wear certain type of blazers and they are told that whenever they leave the school, they must become ambassadors of the school. They consistently make sure that they reward students who excel both academically and behaviourally. This school also invites motivational speakers to school to motivate learners and hold seminars that encourage debates around discipline. Educators and School Management Teams (SMTs) should endeavour and go out of their way to create an environment and atmosphere that is tranquil and harmonious in school. One would be surprised how a harmonious and angelic environment can influence and change one’s behaviour. All of the above-mentioned and other methods not mentioned here would, definitely, assist in cultivating, promoting and sustaining better relationships between all stakeholders, including the community, for the benefit of all.

In supporting the above-mentioned, writing about education, Cyril Ramaphosa, a member of the National Executive Committee of the African National Congress (ANC), said ‘Research has shown that learner achievement is dependent also on the level of support and active involvement of parents and members of the community’ (Sunday Times 2012).

For several decades now, the case studies of various community psychologists have demonstrated that parental involvement in school systems greatly improves children’s

performance. Research has shown that when parents are significantly involved with their children’s education, the children progress not only academically but also emotionally and behaviourally (Bronfenbrenner 1979). This paper addresses the empirical research done on community consultation efforts to increase parental and community involvement in schools and evaluates the relative success of the consultation and their methods (www.yahoo. com, accessed on 13th May 2012).

5.3.8 Introduce an effective alternative to corporal punishment

There was a unanimous consensus among educators and principals that corporal punishment is not a solution to indiscipline tendencies by our learners in schools. In the study, sufficient information to this effect was abundant and was sourced from reliable sources like psychologists, the United Nations Children Division and children’s advocacy agents.

Notwithstanding the above mentioned information, it also became very clear in the study that although corporal punishment is not desirable, there seems to be no suitable alternative to it. Educators, school management teams and principals in many a schools seem to be left with no effective alternative measures to corporal punishment in dealing with indiscipline in schools. Most insinuate that alternatives measures they were provided with by the Department of Education are not effective and meaningful. They attribute the mass resignation and demoralisation of teachers, inter alia, to this

problem. In the light of the concerns raised about the lack of alternative to corporal punishment, it will be of most importance for the DoE to seriously look at these concerns and if there is merit to them, introduce or train educators on effective measures to replace corporal punishment.

5.3.9 Strong and effective leadership

It does not need mentioning that any school (or organisation, for that matter) must have strong and effective leadership. All recommendations and good intentions made above will be null and void if there is no strong vehicle to drive them. Strong leadership has to be firm and steadfast in terms of crucial management and leadership aspects like:

 Planning;

 Organising;

 Decision making;

 Articulating the vision and mission of the school;

 Communicating;

 Motivation.

Leadership could be the make or break of any school despite any systems available to it. It is incumbent upon school management teams to continuously assess and determine leadership and managerial gaps that exist in the management and educational staff so that they can alert the DoE to address those gaps as much and, critically, as soon as possible.

5.3.10 Parental involvement in learners’ education

It is said that children’s education is like a traditional three-legged pot. All three legs have to be functional and strong for the pot to stabilise and fulfill the purpose it was made for. If one leg of the three-legged pot is not functional or broken, there is less chance that proper cooking can take place. Many good and excellent suggestions and plans have been proposed in the literature to restore and maintain discipline in our schools and all are achievable and possible. However, without the support and effective involvement of parents, all the suggestions and plans have great potential of falling flat. Government, principals and educators can do so much but, without parental support and effective involvement and participation, all could be in vain. Experience

has shown that parental support and interest in learner education in indispensable. The government is herewith urged, as the funder and legislator of education policies, to design and devise policies that could be enforceable for parents to be involved in their children’s education. To leave education and discipline of learners solely in the hands of principals and educators has been disastrous and still will be disastrous.