Education Development Officers as agents for promoting quality education at selected rural schools

Abstract

Background: The quality of teaching and learning (T&L) has been a concern in South Africa and has received attention from global players such as the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the agenda of the Education for All (EFA) policy. In South Africa, quality teaching and learning (QTL) in secondary schools remains low and compromised despite the implementation of the EFA policy and the use of education development officers (EDOs). Aim: The study sought to investigate the effectiveness of EDOs in promoting QTL at selected schools in the King Williams Town (KWT) district. Setting: The units of analysis are selected schools in the KWT district in the Eastern Cape province, South Africa. Methods: The study employed an interpretivism paradigm with a case study design and a qualitative approach to investigate the role of Education Development Officers (EDOs) in supporting QTL in selected secondary schools in the King Williams Town (KWT) District, while the data was interpreted thematically from the ten participants. Results: Education development officers play a critical role in enabling School Management Teams in South Africa to achieve high-QTL. However, EDOs face a number of challenges such as a lack of human and material resources, teacher resistance, extracurricular activities, student and teacher absenteeism, programme alignment, and work overload. Conclusion: The major conclusion of the study indicates that the challenges faced by EDOs can be overcome by employing four main strategies: stakeholder engagement, leadership, monitoring and evaluation, and training. Contribution: This article has the potential to contribute to theory, concept, policy, and practice regarding the promotion of QTL in schools.