The influence of the matric intervention programme on the professional identity of the local and lead teachers.

Masters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg.The KZN Department of Education‟s focus on improving the grade 12 (matric) results in the province has been the main priority in the past seven years. The Matric Intervention Programme (MIP) is one of the initiatives that the KZN Department of Education has implemented, targeted at schools who achieve less than 75% matric pass rate (T75 schools). Teachers referred to as Lead Teachers are those who are selected to assist T75 schools and Local Teachers are those who teach in T75 schools, and are assisted by the lead teachers. The assumption that teachers in the T75 schools lack content knowledge and that some are unqualified has led to the implementation of the MIP. Lead teachers are the drivers of the programme and assisted by local teachers. The main aim of the study was to explore to how the MIP influenced the professional identity of the local and lead teachers and how they experienced the programme. The study was conducted within the qualitative interpretative paradigm, and the case study approach was adopted. Three lead teachers and two local teachers were interviewed, and document analysis was used to collect data. Findings from the study indicated that local teachers, as teachers from poor performing schools, were dissatisfied by how the MIP and its lead teachers was introduced to them, that they were not recognised as teachers when lead teachers supposedly came to assist them. This affected their self-esteem and their image as teachers (professional identity). Furthermore, suggested that participants had a clear understanding of purpose of the MIP. Some of the lead teachers were working well with the local teachers, while others had neither relationship nor communication during the MIP process. Local teachers complained that they were not formally informed about the MIP programme and the visits from the lead teachers. The lead teachers fulfilled their roles with or without the presence and the assistance of the local teachers. The study also revealed that one local teacher was not entirely satisfied with the MIP processes. Her belief was that all the stakeholders should have been informed about the MIP prior to implementation. Lastly, the study recommended that there is a need for the MIP officials to formally address the local teachers about their roles in the programme

Making sense of uncertainty: The precarious lives of young migrants from rural Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa.

This study aims to examine the experiences of young migrants and the role of uncertainty in their precarious lives. Drawing on data from individual interviews and a workshop with young migrants aged 16-24 years old in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, we use uncertainty as a theoretical lens, to illustrate the ways in which young migrants' experiences provide meaning for them and give them an opportunity to assess, and plan for better opportunities despite the stark outlook. Thematic analysis was used to examine the multidimensionality of socio-spatial identities in young migrants. The findings illustrate how young migrants hustle for opportunities to lead valuable lives in the face of uncertainty. The implications highlight how attending to the complex intersectional nuances of uncertainty can serve as an enabler of aspirations, alongside essential structural factors influencing migration among young people brought up in rural communities. However, in proposing this alternative view of positive uncertainty, the structural violence experienced by these young people should not be overlooked and should be addressed as per their context