This study sought to examine the challenges experienced by Economics and Management Sciences (EMS) teachers during Continuous Professional Teacher Development (CPTD) in the Thabo-Mofutsanyane Education District, South Africa. This study adopted a relational leadership theoretical framework, which supports the need for school leadership to prioritize relationships when implementing CPTD. This study used a qualitative research approach, which is more interested in analyzing data with the aim of finding the truth than a statistical narrative. Within this study, a case study methodology involving six participants was selected through purposive sampling and snowballing from one school in the Thabo-Mafutsanyane district. The collected data through semi-structured interviews with those six participants was subjected to thematic analysis. This study is important as it shows that healthy school relations are gravely significant for the success of CPTD and that there is a dire need for subject advisors to harmoniously work together with teachers to ensure CPTD programs are effectively implemented. Keywords: Healthy School Relations, Quality Teaching, Continuing Professional Development, Relational Leadership

South African Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) lecturers and student development practitioners are not sufficiently equipped to address psycho-social challenges encountered by students, and that negatively affects learning and teaching. The main aim of the study was to examine the impact of psycho-social support services on students’ development at a South African TVET college. The study used a qualitative phenomenological research technique. The participants of the study comprised a total number of 9 participants. The participants included 2 lecturers (one from NCV and the other from Report 191 programmes), 3 students from National Certificate Vocational (NCV) programme (L2-L4), 3 students from Report 191 programme (N4-N6), and 1 Student Development Practitioner of a South African TVET college who were selected through a simple random technique. Face-to-face interviews were used for data collection. Thematic analysis was adopted as a tool to analyse the data and findings revealed inadequate provision of counselling and the unavailability of peer tutoring as psycho-social support services that had a negative bearing on their development. The participants' low socio-economic level and the restricted availability of specialised psycho-social assistance for student development from a South African TVET institution were additional factors that negatively impacted their relatedness, competence, and autonomy. Future research is needed to examine the impact of psycho-social support services on students’ development at South African TVET colleges by using a larger sample of participants. The paper's findings indicate that the provision of counselling to students, understanding the impact of socio-economic status, and the availability of peer tutoring could develop students psychosocially at the South African TVET college in question. Furthermore, empowering lecturers and SDPs with psychosocial support skills helps them respond to the psychosocial challenges to student development.

With coloniality, thought itself became discriminatory and was categorized into racial forms. That discrimination and categorization of thought gave rise to the idea that philosophy itself must be differentially categorized as either Western, Eastern, or African as if thought has a race and geographic location. The issue at this age is that those categorizations get serious to the extent that it is unthinkable that African scholars can benefit from any thought system except from African philosophy. This paper argued that those vices dent human enlightenment and developmental progress. Within that purpose, this paper used an analytic theoretical framework to argue that it is an unguided racist view that there is no benefit for African scholars in Western philosophy. The adoption of Critical Social Theory was selected as one case whereby an African rural university received a plethora of criticisms as being hypocritical in the decolonization mission. Among the findings of this study one important aspect came out more clearly, that humans love unity rather than division according to race, class and so on. This study recommends that decolonization should be embraced willingly with a clear realization that humanity is one race rather than a divided existence. This study posits that having a proper perspective of decolonization will eliminate hypocrisy among scholars and create that realization of human knowledge as one racial epistemology. Keywords: Coloniality, Philosophy, Academic Discrimination, Decolonization, Theoretic Operandi.

The teaching of theology in South Africa is narrowly understood in the context of Abrahamic religions. Within those religions, there are notions like angels and demons that make sense but remain problematic in the African understanding of God and spirituality. African spirituality gets overshadowed by coloniality such that African scholars resort to silence rather than correcting those errors that are committed while teaching theology to Africans. Since theology is the study of God, it should be subject to different interpretations that allow for a multiplicity of approaches. Since demystification and decolonisation of African theology are needed, this paper denounces foreign concepts in theology that seek to demotivate the whole concept of a decolonial theology. Analytic theory is used as the lens in this study. The purpose of this study is to clearly surface the concept of decolonisation within religion and the notion of beings within theological studies. This qualitative study adopts a desktop conceptual research methodology. Major findings of this study reveal that (i) theology in South Africa is taught in a Eurocentric fashion and the concepts used are Western, (ii) there is a high level of ignoring the African concepts and religions in the plight of theologians to reinforce Christianity. Core recommendations include (i) transformation of theological teaching that accommodates African spirituality, and (ii) popularization of African notions/ concepts to refer to such beings that the Western religions have called angels and demons. This study contributes to the decolonial scholarship with regard to theological studies of spiritual beings. Keywords: Theology, Decoloniality, Africanization, Afrocentric Theology, Spirituality

Food insecurity is one of the less researched problems that poses a challenge to schools in South Africa. This qualitative study seeks to holistically explore this problem as it adopts Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory as the lenses of exploration. In addition to socio-cultural beliefs on food and academic achievement, Maslow and Vygotsky offer a framework for physiological and cultural theories of how food impacts human brain function and capability. Therefore, this study's primary goal is to investigate the connection between food insecurity and academic achievement in rural South African schools, such as Tshehlo Secondary School in the Capricorn region of the province of Limpopo. Methodologically, this study purposively sampled grade 10,11, and 12 learners from Tshehlo secondary school for focus group discussions, observations, semi-structured interviews, and surveys from top to low achievers. The data collected were thematically analysed as they show that there is a link between food insecurity and learners’ performance in classrooms. Data was analysed to compare the experiences of top and low-performing learners with food insecurity and how it affects their performance in the classroom. Objectives of this study are; (a) to explore the effects of food insecurity on learners’ concentration and attention in the classroom, (b) to explore the impact of food insecurity on learners’ academic achievements, (c) to explore the relationship between food insecurity and learners’ performance in the classroom, (d) to explore any comparative difference between learners from food secure background and those who come from food insecure homes in terms of academic success. Recommendations thereof significantly include (a) devising ways to ensure food security programs in schools, (b) counselling and motivation in schools, and (c) DBE policy development and enforcement which involves even NGO’s with regards to learners’ nutrition. Conclusion entails that food security is more important for high quality achievements in schools as it directly impacts learners’ attitudes towards learning. Furthermore, it is challenging to evaluate the long-term educational effects of food poverty because a large number of the research are cross-sectional rather than longitudinal in character.

It has always been the case that teachers must produce a higher pass-rate to the managers. Due to this expectation, at some point lazy students get to rest well knowing that the teacher will have to make a plan to push them to pass. This has many implications like; (a) a teacher has to create intellectually weak assessments, (b) adjust the marks after giving assessments and students failed, or (c) having to account to the managers after having a low pass-rate. The serious issue with this situation is the harsh approach of the management towards the teacher who obtained a low pass-rate. S/he gets viciously blamed and confronted as if there cannot be any other factors that lead to a low pass-rate. The management’s approach is commonly bias towards supporting the learners at the unfair exposition of the teacher. Research methods include document analysis and semi-structured interviews within the education sector. Results of this study show that this kind of approach towards education management creates a power exercise dilemma between students and teachers. This victimization of teachers by students after the bias approach to the issue of lower pass-rate is even getting emphasized by some policies like progression policy that says ‘no student must repeat the class 2 times. This pressurizes the teacher as it makes it seem like it is a guaranteed fact that the student will improve after failing once. It is the conclusion of this paper that such misguided philosophy of the educational management must be put under logical scrutiny and be corrected for quality teaching and assessment. Using analytic theory, this qualitative study explores different ways in which low pass-rate issue can be addressed without creating power exercise dilemma which ends up supporting students’ laziness and protests after obtaining low pass-rate.