In recent years there has been growing awareness about teenage motherhood, a phenomenon constructed as an economic and social concern in South Africa. This article presents a narrative inquiry undertaken with seven teenage mothers on their experiences of schooling and motherhood at a rural secondary school in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The study illuminates how the young mothers are positioned by dominant social narratives, how they position themselves through their own stories, and how they navigate existing narratives. The findings show that dominant pathologising narratives of deviance, shame and stigma shape the social realities of the young mothers. The young mothers receive limited support from the school to assist them in navigating barriers to curriculum access and quality education. Although extended families and community members provide networks of support, these are fragile in a context of poverty and disadvantage. Nevertheless, the findings show that although teenage motherhood and parenting remain stigmatised in the particular schooling context, the young mothers display resiliency and agency in the ways in which they navigate difficulties and commit to completing secondary education. The paper argues for interventions to support young mothers who have returned to school that are framed by a social justice education agenda.

This article is based on findings drawn from a large-scale study aimed at mapping barriers to education in the context of social disadvantage. The research sites focused on in this paper are: one early childhood facility, four primary schools and the communities of these learning centres. Participants included learners, teachers, caregivers and parents and interested community members. Findings from the study were published widely in a research report, book chapters and peer-reviewed publications. In this article an attempt is made to revisit the findings on child well-being and quality of life, drawing on debates on sustainable development, in particular on the concept of social sustainability. The analysis draws attention to the importance of creating cultures of social sustainability within social institutions and communities to enhance the well-being of children. The article highlights the significance of values that are rights based and collective networks in cultures of sustainability.

It is widely acknowledged that understanding of science is key to becoming global citizens and to embrace technological advancements. Although research suggests that girl’s performance in science has improved over the years, there are still concerns about the under-representation of women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) careers in most African countries, including South Africa. Variability in science performance according to gender is still an unresolved issue. In this study we aimed to examine the relationship between gender and science item achievement of Grade 9 South African learners in the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2015. We used data collected by TIMSS 2015. The data were further analysed using International Database (IDB) analyser and t-test statistics. The results show that in general gender did not influence learner achievement in most of the test items. However, the findings indicate that girls performed better than boys in most of the questions in all 4 content domains and in the knowing and reasoning cognitive domains. The study highlighted that gender had a limited effect in the manner in which the girls and boys answered the different test items. The observed gender differences in the content domains could be related to socio-cultural environments and learning experiences.

Jika iMfundo, with its particular focus on curriculum coverage, is an intervention for systemic education change. In this paper we focus on the extent to which Heads of Departments (HoDs) are able to play an adaptive leadership role in supporting the teachers in their departments. We report on data generated from interviews with HODs in fifteen KwaZulu-Natal schools that had been part of the Jika iMfundo intervention from 2015 to 2017. While Jika iMfundo's aim is to shift HODs' leadership practices from being based on technical compliance to the achievement of a more developmental and supportive role, our findings show that the majority of HODs were not able to do this because of their heavy workloads and overwhelming administrative responsibilities. We argue that the theory of change based on the Programme for Improving Learning Outcomes (PILO) has unrealistic expectations of HODs as key levers of change for curriculum coverage and, furthermore, that this theory does not take into account the realities and variations of resourcing in different school contexts.

It is well documented that rates of HIV infection in South Africa are alarmingly high, with approximately 7.5 million people living with HIV in 2021. This study aimed to explore how culture in the form of the values, practices, norms and beliefs prevalent in society influences teaching about sexuality and HIV in South Africa. The study adopted a qualitative, narrative approach and drew on findings from a purposive sample of six further education and training life orientation teachers from six schools in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Data were analysed using thematic analysis and cultural diamond principles. Socio-cultural complexities were found to shape discussion of sexuality and HIV. Five key themes were developed from an analysis of participants’ responses: school guidelines, culture of silence, personal experiences, cultural taboos, and language as a barrier. Findings signal the value of an integrated whole-school approach to the design and delivery of the curriculum involving key stakeholders and the perspectives of parents and religious leaders about the teaching of sexuality and HIV. The national departments of education and health in South Africa should also provide resources and guidelines detailing best practices to assist life orientation teachers.