Users’ Perspectives on Access to Learning Materials in
Southern Africa1
Introduction
This report is divided into 3 parts. The first part is primary research material gathered
from interviewing 12 learners about their experiences in accessing learning materials
in urban areas currently, and some in rural areas as children. The second part is a
comparative study of prices of four internationally used textbooks – two books that
have a particular interest to South Africans and five locally produced textbooks. The
third part deals with secondary research sources that shed light on the myriad of issues
that surround and vex access to learning materials in rural areas as a part of distance
learning.
Part 1
Testimonial Gathering
A small sample of testimonials was gathered in and around Gauteng during October
2004, ranging from Adult Basic Education and Training (ABET) learners in
Bophelong, a township 100km south of Johannesburg, , to students at the University
of the Witwatersrand. Questions covered learners' current studies at tertiary and adult
levels as well a their childhood experiences in accessing materials at primary and
secondary school levels..
List of Interviewees
1
Gender
F
Address
Institution
Wits
University
Age
40+
Durban
Study Focus
Forced
Migration
SANLI/UNI
SA
Sophia
Secondary
SANLI/UNI
SA
SANLI/UNI
SA
SANLI/UNI
SA
33
2
F
Bophelong
ABET Level 1
3
M
Bophelong
Grade 11
4
M
Bophelong
ABET
5
F
Bophelong
ABET Level 1
6
F
Bophelong
ABET Level 1
18
30
23
43
Principal research conducted by Beulah Thumbadoo. This paper is in draft stage and the author would
welcome your comments at – thumper@icon.co.za
1
7
F
Sandton
Grade 10
8
M
Tshianelo
9
F
Vereeniging
Electronic
Engineering
BSc Honours
10
11
F
F
Wits
Wits
12
F
Wits
BA
BA
Psychology
BA Economics
Michael
Mount
Waldorf
Highveld
College
Wits
University
UNISA
Wits
University
Wits
University
17
20
23
32
20
18
Responses to Questions
1. Do you use specific learning materials in your studies?
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
Yes, need a lot of texts because the field is new and the library doesn’t carry stock
Yes, SANLI/UNISA material
Looking into the Past; A4 books, Travel and Tourism
Yes, SANLI/UNISA material, study guides and modules
Yes, SANLI/UNISA material
Level 1 books in English, Numeracy, HIV/AIDS
Encyclopaedias and Text Books
Text Books
Text Books, computer and journals
Tutorials, study guides, text books
Computers, special programmes (software) for psych students, text books, libraries
Computers, textbooks and newspapers
2. How are these materials made available to you? How do you get them?
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
Mostly, we had to buy them
Free and most were on time but some were delayed
If you pay school fees of R50 a year, then you get all the books
Provided by UNISA
SANLI provides it
They were given to me and I could take them home – 5 textbooks
School library
I had to buy them
School libraries and labs
Posted on time but addition texts and reading material had to be bought
Buy or hire
Buy newspapers but use financial aid in form of staff bursary for text books
3. Is there a cost involved and if so how do you afford to pay for them?
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
Huge, but you have to pay
No
R50 school fee but I couldn’t afford it
Yes but you get a bursary from UNISA
No
No
No, because school fees are very high (R22 000)
Yes and some I couldn’t afford
Yes, included in fees
Exorbitantly priced so I could not afford to pay for them
Close to R500, it was too much. School fees were separate. We bought second hand
books
No library; go to town to Schuter and Shooter and spend R1200 for books & stationery
4. Have you experienced any difficulty accessing the learning materials you
need?
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
Yes, because the topic is new
Accessing Level 2 ABET because we want to progress but no books have come
Yes because I didn’t pay school fees I wasn’t allowed access to books
Materials came late, post is unreliable; came one module at a time
Yes, the materials were delayed so now we are using second hand material
Not really, we didn’t wait for long
Easy
Didn’t have money in time to buy the book but access from the college bookshop was
easy
Hard to get hold of enough material on the topics
Struggle to get to Nelspruit who would phone Van Schaik but the assignment was due!
By the time we could afford it, it was mid year
School fund raised for clever students; had a friend who quit cos she couldn’t afford it
5. Do you have a story to tell about how you accessed learning material?
Interviewee 1
I needed a book for my studies that I couldn’t find anywhere so I went to Adams in
Durban and they ordered it. They couldn’t quote me but thought that it would be
around R200 roughly. The actual bill was R720. The book is Risk and
Reconstruction by the World Bank edited by Michael Cernea and Christopher
MacDowell. Then I needed to go to spend 6 months in Angola to work amongst
Portuguese speaking migrants. So I looked for a Portuguese language book which I
found at Exclusives at R270. It was one of the Hugo – Teach Yourself series which I
later found in Zambia for 50 000 Kwacha or approximately 10 USD. The SA
conversion worked out to 33 USD.
Interviewee 2
In explaining about how she was now involved in the SANLI ABET course it became
apparent that as a child she had come from a disadvantaged background with no
money for uniform and so she had never gone to school.
Interviewee 3
He, amongst many other learners at his school and amongst the 6 schools in
Bophelong, could not afford the R50 school fee. The principal was prepared to let his
parents do some work in lieu of the R50 but they were insulted by this proposition.
500 learners held a march on January 22nd 2004, going from school to school. Those
who were not marching were locked inside. They went to the District Manager who
informed the school principal that he could not deny the learners access to books so
the principal relented.
Interviewee 4
The participant is a community worker and had started an organisation called Tsebo
which works in the Orange Farm, Sebokeng and Bophelong areas. He was frustrated
at the lack of progress in SANLI. Learners and educators had been excited when
ABET Level one was introduced in 2003 and had anticipated moving on to ABET
Level 2 in 2004. This had not materialised and it seems they’ve been waiting all year
for a renewal of some kind. DfID funding which had aided UNISA in running the
programme had been withdrawn. So no ABET Level 2 material had arrived this year.
This story was repeated by other interviewees who had been on the SANLI (South
African National Literacy Initiative) programme.
Interviewee 7
Quite appropriately had no story to tell whatsoever. She’s at a Waldorf School in
Bryanston and pays school fees of approximately R22 000 per year.
Interviewee 8
When he was in primary school he had to share textbooks. Nobody was allowed to
take the books home. The same textbooks had been used the year before and were not
in good shape. Pages were missing. If you don’t own something you can’t control
what happens to it. Having to prepare for exams was difficult because the notes you
take don’t have enough information to write your exams. One really needs to own a
textbook, then you are at an advantage.
Interviewee 10
I passed my first degree through memorising and rote learning. I never got beyond
50% because I only used the UNISA guides because that was all I could afford. The
reason why I couldn’t get a bursary was because my marks were low. But they were
low because I couldn’t afford the books that could have increased my marks. I was in
Mpumalanga and I had to travel to Nelspruit to find the books I needed for my
assignments but the Nelspruit bookshop often didn’t stock the right books and would
call Van Schaiks and order it. But by that time the assignment was already due. Also
I remember when I was a child, I loved my textbooks, especially the pictures and I
didn’t want to let them go but you had to at the end of a period. It would break my
heart.
Interviewee 11
I was at a comprehensive High School in Barberton and there were mixed teachers (of
different races) and the school fees were high. But because there was a high pass rate
we went even though it was expensive. In the township schools different rules
applied and they got their textbooks with their school fees. I bought second-hand
books because even though the first-hand books were available in shops they were too
expensive. But sometimes by the time we could afford even the second hand book it
was mid year.
Interviewee 12
We had 109 students in one classroom and there was a shortage of desks but my
school never the less got 100% matric pass. People are willing to work together to
help each other. The school didn’t have a lab and so we were supposed to manage on
the text book only. We would travel to another school at our own expense to do
experiments. The students were active in our rural area because we wanted to do
well. At school, even if the subject was English the teacher would teach in Zulu, so by
the time we get to University, the English used here is very advanced compared to
what we have been used to. Wall decorations in Class 1 were all in English. There is
pressure in school to speak home language. If you speak in English people will think
you want to make yourself 'a somebody' or better than them.
Interviewees 11 and 12 were asked what they would do if made Education Minister.
"Find students in rural areas because they are really trying, but they can’t afford fees
and books."
Analysis of interviews

The experience of Adult Basic Education & Training (ABET) learners on the
South African National Literacy Initiative (SANLI) programme were almost
exactly the same. The reason they got involved was largely because they had
been excluded from the benefits of learning as children and the SANLI course run
by UNISA was free of charge. This is a clear indicator that poor disadvantaged
people will join literacy courses if they are free and if essential learning materials
are provided free of charge. They were all very disappointed that they were not
able to move on to ABET Level 2 and were willing to be interviewed in the hopes
that I would be able to do something to move things forward. They have no
money to pay for tutoring or materials themselves but their willingness and
eagerness was evident from their attendance (17) and volunteering their homes for
study.










No two experiences of accessing learning materials has been the same for any
other students interviewed. Three students interviewed were attendants at the
Moving into Dance studio which is a dance school in the Newtown Precinct of
Johannesburg. They attend an open dance class on Saturday mornings and come
from different backgrounds.
It is not possible to research access to learning materials in isolation because it is
not a simple, independent activity. It is affected by complex dynamics that have
an impact on the individual experience. The researcher found that values, cost,
militancy, attitudes of entitlement, acceptance of one's plight and raised
expectations, all affected the access to learning materials experience.
While the cost of materials was raised as the greatest barrier to accessing learning
materials, it is not the only barrier.
Even when the cost of learning materials is a barrier, it is not the sole determinant
of whether studies will be successfully completed.
Despite being a small sample, the people interviewed brought up a range of some
anticipated and some unexpected positions for the ALM project to consider.
A poor rural school in KwaZulu Natal, Nkandla, is able to produce a 100% pass
rate because of sheer will and enthusiasm, with students travelling a distance to
town to purchase books and stationery for R1200 annually which they could ill
afford.
A disadvantaged urban youth considers it an insult to have his parents asked to do
some service in lieu of R50 school fees and thinks marching is a more appropriate
means to access books. And succeeds.
It seems clear that the ideal textbook scenario is one in which every single learner
possesses enough appropriate textbooks and is allowed to both own them and take
them home.
Language presents a range of challenges that need to be tackled.
Books are generally considered to be expensive if the learner engages in the
process of access. The learner at the Waldorf School did not share this
experience. However she did say that books at her school lasted very long, much
more than four years, because even though they were covered, she could see the
names of users going back many years. She felt they had an attitude of caring for
books, 'you just know you must treat books with care,' she said.
Testimonies from other Adult Educators – Bophelong, Gauteng
Parallel to the one-on-one interview sessions that I hosted in the small house used for
adult learner classes in Bophelong, a township 100km south of Johannesburg, my
colleague Sarah Motha ran a focus session outside the house with other educators and
learners who arrived because they had heard about the research. They hoped the
project might assist in resolving some of the problems they were experiencing in the
ABET programme. These problems included:





Since January until present there has been no stipend for ABET educators
No learning material for level 2 or level 1 adult learner
SANLI says the resources for ABET were exhausted by the elections
2003 adult learners have not received certificates
Textbooks are shared and an alternative would be handouts


No registration forms
Salary scale for educators not the same
Rachel (Adult Educator)
Learners attending at her house (14 learners)
Nearest school denies us access due to security after school hours for fear of
vandalism
Adult learners testimonies
Our educator passed away and was an attentive person that used to pay individual
attention
Distance is a problem to us as well
Part 2
Comparative Prices Table
I asked a librarian at the Durban Institute for Technology to choose 4 random but well
used prescribed textbooks that were likely to be used outside of South Africa too. She
suggested the following textbooks:
 Stephen P Robbins, Management,
 K A Stroud, Advanced Engineering Mathematics
 David Shier, Hole's Human Anatomy and Physiology
 Robert L Boylestad, Introductory Circuit Analysis
On Bookfinder.com I was able to search for these books via title, and request prices in
SA Rand or US dollar. Once I had established that the rand rate was a simple
conversion from the US dollar I chose to look for the rand and US dollar rate
throughout for the rest of the books, in order to compare with what each book
actually cost in bookshops in South Africa.
Stephen P Robbins, Management
# Bookseller Notes Price 1 A1Books
[United States] Hardcover, ISBN: 0131439944
Publisher: Prentice Hall, 2004
$58.92 2 Amazon.ca
[Canada] Hardcover, ISBN: 0139215034
1998
$64.14 3 Amazon.co.uk
[United Kingdom] Softcover, ISBN: 0130619175
Publisher: Pearson US Imports & PHIPEs, 2001
$65.81 4 Dymocks
[Australia] Softcover, ISBN: 0130319651
$77.95
# Bookseller Notes Price 1 A1Books
[United States] Hardcover, ISBN: 0131439944
Publisher: Prentice Hall, 2004
R362.81 2 Amazon.ca
[Canada] Hardcover, ISBN: 0139215034
1998
R394.94 3 Amazon.co.uk
[United Kingdom] Softcover, ISBN: 0130619175
Publisher: Pearson US Imports & PHIPEs, 2001
R405.24 4 Dymocks
[Australia] Softcover, ISBN: 0130319651
R479.97
Juta is awaiting stock of the book, which last sold at R431.81
K A Stroud, Advanced Engineering Mathematics
# Bookseller Notes Price 1 Amazon.com
[United States] Softcover, ISBN: 0831131691
Publisher: Industrial Pr, 2003
$40.77 2 A1Books
[United States] Softcover, ISBN: 0831131691
Publisher: Industrial Pr, 2003
$50.86 3 TotalCampus.com
[United States] Softcover, ISBN: 0831131691
Publisher: Industrial Pr, 2003
$50.90 4 TextbookX.com
[United States] Softcover, ISBN: 0831131691
Publisher: Industrial Pr, 2003
$53.53
# Bookseller Notes Price 1 Amazon.com
[United States] Softcover, ISBN: 0831131691
Publisher: Industrial Pr, 2003
R251.05 2 A1Books
[United States] Softcover, ISBN: 0831131691
Publisher: Industrial Pr, 2003
R313.18 3 TotalCampus.com
[United States] Softcover, ISBN: 0831131691
Publisher: Industrial Pr, 2003
R313.42 4 TextbookX.com
[United States] Softcover, ISBN: 0831131691
Publisher: Industrial Pr, 2003
R329.62
Juta is awaiting stock of the book, which last sold at R589.15
David Shier, Hole's Human Anatomy and Physiology
# Bookseller Notes Price 1 Powell's Books
[United States] ISBN: 0697329194
Type: spiral; Section: Health and Medicine-Anatomy and Physiology
$30.35 2 biggerbooks.com
[United States] Hardcover, ISBN: 0072907789
Publisher: Glencoe/McGraw-Hill
$34.33 3 Amazon.ca
[Canada] Softcover, ISBN: 0072852887
2005
$48.26
# Bookseller Notes Price 1 Amazon.co.uk
[United Kingdom] Softcover, ISBN: 0071215336
Publisher: McGraw-Hill Education (ISE Editions), 2003
R427.76 2 A1Books
[United States] Hardcover, ISBN: 0072438908
Publisher: McGraw-Hill College, 2003
R560.28 3 Amazon.ca
[Canada] Hardcover, ISBN: 0072438908
Publisher: McGraw-Hill College, 2003
R687.87
Juta has the 10th edition available for R354.80
Robert L Boylestad, Introductory Circuit Analysis
# Bookseller Notes Price 1 Amazon.co.uk
[United Kingdom] Softcover, ISBN: 0130486612
Publisher: Prentice Hall, 2004
$25.58 2 Powell's Books
[United States] Softcover, ISBN: 0130486612
Publisher: Prentice Hall, 2004
Section: Electricity-General Electronics $45.10 3 biggerbooks.com
[United States] Softcover, ISBN: 0130486612
Publisher: Prentice Hall, 2004
$45.61 4 Amazon.com
[United States] Softcover, ISBN: 0130486612
Publisher: Prentice Hall, 2004
$49.00
# Bookseller Notes Price 1 Amazon.co.uk
[United Kingdom] Hardcover, ISBN: 0132359049
Publisher: Pearson US Imports & PHIPEs, 1996
R371.46 2 Amazon.ca
[Canada] Hardcover, ISBN: 0132359049
1996
R372.34 3 Powell's Books
[United States] Hardcover, ISBN: 0132359049
Section: Electricity-General Electronics R548.03 4 A1Books
[United States] Hardcover, ISBN: 013097417X
Publisher: Prentice Hall, 2002
R597.91
Van Schaik is awaiting stock of the book, which last sold at R382.50
Michael M Cernea, Risk and Reconstruction
I chose to look at this book since one of our interviewees had paid R720 for it.
# Bookseller Notes Price 1 TextbookX.com
[United States] Softcover, ISBN: 0821344447
Publisher: World Bank
R148.34 2 Amazon.com
[United States] Softcover, ISBN: 0821344447
Publisher: World Bank
R153.94 3 Barnes & Noble.com
[United States] Softcover, ISBN: 0821344447
Publisher: World Bank
Free shipping in the US (see site for details) R153.94
# Bookseller Notes Price 1 TextbookX.com
[United States] Softcover, ISBN: 0821344447
Publisher: World Bank
$24.09 2 Amazon.com
[United States] Softcover, ISBN: 0821344447
Publisher: World Bank
$25.00 3 Barnes & Noble.com
[United States] Softcover, ISBN: 0821344447
Publisher: World Bank
Free shipping in the US (see site for details) $25.00
Was not available and had never been at either Juta or Van Schaik
J M Coetzee, Disgrace
I chose to look at this book because it is an award-winning book by a South African
# Bookseller Notes Price 1 BookCloseOuts.com
[United States] Softcover, ISBN: 0140296409
Publisher: Penguin USA, 2003
$5.49 2 A1Books
[United States] Softcover, ISBN: 0140296409
Publisher: Penguin USA, 2003
$8.30 3 TotalCampus.com
[United States] Softcover, ISBN: 0140296409
Publisher: Penguin USA, 2003
$8.68
# Bookseller Notes Price 1 BookCloseOuts.com
[United States] Softcover, ISBN: 0140296409
Publisher: Penguin USA, 2003
R33.81 2 A1Books
[United States] Softcover, ISBN: 0140296409
Publisher: Penguin USA, 2003
R51.11 3 TotalCampus.com
[United States] Softcover, ISBN: 0140296409
Publisher: Penguin USA, 2003
R53.45
Available at Van Schaik at R95.50
Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom
I chose to look at this book because it is prescribed in high school English literature
courses and because of claims that it was more expensive in South Africa than many
other places in the world
# Bookseller Notes Price 1 Amazon.co.uk
[United Kingdom] Softcover, ISBN: 034911630X
Publisher: Abacus, 2003
$7.66 2 Overstock.com
[United States] Softcover, ISBN: 0316548189
Publisher: Little Brown & Co, 1995
$9.99 3 A1Books
[United States] Softcover, ISBN: 0316548189
Publisher: Little Brown & Co, 1995
$10.67
# Bookseller Notes Price 1 Amazon.co.uk
[United Kingdom] Softcover, ISBN: 0349116024
Publisher: Abacus, 2002
R47.18 2 Amazon.co.uk
[United Kingdom] Softcover, ISBN: 034911630X
Publisher: Abacus, 2003
R47.18 3 Overstock.com
[United States] Softcover, ISBN: 0316548189
Publisher: Little Brown & Co, 1995
R61.51
The central Johannesburg CNA sells it at R135.00
Tabulated Comparison
Author
Title
Publisher
Price at Price in
Amazon US$
R394
$58.92
Price in
SA Shop
R431
Robbins,
Stephen P
Management
Prentice-Hall
Stroud KA
Advanced
engineering
mathematics
Hole's Human
Anatomy and
Physiology
Introductory
Circuit Analysis
Risk and
Reconstruction
Palgrave
Macmillan
R251
$50.86
R589
McGraw-Hill
R428
$34.33
R355
Prentice-Hall
R371
$45.61
R382
World Bank
R153
$25
R720
$5.50
R95.50
Sheir David
Boylestad,
Robert L
Michael
Cernea
J M Coetzee Disgrace
(fiction)
Penguin
Nelson
Mandela
Long Walk to
Freedom
(Autobiography)
Abacus
R47.18
$7.66
R135
The web-sites available to search for book prices do not include the prices available in
any African countries, South American countries or India. They do include Japan,
Canada, US, UK, Australia and New Zealand. This table poses problems because it
does not provide any simple comparisons. Working with a rand/dollar exchange rate
of 6.20 to 1:
Book 1 illustrates a R66 difference between the price in the US and the price in SA,
with the book being more expensive in SA.
Book 2 illustrates a difference of R337 with the book being more expensive in SA.
Book 3 illustrates a difference of roughly R60 with the book being cheaper in SA.
Book 4 is available at the same price in both countries.
Book 5 should have been available at roughly the exchange rate price of R155 but
instead was sold to an interviewee at roughly 5 times that price.
Book 6 based on the USD should be available in SA at R34 but is instead available
for just under 3 times that price.
Book 7 is comparable to Book 6 in that the book is available at slightly less than 3
times the price it is available in the US.
It then seemed appropriate to consider what textbooks produced in SA cost. I
inquired after the top 5 selling locally published textbooks at Juta in Johannesburg
and was offered the following list.
Title
Economics for SA Students
SA Human Resource Management
Introduction to Business Management
Management Principles
General Principles of Commercial Law
Publisher
Van Schaik's
Juta
Oxford
Juta
Juta
ISBN
0627025544
0702158453
0195781295
0702155454
0702166650
Price
R345
R315
R290
R250
R225
If we take Risk and Reconstruction from our import list to be an exceptional case,
some locally made books average between R100 and R300 cheaper than imported
books and others are almost as expensive.
It would therefore seem that we have to tackle two issues. The fact that books are
generally not cheap whether published locally or imported and the fact that imported
books are more expensive than locally made books.
This is how a local publisher explains how the cost of a book is arrived at.
+ 14%
VAT
PUBLISHER
BOOKSELLER
Sales promotion
Rent, rates, office
overheads.
Storage, invoicing.
Delivery fleet.
Salaries
Profit margin.
Bookseller’s
overheads
30%
Typesetting &
Reproduction
9%
Author’s
royalty
12%
Publisher’s
overheads
28%
Editorial work, research, design
Sales Promotion
(Promotional free copies = 3.5%)
(Bad debts = 1.5%)
Rent, rates, office overheads.
Distribution, warehousing, packing, invoicing
Delivery vehicles
Salaries
Profit margin.
Manufacturing
cost 30%
Printing &
Binding 9%
Paper 12%
PAPER
MANUFACTURER/PRINTER/
TYPESETTER
Rent, rates, office overheads
Machinery
Salaries
Profit margin
Courtesy of Kate McCallum, when Managing Director,
Oxford University Press
Facts and Friction
The following excerpt from the Print Industries Cluster Council (PICC) paper on Are
Books Expensive by Elitha van der Sandt argues several interesting points in italic
followed by my own response:
There are many factors affecting the cost of learning support material, inter alia:
 Decentralised procurement, where nine provinces and individual schools
purchase textbooks, creates fewer economies of scale, thus smaller print runs
that mean higher costs. The solution to this is not to centralise book approval
and/or procurement, but to co-ordinate the various timelines of submission,



ordering and supply in the nine provinces thereby allowing provincial
autonomy but with concomitant price benefit. People confront government,
bureaucratic and other inefficient processes every minute of every day in
South Africa and it's not a problem that is likely to go away in the short term.
So while we acknowledge inefficient processes are likely to waste money, it is
in fact the process of education and training towards efficiency that will
improve the situation. Young and upcoming learners cannot continue to suffer
till this reality is realised. A more proactive attitude to providing alternative
solutions in the meanwhile is required.
Diversity in language results in higher unit costs due to smaller print runs.
This is inevitable in any country with a multilingual language policy. Firstly,
we need an inventory on how many home language books are being published
each year and secondly there needs to be a change of attitude so that language
is regarded as a resource rather than and expense.
On average, a textbook should last at least four years. Therefore, the quality
of paper and binding should be durable for this period. Although the quality
paper and binding increases the cost of a book, it remains cost effective in the
long-term as books have to be replaced less frequently. The culture of
keeping and looking after books is not prevalent in SA. To use expensive
materials to make books in the hopes that such a culture will manifest in the
short term is not realistic. Some day all schools will have learners like the
Waldorf interviewee's predecessors, but that day will take some time in
coming.
Tight implementation deadlines for the production of textbooks relates to a
number of hidden costs, that contribute to higher costs, for example: book
production involves a complex supply chain, including paper manufacturers,
printers, publishers and booksellers. Each segment of the chain needs to know
the estimated requirements in advance to ensure their capacity (sufficient
stock, staff etc.) can meet the demand. Failing to do this, results in shortage of
paper and indenting at short notice, lack of capacity with printers, and
publishers and booksellers and/or tenders having to increase overtime and/or
employ extra freelance/casual staff to ensure that books are delivered in time.2
It is a fact that the DoE turn-around time on most things, from designing and
implementing policy to ordinary internal and external correspondence, to
returning telephone calls takes much longer than the rest of the world is used
to. It is understandable that this is frustrating to publishers, but again it is not
the kind of problem that is likely to change for the better in the short term so
we have to find other ways to deal with it that impact more favourably on the
end user.
Adapted from McCallum, K. (1996). A study of factors which contribute to the cost of books in school. Publishers
Association of South Africa. Unpublished paper.
2
Academic Publishing
The academic publishing sector in South Africa is relatively small, with more than
50% of academic texts being imported. It accounts for about 12% of the total
publishing in the country3.
A recent survey among academic publishers revealed that the purchase rate of
prescribed textbooks at the local tertiary institutions is only 25 – 30%. This is
indicative of two main concerns:
 books are not perceived to add value as a tool to support people in their
future career as one finds with a reading and well educated nation It may
equally be indicative of the fact that learners cannot afford the total book
price at the beginning of the year when there are so many competing costs
and textbooks to be bought. Also some libraries order multiple copies of
textbooks because they understand that their learners cannot afford to buy
even prescribed books.
 the industry is experiencing an increase in photocopying of books at
tertiary institutions by both students and academics
Perhaps later in the year it seems less and less of an imperative to buy text
books because lecturers appear to encourage the practice of photocopying
or understand the financial constraints most students operate within or
maybe they need only particular chapters of a textbook and its perceived
value diminishes?
The impact of the above is that print runs of locally produced texts are fragmented
and sell in small quantities. This infringement of copyright impedes the growth that is
required for economies of scale that allow for lower prices. This is further
exacerbated by the fact that tertiary enrolments in South Africa are much lower than
in most countries that we tend to compare ourselves with such as the UK, USA and
India. The international academic book publishing sector is very competitive, much
bigger and therefore on average has larger print runs.
Perhaps our creative problem solving ability would be better served if we stopped
comparing ourselves with those countries with which we cannot compare because we
are a developing country with developing imperatives, with poor, under educated
people who have not acquired education, let alone the means to buy books. We might
more appropriately compare ourselves with Cuba which has been under severe
economic constraint for a very long time but which prioritises health and education
and ensures these are free of charge and that there are street vendors with books
selling for a few cents peppered all over. The lack of enrolments at tertiary
institutions cannot be viewed as a stumbling block in the world of publishers. It is the
result of apartheid, bantu education and a legacy of exclusion. Other countries were
allowed to develop in stages, over time with a natural growth and demand for various
products amongst these books. The third world has to catch up at a near impossible
rate in order to survive in the global village when the many we are catering to are still
in a village with very few, if any, other vestiges that some of the globe take for
granted.
Department of Arts and Culture. (1998). The South African Publishing Industry. Cultural Industries Growth
Strategy.
3
Furthermore, imported academic books are affected by the same financial
imperatives as other imported consumer goods. Not only does the direct exchange
rate and the volatility of the local currency contribute to higher pricing, but also
14% VAT and 10-13% of the value of goods for freight and shipping costs.
The notions of cheap and expensive are relative. For the purposes of the ALM
project, we are saying that the people who still need or want education in the SACU
region happen to fall into an earning or LSM bracket that would preclude them from
access to any and all learning materials touched on by this research. R50 or R100 off
any of the books examined would not be helpful. For them the cost would be too high.
As we have already seen, for some, any cost is too high. Unless there is an
intervention of some kind made on their behalf that ensures inclusion and access, they
must go without education.
The South African Constitution states that everyone has the right to a basic education,
including adult basic education; and to further education, which the state must take
reasonable measures to make progressively available and accessible. The constitution
is then one of the levers that we must move into delivery gear. The DoE has recently
embarked on a joint initiative with Hampton College in the United States to make
home language materials available to young school children in partnership with
USAID. Such measures, though controversial for many reasons, are understandable
when faced with a publishing industry that has had many years to re-orient and
reformulate to deal better with development imperatives, but chooses to use
arguments based on first world dynamics to justify its resistance to change.
It might have shown a more robust willingness to address some of the inequities of
the past, by viewing itself as both part of the problem and part of the solution. Such
introspection might have resulted in an approach to government to provide incentives
for specific projects of a developmental nature alongside a transparent look at costs
which might have led to more sympathy for the very real challenges that publishers in
a country with a small buying market face. A BEE charter will hopefully go some
way towards remedying the big access to learning materials picture, but it will be a
while before this will impact on the majority of learners.
Part 3
Secondary Research References
The third part of this paper will refer to specific studies in so far as they impact on
Access to Learning Materials work.
John L Nicholson has written that in the information age, access is the key to success.
In developed countries where books, magazines and increasingly the Internet, are
commonly found in homes, access to information can be taken for granted. But for
developing countries throughout the world, access to such resources is limited at best.
In South Africa, often considered a leader among sub-Saharan African countries, the
disparity of resources and access to information is great. The effects of apartheid, a
set of laws that fostered racial segregation and inequality, are still felt among nonwhite South Africans living in rural areas. He goes on to say that with the new
democratic government came changes in philosophy. In education, for example, the
old type of learning was based on rigid structures and memorization, not exploration
and resources outside of rote memorization and standardized textbooks to learn and
teach. Libraries are one of the most important new resources in this system because
libraries contain both traditional resources such as books and encyclopaedias and nontraditional resources like games, newspapers, brochures and storytelling. While South
Africans were promised free education, the government is not able to pay for the
entire cost of public education. Libraries are not considered part of education in
the budget process so there is no national funding for school libraries. "The
libraries we do have are in disrepair because there is no funding," said Cara Pieterse,
media advisor for the Northwest Province. "It is all up to the community." National
Department of Education employees are often overwhelmed by their workload.
Let us consider that workload. The Minister of Education in a parliamentary media
briefing on 28 May 2004 quoted the President's indictment of "opening the doors of
learning and culture" saying the education sector had been acting on this mandate for
some time. The doors that the education minister in particular and the sector in
general seek to open are amongst many others:
 funding for technical colleges and proper alignment of the courses they offer with
the requirement of the economy;
 consolidating the merger process of institutions of higher learning;
 ensuring that by the end of this financial year there is no learner and student
learning under a tree, mud-school or any dangerous conditions that exposes them
to the elements and that all schools will have access to clean water and sanitation.
 expanding the ABET programme, school nutrition and the provision of free basic
services.
What does this tell us? Firstly, that we are a developing nation with development
imperatives and secondly that the department of education has clear development
priorities for this year and beyond, which present an overwhelming workload
challenge.
Our former Minister of Trade and Industry, Alec Erwin, said that “Knowledge is the
distillation of human endeavour and it is the most profound collective good that there
is. It should not be turned into a commodity or be privatized…”.
The copyright regime under which we operate makes this wishful thinking.
According to Denise Nicholson, copyright librarian at Wits University, "To create a
culture of reading in developing countries, copyright laws must take into account the
need for eradication of illiteracy and massification of education. They must also
address distance and cross-border education, multilingualism and the needs of the
disabled. Lower book prices, abolition of book taxes, cheaper licensing and more
importantly, appropriate copyright laws and exceptions addressing the print and
electronic media, will all provide the means to get there.
She stresses that Literacy is the key to development and democracy. It is also an
untapped market for publishers. If people do not learn to read and appreciate the
written word, they will never buy books and there will be no market for publishers.
Making information more accessible and nurturing education today will provide
tomorrow’s thinkers and leaders, readers and authors.
To those who have been working in this sector for more than a decade, it seems like
all of this and more, has been said before, only to fall on deaf ears. But since a new
decade has dawned, one that is supposed to hold out more hope of delivery to the
'second economy', we must reconsider solutions.
Based on Appendices A, B and C which are parts of reports from the SAIDE Report to
the Kellogg Foundation - Using Distance Education to Contribute to the Eradication
of Poverty in South Africa, the following assertions or conclusions may be drawn
about non-urban adults pursuing studies:

Learners feel more confident in their home language and this leads to better
engagement with an educator who also speaks, teaches and explains in the home
language. Materials in English, even at post matriculation level are not fully
understood and learners await educator input to unravel meaning. Multilingual
educators and materials would therefore lead to better learning.

The lack or shortage of money is a barrier to accessing learning material in several
ways. Firstly, registration and the paying of fees, is used as a process of
elimination to draw only manageable numbers in to classes. If a learner is not
able to pay on registration day he will not receive learning materials and this will
place him at a disadvantage in terms of preparation. When he is able to afford the
materials, he will receive them and often this is months after the course has
commenced.

There are conflicting stories about the distribution of learning materials with many
not believing that the postal service in rural areas is reliable.

There is consensus on the fact that learning places an unbearable financial load on
breadwinners and other learners when you factor in transport, subsistence, food,
alternate arrangements and payment for care-giving and accommodation when
courses attended include contact sessions. However, the quality and reliability of
the service offered is valued.

The typical rural adult centred learning experience is characterised by:
 a shortage of learning materials with learners often sharing 3 to a module;
 a rummage for enough desks and chairs where the local school is used;
 an educator reading through the text and using the chalk board to reinforce the
teaching and learner participation only if the educator works with cross coding ie.
in home language and the language of the materials.

Tutors are a source of learning and therefore 'learning materials' in a sense, but
even when tutors offer learners their addresses and cell phone numbers, access to
tutors is limited by poor telecommunication service in rural areas.

Poor infrastructure limits the dissemination of programmes using media other than
text.
Conclusion
We sit before a window of opportunity because there appears once again to be a
groundswell of interest in opening up access to essential learning materials to those
who need it. It is a sentiment born of care, want, the need for redress, equity . The
print industries should not be done out of reasonable profit in the process of providing
fair access. Reasonable access to essential learning materials however, must also not
fall prey to excessively strict copyright regimes, meant for the prevention of piracy in
the software and entertainment industries. All of us will eventually benefit from
increased literacy in the SACU region. We must now try to understand each other's
concerns and interests with more sympathy and clarity. We must seize the opportunity
to work towards a solution that balances increasing access to learning materials and
knowledge; promoting transformation, broad-based black economic empowerment,
growth and investment in print and related industries; and formulating policies and
legislation that integrates intellectual property rights and development in southern
Africa.
Bibliography
SAIDE Report to the Kellogg Foundation - Using Distance Education to Contribute to
the Eradication of Poverty in South Africa, Various authors
John N Nicholson - Access to Learning Materials in SA www.biblio.org/wlp
Parliamentary Media Briefing by the Minister of Education, Naledi Pandor, 28 May
2004, Good Hope Chambers, CT
Are Books Expensive, Elitha van der Sandt, Print Industries Cluster Council
“If you think education is expensive, try ignorance!” What does a culture of reading
cost? (This paper is a shortened version of a paper presented at The Cost of a Culture
of Reading symposium in Cape Town recently. A full version can be obtained from the
writer at kate.mccallum@storm.co.za)
Whither the SA Book Industry, Brian Wafawarova, July-September Bookmark
Reading Material, Peter Mortensen, Written Communication, Vol 18 NO. 4 October
2001
Supporting teacher-students to learn: Accommodating diverstiy for distance students
at a contact university, Carola Steinberg et al, Wits University
The African Renaissance and the use of African Languages in Teritiary Education in
South Africa, Neville Alexander, Quarterly Review, EPU, Wits University
Interviews with DoE Officials on a national reading strategy
Emerging Issues in IPR for the African Information Society, Denise Rosemary
Nicholson, Wits University
Enabling effective literacy learning in multilingual South African early childhood
classrooms, Carole Bloch, PRAESA, University of Cape Town
Appendix 1
Case Study of the Promat College Contact Session at Jozini, a village in
Northern Kwa Zulu-Natal
One of the first steps towards dealing with access to learning materials is tackling the
issue of language. In SAIDE's assessment of a Promat College run distance learning
programme in Jozini, the following points of interest were raised amongst these adult
learners.
Language
The language issue is very critical - the majority of tutors are black and fluent in
Isizulu, the language predominantly used by learners. Learners said that the tutors
who are able to explain the content of the module in English and Isizulu are better
able to explain concepts, because they provide adequate examples. Mrs Lokker,
English speaker, was asked how the language barrier affects her teaching? She said:
Most learners experience difficulties with English as a language. It is
difficult for the learners to express themselves in class, as you
(Mandla) noticed in this morning session (class observed) and their
command in writing is fairly poor. This creates a problem in that they
are unable to read the learning materials independently and as a result,
rely on tutors to provide the explanation and notes. In addition,
learners prefer the explanation if is done in their mother tongue more
than in English. I, as an English speaker, think learners experience
problems when it comes to time for questions and clarity. However, we
need to bear in mind that they are educators themselves, we must not
spoon-feed them too much4.
This statement pays testimony to the contact sessions that we observed. The M+3
learners in Mrs Lokker session were passive, firstly, the learners were not asking
questions, or engaging the tutor. They were responding to examples only and when
she asked them whether they understood the section. Secondly, learners did not
participate in group discussions - there were less class activities. The tutor was
explaining and providing notes to learners. Contrary to this, the M+1 Technology and
M+2 Natural Science sessions were facilitated by the Isizulu speaking tutors,
participation was high because learners asked clarity seeking questions in Isizulu and
the tutors were able to clarify and provide examples in the same language.
The cost of registration for this particular course also offers first hand insight into how
cost affects study for previously disadvantaged individuals in rural areas.
Registration
Mr Sbongiseni Hlongwane, the centre co-ordinator and a tutor, informed us that the
first day of the contact session was mainly used for registration process. Learners are
4
Mrs Lokker, 28-09-2000. Informal Chat, tutor: Teaching studies
registered at each contact session, pay the required contact session fees, and receive
the learning materials (modules). The registration process records learners who attend
the contact session, ensures that payment is made and the distribution of learning
materials (modules) is effective.
However, learners raised some concerns regarding the registration process. They
informed us that if the registration fee was not paid on time or in full, they were not
allowed to attend classes. They said that this treatment forces some learner to abandon
the sessions. Missing classes has a direct impact on their studies, particularly towards
exams. Mrs Mthembu, M+3 learner said:
…we are compelled to pay registration fees during contact sessions,
like now I have with me here R880-00 and if I do not have the amount
with me now… I wouldn't get the learning materials, and I wouldn't be
allowed to attend the classes…5.
The centre co-ordinator mentioned that payment of registration fees is one
mechanism to control the numbers of learners who come to contact sessions.
He said large numbers of learners attend contact sessions because they value
them, especially the last two at the end of the year - September and November.
He indicated that the result of overcrowding in the contact sessions often lead
to insufficient learning materials as was with the September 2000 contact
session we had attended.
In preparation for contact sessions, learners who pay their registration fees via
the bank, receive timetables for the sessions in return. Learners who pay on
the day of the contact session are provided with the session timetable on the
spot. In addition, tutors record the assignments and portfolios submitted.
The following excerpt offers much insight into the difficulties confronted in accessing
learning materials even when such materials are supplied by the service provider.
Distribution of learning materials
The learners raised conflicting statements in as far as the distribution of learning
materials is concerned. Some informed us that they receive all their modules during
contact sessions and if it occurs that the materials run out, the administration ensures
that materials are sent to them via the postal service. Others said there was no
guarantee that they were going to receive them via the post, primarily because the
postal service was not reliable in rural areas.
Speaker 3 said:
What is bad about PROMAT is that they usually do not bring materials
early. Like in this contact session, they did not bring us all the module
materials and it is not for the first time they do this to us6.
5
6
Mrs Mthembu, 28-09-2000, M+3 leaner at PROMAT College.p.
Speaker 1, 29-09-2000. Transcripts, Mpuka's focus group interview. p
The issue of postal services was discussed in the tutors' focus group interview, Mr
Charles Kentor, the Maths tutor said:
…I was here in July, i.e. two months ago, and when the guys (learners)
were saying you know we did not receive this and that… we do not
know about the test (implying that they did not receive tests and
assignments notices sent to them by Promat). You know, the
communication (sending information to learners) may be there but
maybe they do not get the things sent to them, especially if they are
send via the postal service. There is a need to develop a proper
communication line between the admin and learners7.
Costs
Learners incur various costs when attending contact sessions. These costs range from
tuition fees, transport fare (taxis and buses), accommodation costs, and subsistence. In
addition to these costs, there are other indirect costs such personal instalments,
dependants, etc. Learners indicated that these costs placed unbearable constraint in
their salaries as learners and breadwinners and they affected their learning.
PROMAT College charges the tuition fee of approximately R4 800 per level of study
for part-time diploma8. This amount is payable in instalments over the year. Learners
interviewed individually and in focus group commented that PROMAT fees were
very high, placing unbearable financial obligations on them.
Speaker 1:
… What makes us realise that it is expensive, we were paying R3 200
and it rose to R4 800. What makes matters worse is that when we were
paying R3 200 the course duration was one year and half, i.e. 18
months. But now the amount is increased to R4 800 and the duration is
decreases to 12 months9.
Speaker 3:
The only thing that gives us difficulty is the fee, which costs us R4
80010.
Apart from the tuition fee and contact sessions registration fees, learners pointed out
that they have other financial responsibilities.
Mrs Mthembu said:
I stay far away from PROMAT in Jozini, therefore I spend a lot of
money on transport and food. I have a nanny who looks after my
children when I attend my classes at Promat. I pay her. And I am
obliged to pay fees11.
Kentor C, 29-09-2000. Transcript, Mpuka's focus group interview with tutors, p.
PROMAT College, 2000, Prospectus
9 Speaker 1, 29-09-2000. Transcripts, Mpuka's focus group interview. p.
10 Speaker 3, 28-09-2000. Transcripts, Mandla's focus group interview.p.4
11 Speaker 1, 29-09-2000. Transcripts, Mpuka's focus group interview. p.
7
8
Mrs Siphiwe, M+3 learner said:
We pay transport (Taxis) approximately R100 a week from Ngwavuma
village next to the border of Swaziland, or may be R160 which is lot of
money… This equals to R20 a day to and from my village using a
taxi12.
Mrs A B Ngema, M+2 learner, from Eshowe spends approximately R70-00
for food per week during contact sessions, R30 (R6x 5days) for
accommodation in a nearby home, and R200 for transport13.
However, one learner felt that PROMAT fees are not that high if one considers the
quality of the service they received. She said that learners should appreciate the fact
that PROMAT bring education to them, they should be prepared to incur costs where
necessary:
We can say that PROMAT is expensive but … anything is
valuable…there are some things that cannot be calculated. For instance
the best or excellence of their service… when we really consider the
amount, considering that we get modules of which we keep and are not
reissued to other students… calculating the modules we are getting,
stationary, letters they send us, lecturers who they pay and their
punctuality. For a period of two years I have never experienced a
problem whereby we arrive here [Jozini for contact session] and there
are no contact sessions14.
Siphiwe, 29-09-2000. Interview
Mrs A B Ngema, 28-09-2000. M+2 learner, informal chat. 9h30-9h45
14 ibid. p. 12-13
12
13
Appendix 2
Diploma in Education and Further Diploma in Education
Fort Hare Distance Education Project: B Prim Ed
The following sessions observed as a part of SAIDE's research into aspects of
distance learning provide key observations for the ALM project.
SESSIONS OBSERVATION
Session 1:
Module
Level
Tutor
Learners
: English Communication
: M+2
: Ms D. Msweli
: 31 (25 female, 6 males)
All Promat contact sessions in Jozini take place at Sinethezekile Combined School
during school holidays. The M+2 English Communication contact session was held in
a classroom that was well equipped with chalk, chalkboard, electricity, desks and
tables. The session was conducted in a packed classroom, three learners sharing
modules and tables used for writing. When the session started, the problem of
insufficient learning material surfaced and the tutor allowed few learners to go out of
the session to borrow modules. Later, the tutor told me that learners did not have
modules because the Promat administration brought few copies, anticipating few
numbers of learners at registration.
The session topic was ‘Reading Skills’. The tutor read from the module and
explained the contents to learners. Throughout the session, the tutor’s main teaching
approach was to read from the module and clarify the contents. Three learners per
table shared a module, and one who owned the module made notes in it. Learners who
did not have the module made notes in their notebooks. In most cases, when the tutor
asked questions, learners answered as a group although, occasionally, individual
learners would answer some difficult questions. There was minimal classroom
participation - no class or group discussions took place because the emphasis was on
completing parts of the module that were relevant for assignments and examinations.
The language of instruction was English, though there were times when the tutor
clarified concepts in isiZulu. An example was when the tutor explained the meaning
of the term, ‘skimming’, as a pre-reading activity.
Overall, the session focused on straightforward transmission of content from tutor to
learner. The teaching approach was not varied – there were no class or group
discussions and learners never performed challenging class activities. The session
focused on content for assignments and examination, to the exclusion of skills and
values. The language mostly used was English, however, the tutor tended to codeswitch between English and isiZulu during the session. Part of the reason for the code
switching was, as the tutor later commented during the interview, to accommodate
learners who struggled with English. Learners indicated that contact sessions were
very good, however, it was difficult to understand what they meant in view of what
had been observed.
Session 2:
General Mathematics
Level
: M+3
Tutor
: Mr C. Kantor
Learners
: 32 (25 female, 7 males)
The General Mathematics M+3 session was held in a similar classroom like the one
used by the English and Communication session. It was packed, while the tutor could
walk through the aisle, he preferred to walk about in front of the class. Learners were
also seated three per table and there was no space to write comfortably.
The tutor dealt with classifications and features of rectangles and triangles. He started
by folding an A4 piece of paper to demonstrate characteristics of symmetry in
rectangles. Only two learners performed the paper folding exercise because the tutor
never instructed the whole class to do so. In explaining characteristics of symmetry,
the tutor read from the module, redrew shapes that were in the module on the
chalkboard, and wrote answers of the activity on the chalkboard. Learners answered
questions as a group and wrote answers that were on the chalkboard in their own
modules or notebooks. The only form of classroom participation occurred when
learners wrote answers in their books or answered questions in a chorus.
There were few instances in which learners spoke as individuals, this was when they
asked questions to the tutor. Three clarity-seeking questions were posed to the tutor.
In one question, the tutor was not certain as to whether a square was the same as a
rhombus. He was, finally, convinced by one persistent learner that the two were not
the same. Part of the problem for this misunderstanding was because the tutor got his
answers from the module and he was not too keen to contradict it. The latter part of
the session was spent discussing the assignment and the same approach was adopted –
the tutor writing answers on the chalkboard, learners writing them in their books.
The objective of the General Mathematics session was to cover all aspects of the
module related to assignments and the examination, and as a result, there was no time
to discuss or probe issues further. The session focused on achieving a certain amount
of content with minimal learner participation. English was the main language of
instruction. Mr Kantor is English-speaking, therefore the issue of code-switching did
not arise. After observing the second session, it became clear that the content and
teaching approach seemed to have been decided upon centrally, because it was similar
in most sessions. It was also possible that the contact session was specifically meant
to cover assignment and examination related issues without too much discussion
taking place.
Session 3:
Module
Level
Tutor
Learners
: Technology
: M+1
: Sbongiseni Hlongwane
: 7 (5 females and 2 males)
The session was supposed to start at 11h30 as per the time-table, but the tutor arrived
at 11h45, 15 minutes late. The class had seven learners. The tutor introduced the
module and the section that was supposed to be completed by the end of the session.
He brought along the apparatus for demonstrations. He used the following teaching
aids were chalk, chalkboard and the apparatus. All learners had their modules and
note books. The tutor used both English and Isizulu to accommodate learners who are
struggling to understand English. Code-switching made learners very comfortable
with the session, they were listening attentively and their participation was
commendable. In addition, during the session the following were observed:
Firstly, the learners used Isizulu more often than English. When the tutor asks
questions, the learners waited for him to rephrase the question in Isizulu and they
provided the answer.
Secondly, the tutor used bulbs, wires, electric cords, screw drivers, electric switch,
and plugs to demonstrate to the class how the electric current moved from point a to
b. His teaching approach was dominated by the use of chalkboard to write notes, and
the use of apparatus. Learners were engaged through questions and demonstrations.
Thirdly, the tutor divided learners into pairs to complete one activity in the module.
The activity required learners to do the connections using the apparatus and the
instructions in the module. The connection of electrical appliances was difficult for
some learners. After the session the tutor, Sbongiseni Hlongwane, said to me that the
reason for this might be that the majority of learners live in villages were there is no
electricity, and therefore, they do not bother in understanding the connection of
electrical appliances. However, their participation in class was commendable.
Lastly, the tutor gave them an overnight assignment, some learners (female) began to
ask questions and raised concerns about parts of the module that were not clearly
explained. Some were mumbling that the activities are difficult and they cannot do
them on their own, others were asking questions related to the assignment. The tutor
answered the questions, and explained that he will not provide answers for the
assignment.
Session 4:
Module
Level
Tutor
Learners
: Natural Science
: M+2
: Thabisile Ntuli
: 33 (23 females and 10 males)
The session started at 09H45, i.e. 15 minutes late because there was shortage of
classroom chairs and tables. Learners were obliged to move up and down in other
classrooms looking for chairs. It was a bit chaotic at first because the class looked
overcrowded and everyone was making noise. After a while the session was officially
started, the tutor continued the lesson from were they left the day before. It was easy
for both tutor and learners to remember because learners were given an assignment which was due in the session. The assignments were submitted and the tutor took
them with her after the session. However, during the session the following were
noted:
Firstly, the tutor used Isizulu more often than English, the module had more science
terminology which required more clarity and sound definitions. The tutor was able to
simplify the terms in Isizulu through local examples. The learners seemed
comfortable with her teaching approach because she read the content, explained in
both English and Isizulu and wrote notes on the board. The learners asked questions
in Isizulu and the tutor provided answers in English.
Secondly during the session learners were divided into pairs to complete some
activities in the module and discuss. The level of engagement with activities helped
me understand how the majority of learners understood the content of the module.
They interrogated the tutor and asked questions, some were seeking clarity on
concepts that were difficult. Towards the end of the session some learners were
engaging the tutor on scientific evidence of lightning and superstitions. But she stood
firm on her content of the subject, she did not allow unscientific evidence to dominate
scientific issues that were in the module.
Lastly, the session had more female learners than male learners, and females played a
dominant role.
Session 5:
Module
Level
Tutor
Learners
: Teaching Studies
: M+3
: Cornelia Lokker
: 27 (25 females and 2 males)
The session started at 08h00, unfortunately I arrived 10 minutes late and the session
was already underway. The lesson was interrupted a bit because of the introductions.
The tutor took 3 minutes to explain to me (observer) what they were doing and how
far they had gone. Anyway, she continued with the lesson and the following were
evident:
Firstly, learners were very passive, most of them were quite until the end of the
session. The tutor's teaching approach was not very unique from the other tutors
observed, however she focussed more on reading the content, and writing notes on the
board. Learners were writing the notes in their modules, copying them as they were
written on the board. There was not much tutor interrogation, questions or
discussions.
Secondly, the tutor took some time to ask questions, but learners were not responding
until she provided the answers herself. It was puzzling, but clarified after the class that
the majority of learners had a language problem. This implies that they were unable to
express themselves in English. In other sessions, when a learner is stuck in trying to
express her/himself in English she/he switched to Isizulu immediately, but it was not
possible in Mrs Lokker’s class because she does not understand Isizulu.
Lastly, it was clear that the tutor was pro-Curriculum 2005, all her examples centred
around the comparison of the old style of teaching and the new innovative ways of
disseminating knowledge. She downplayed the old teaching methods and sounded
upbeat with the new OBE system. She encouraged learners to use OBE system at
their school level, implying that they were free to use her teaching techniques to their
pupils.
LEARNER SUPPORT
Learner support can be described as an integral part of course design which involves
the range of methods and strategies employed in the presentation and delivery of
courses. It is aimed at assisting and enabling learners to comprehend, assimilate and
master the skills and knowledge needed to achieve success in their studies. It also
embraces both academic and personal support such as dealing with challenges relating
to personal problems, financial difficulties, and communication problems15.
Learner support in education is critical and it can be provided in a number of ways by
the administrative arrangements designed to overcome difficulties student face in
participating in the course, particularly in a distance programme. Firstly, learner
support can be incorporated directly into teaching resources; secondly, it can be
provided through the advice of tutors and lastly the assistance they give in sensitive
feedback on assignments16. PROMAT provides the following learner support:
Administration and Tutors contact details
During the contact sessions, the PROMAT administration provides each learner with
a prospectus which contains all the necessary contact details. In addition, tutors give
learners their contact details, i.e. cell phone numbers and home telephone numbers.
This enables learners to contact tutors at any time before and after the sessions.
Learners are urged to utilise the contact details if they experience problems in relation
to their fee payments, problems experienced in relation to the modules, and other
administrative enquiries. One learner said:
Tutors go down to us (Come to our level) and explain to an extent that
if you still do not understand, they give you their cell numbers or
address so that whenever you encounter a problem concerning the
module you call them. They show a lot of patience, they show that
they are down to earth
Edmond Zikhali, M+3 learner and an interviewee, informed us that the contact details
are useful for him because when he experiences financial problems - he contacts the
institution to alert them of his predicament. However, he pointed out that the
unavailability of public telephones in his village affects his communication with the
institutions because he is bound to travel to the nearest town for public phones and
incur costs. Therefore he waits for serious reasons such as financial problems to
communicate with the institution. Mrs Buthelezi, M+3 learner and interviewee, was
asked whether she does use the contact details, she said:
Yes I do, but it depends on the sort of problems one has, whether
financial or course related. I then phone a specific person who can deal
with my problem.
15
16
Mays, T. 2000. Open Learning Through Distance Education. Vol.: 6. No.2. p. 12 - 13
SAIDE, 1996. Criteria for quality distance education in South Africa: A statement policy. p.7
The thrust of the matter is that learners find the contact details useful, unfortunately
they live in areas where there are no proper telecommunication systems. However, the
effective communication with tutors happens towards the exams.
Availability of tutors
Learners feel that PROMAT tutors are professional and do not mind spending extra
hours to assist the struggling learners. Each tutor ensures that after his session, the
learners are given assignments, activities or portfolios to complete at home. The
assignments are marked and feedback is provided immediately.
Speaker 1 (Simangele) said:
…Promat tutors are role models to us…
Speaker 2(Siphiwe) said:
… they teach us, we discuss with them(tutors) we ask different
questions, they are there to help us…
Speaker 3:
They help us by giving clarity in terms of the notion of each book or
module so when I study at home, I have some idea as to what aspects
will be covered … and that help me save time.
Speaker 4:
Yes lecturers are the best … to us… their motive is to render the
service that PROMAT has employed them for… They are really
working, like in some cases where you find them late afternoon or in
the evening trying to put more materials in the minds of learners so as
to improve education in rural area in general. And by so doing, we are
copying from them because they are exemplary. So what they do to us
we will also do to our pupils.
Speaker 5:
They teach me well because if I have a problem I ask and tell them that I do not
understand. The lecturers take their own time, sit with me and try by all means to
make me understand… sometimes if I do not cope with their teaching styles, they
apply other methods.
Use of electronic media and other technological aids
The learners were asked whether the use of audio, video, radio and television would
be useful to their studies. Most of them were asked how these electronic aids can help
them with their studies. They commented that the poor infrastructure and
development in their villages make the use of media or any form of technology
difficult. Therefore, these forms of media will not be helpful for their studies and
otherwise. Siphiwe said:
the use of television or cassettes … wouldn't help because some of us
do not have television and some places, where I live; televisions are
not working as they do not receive signals. Text materials are the
best…
Learning materials
Learning materials are crucial in the Promat contact session because they emphasise
information that is directly relevant to assignments and exams. However, tutors
complained that they received material very late, denying them the opportunity to
prepare in advance. Ms Msweli ’s comments illustrate the point :
For instance, this module [English Communication for M+2 learners], I read it
for the first time when I read it with the students, but previously it was not like
this. This will result into a situation whereby I interpret it in a way that is
different from the interpretation of the marker’
The focus group also made a similar point:
‘Before you carry on [referring to interviewer], and even we as lecturers, we
used to get the material earlier. But now, you get the material and you can’t do
anything under those circumstances.
It is important to note that tutors claim that the problem of materials was never
experienced with the previous administrator. The significance of ensuring that the
administration supports tutors cannot be over-emphasized. Also, the teaching
approach that Promat tutors adopted, transmitting content to learner by reading from
modules, may have been imposed on tutors by the late arrival of materials.
Assessment
Lack of tutor support extends to evaluation. In fact, tutors do not evaluate what they
teach, they do not mark assignments and examinations. As a result they are unable to
handle queries related to assignments. Ms Thabisile, expressed the sentiment of most
of her colleagues in the focus group when she stated:
‘We don’t set the test, we don’t even have one question, we don’t mark, so we
are just strangers. We are just here to teach, that is all. We don’t even get
feedback now, but before, we used to get feedback on the performance of our
students’.
Ms Msweli, in a different interview, added:
‘In fact assignments are marked in Pinetown. We only do the lecturing and
this result in a situation whereby a student says, "Madam, I thought you said
we should do this and that but why am I penalised for doing that here?" there
is actually no cohesion between the staff, here, and the one in Pinetown’.
Lack of tutor support regarding assessment created tensions between tutors and
learners, Promat tutors and Pinetown tutors, and Promat tutors and administrators.
Even more serious, lack of support on assessment tended to undermine the confidence
and authority of tutors.
LEARNERS' ATTITUDE TOWARDS DISTANCE LEARNING
Distance Education
The learners, individually or in focus groups, indicated that they prefer distance
learning to full time learning. The reasons provided include their social
responsibilities, employment and self-development. The focus group interview
participants were asked whether they prefer distance learning or full time learning.
Focus group 1
Speaker 3 said:
I prefer distance education in that it gives me the opportunity to
become a teacher and at the same time I am able to work and support
my family… If I leave my job now, and go for full-time studies, after
completing my studies I will have to knock on every door, as there is
no work in South Africa…
Speaker 2 said:
We are talking in terms of rural areas, to go to a college full-time, for
instance PROMAT in Durban, it will mean that I have to stay in
Durban … in a way I would have to spend more than I am currently
spending, As I am here, I am paying lot of money, but it is less
compared to going to Durban … in addition I will miss my family,
especially if there are floods in Jozini, I will always panic not knowing
whether my family is save or not.
Speaker 1 added:
In addition, now I have a chance to work and at the same time learn.
Similar sentiments were echoed in the focus group facilitated by Mpuka, the
same question was asked and learners responded as follows.
Speaker 1:
Well, I would choose distance learning because in my situation as it is
now, I am the breadwinner at home and I have a child and six other
dependants, full-time studying is impossible and unthinkable to me.
Speaker 2:
I would chose distance learning…
Mrs Siphiwe Buthelezi, M+3 learners, said:
Nowadays, I prefer distance learning because if I leave my job and
become a full time student at a University or college, I will not get the
opportunity of being employed. Employment opportunities are
slim…through distance education my job is secured and I am learning
at the same time - everything is fine.
Mrs Mthembu, an M+3 learner, said:
What I like most about Promat distance learning is that it gives me an
opportunity to apply what I learn, into my working situation, i.e. in my
school, my class in particular.
Speaker 3:
If I understood you well you are saying if we are given an opportunity
and at home they were financially stable? I will go for full time studies.
In general, the majority of learners prefer distance education because they are able to
keep their jobs and therefore their income, support their families and learn at the same
time. The reasons provided are logical and driven by circumstance because, as the
rhetorical question of speaker 3 suggests, if his family were to have a stable financial
background and he were not the sole breadwinner he would be prepared to study full
time.
SOME CRITERIA FOR DISTANCE EDUCATION
These are some of the criteria for distance education that emerged in the Jozini
Promat contact session:
Viability of distance education
A key question posed to learners concerned their attitude to distance education in
relation to Promat in Jozini. As already indicated, there were two main responses to
the question. The first was that all learners interviewed preferred distance education to
full-time attendance. They indicated that distance education provided them with
several benefits. One of these benefits was to study while earning an income, another
was to be able to apply what they learnt at Promat in the schools in which they were
teaching. Furthermore, studying through distance education allowed teacher-learners
to keep their jobs while learning because, studying full time does not guarantee a
person an employment post on completion. The second response to the question
concerned the high costs of distance education. As already mentioned, learners
repeatedly spoke about high costs of tuition fees as a problem of the Promat course.
They also commented on the high cost of travel expenses, accommodation and meals.
Overall, it is important to filter through learners’ responses in formulating some
criteria about the option of using distance education in rural areas. In this regard,
while learners preferred distance education to the full time option, their comments
about the high costs of distance education need to be considered. Some of the key
principles of distance education propounded by SAIDE are that, it must open access,
allow flexibility of learning and be cost effective. While it is acknowledged that cost
effectiveness does not mean cheap, it is important to deal with the high cost of
distance education in order to enable learners access to education and flexibility of
learning. One way to achieve this goal is by using elements of the criteria for quality
distance education, proposed by SAIDE, related to policy and planning, learners and
programme development.17
Quality Distance Education
Most Promat learners commented positively about the education provided by Promat,
while we, as researchers, felt that there could be an improvement in the delivery of
courses. Tutors never taught in a manner that allowed learners to process concepts in
17
“Criteria for Quality Distance Education In South Africa: A Statement of Policy”, SAIDE, June 1998
the context of exploration, probing and discussions. They read from modules,
explained the content by giving examples and clarifying difficult concepts for learners
to write in their own copies. The focus of learning was content, with fewer or no skills
and values being consciously infused into teaching and learning. It was clear that
everything was discussed for assignment and examinations purposes. In this contact
session, only one observed session had a group discussion.
In the context where there is lack of resources as in Jozini, tutors become a key form
of learner support and there is over-reliance on them. In drafting quality criteria for
learner support, it may be helpful to think about other forms of learner support to
reduce over-reliance on tutors. These forms could include access to resources and
other forms of media for learning. Generally, learner support needs to be planned in
such a way that it helps learners to become independent learners. A statement of the
quality criteria for learner support proposed by SAIDE, provides a framework for
thinking about learner support in this context: ‘Learners are supported to a
considerable extent to become independent learners through the use of various
communication systems; the need of learners for physical facilities and study
resources and participation in decision-making is also taken into account’.18
Significance of tutor support
Another key issue that emerged was the significance of tutor support. Promat tutors
complained that lack of tutor support created tensions between them and learners as
well as between them and their colleagues in Pinetown. The effect of this lack of tutor
support was that it undermined the confidence and authority of tutors and impacted
negatively on their performance in the sessions. For instance, in one of the sessions
observed, a tutor struggled to answer a learner who contradicted a given answer in the
module.
If contact sessions are pivotal as a strategy of learner support, it is imperative that
tutors are fully trained on the content and issues that arise in their various subjects.
More importantly, tutors should have confidence and authority in the subjects they
deliver, otherwise their morale may diminish and the sessions may be used to telling
learners answers to assignments. Tutor training and constant support should be one of
the aspects that receive important attention in drawing up quality criteria for distance
education in rural areas. Elements of SAIDE ’s quality criteria related to programme
development and management, and administration will be significant in this regard.
18
“Criteria for Quality Distance Education in South Africa”, SAIDE, p.18
Appendix 3
Task 3: A review of South African and international literature on the impact of
multimedia packages on teaching and learning
Distance education historically makes use of text although a number of programmes
have attempted to use radio in literacy and teachers support and computer-based
programmes are rapidly being developed. SAIDE partners in the development field
requested that we consider the most appropriate media and technologies for their
specific target groups.
However the historical neglect of rural development in SA meant it was necessary for
SAIDE to consider the circumstances under which different media are able to provide
optimal benefits and how poor infrastructure limits the dissemination of programmes
using media other than text. Another factor that is receiving attention is the language
used by programmes in rural areas because many communities are predominantly
monolingual and levels of English competence poor.
A literature review examined evaluations of programmes operating in rural areas and
making use of media and technologies appropriate to rural areas.
The findings cover the use of various technologies: TV, radio, computer-based and
combinations of these. Key findings relevant to all technologies investigated are:
• Technology cannot replace face-to-face interaction particularly at the basic level
• Language accessibility remains a crucial factor. More systematic research is
needed to assess its impact in various media.
• Technology is expensive to maintain, needs sufficient back up for maintenance
and can break down. There need to be systems in place to avoid these aspects
hindering learning.
• Use of different types of technology must take into account the learner’s context,
resources, level of ability and experience in the technology and to what level they
can learn independently or take responsibility for their own learning needs.
• Different technologies are more or less effective for different purposes and a clear
understanding of their potential must underlie their development and use in
educational programmes.
• Stimulating discussion among target audiences enhances message reception and
learning. This points to the need for providing for facilitators who work at local
levels.
• Strategic combinations of different media with radio and television enhance
message transfer.
• Many evaluations do not take cost into account. Maintenance and operation of
technology is a crucial basic factor. Cost and skilled personnel for these purposes
may be prohibitive especially in rural areas and for South Africa.
• Mass media has been more successful at levels above basic education. Teaching
numeracy and literacy using media even with face-to-face support has been less
successful.
• Educationally disadvantaged and sophisticated learners need some support in
using technology.
• The most successful distance learners (where there is no direct face-to-face
intervention) are those who have developed a certain level of learning skills
•
•
already. Where learners are less sophisticated there needs to be a high degree of
direct contact for learning to be effective.
The most successful educational media interventions have extensive and in-depth
formative development, take note of the cultural context, beliefs and values of the
audience and involve careful curriculum design.
Live broadcasts of either radio or television are often replaced by tapes because of
the problem of accessing live broadcasts, the possibility the technology will fail
during the broadcast and because tapes give learners and teachers more control
over their own learning.
Findings specific to other technologies are covered in the main report. However it is
appropriate to highlight the fact that SAIDE research concurs with other studies to
find that in an environment characterised by limited infrastructure and low levels of
literacy, radio can be a prime medium for effecting change. But learning materials
using any medium are most successful if mediated by dedicated and sensitive tutors
and facilitators.
The use of multi-media packages in this project is constrained by the cost of
producing the materials and the scarcity of good distance education materials that can
be tested. However, as reported below, two of our partners have funds to develop
materials so the use of media other than text will be explored with these programmes.
SAIDE does intend investigating the use of other media and technologies through
other projects for the professional development of educators. During this research
SAIDE would like to explore answers to the following questions:

What are some of the characteristics of ‘appropriate use' of a range of media in the
design of courses for rural contexts?

Does the use of multimedia packages (containing video, audio and print) make
expensive tutorial support less necessary? In other words, can video and audio
take the place of tutors in mediating the required learning?

What kinds of learning can you expect from the deployment of certain kinds of
video material, and certain kinds of audio material?
However high costs of developing such materials prevent SAIDE from conducting an
empirical study geared to their resolve these issues. Therefore answers to these
questions will be based on information available from other similar programmes.