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This paper reports on a qualitative study that adopted an interpretive paradigm. The study sought to understand the experience and functioning of the school governing body as a tool to promote democracy in schools. Data were gathered through qualitative data collection methods, namely observations, semi-structured interviews and document reviews. The findings revealed that the principals embraced the existence of the following components of democracy in their schools: shared decision-making; acknowledgment of the rights of individuals; and the need for representation, participation and equality. Two structures for promoting democracy were found to be in existence in both schools, namely School Governing Bodies and Representative Councils for Learners. These structures were found to be functioning effectively and they were contributing to democracy in the schools. However, although learners' voices were represented at both schools, learner participation in crucial issues in both schools was limited. The study recommends that all teachers, learners and parent representatives on SGBs be trained in skills such as deliberation; debate, dialogue and conflict management.Furthermore, training or capacity building related to advocacy skills and leadership development should be provided for all members of the SGB, including the teachers. Better learner, parental and staff involvement in school policy and decision-making will lead to more genuine community involvement and more effective and efficient school management. DOI:10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n3p484

The COVID-19 pandemic poses unparalleled challenges to education systems around the world, all of which have devastating effects. While these effects have been troubling in developing and developed countries, rural education systems in developing countries have particularly been most susceptible to collapse. The unique context of rural universities makes it difficult to implement approaches similar to those implemented in the developed world and/or more urban-based institutions. Underpinned by Von Bertalanffy's Systems Theory, which argues that organisations are composed of systems that have goals to achieve, this paper thus sought to explore the coping mechanisms instituted at a rural South African university in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. It further sought to establish how the university has managed to cope with the challenges that are unique to rural universities as exacerbated by the onset of the pandemic. Underpinned by a post-positivist paradigm, the study employed a mixed methods approach through which data was collected using online questionnaires and interviews. The findings of the study revealed that although the institution had put some measures in place to ensure that the university is efficiently managed in the context of COVID-19 stringencies, university stakeholders are still faced with insurmountable challenges that range from campus safety, cancellation and postponement of examinations, as well as weakened research and international collaborations. Based on the findings of the study, it is recommended that South African institutions and the government need to invest more on safety infrastructural facilities that will ensure that rural university stakeholders are safe. Furthermore, there is a need for technical infrastructural facilities that enable the shift from conventional assessment, teaching and learning approaches to a more blended educational model.

The use of corporal punishment is still prevalent in South African schools. Statistics South Africa report about 50 per cent of learners are exposed to corporal punishment in the KwaZulu Natal region. In comparison, in Gauteng, 34 per cent of learners are subjected to corporal punishment and in the Eastern Cape, it is close to 20 per cent. In essence, corporal punishment has been illegalized, yet it still manifests in schools. The study explored the strategies teachers use to implement positive discipline in schools. The findings revealed a variety of strategies teachers use with the code of conduct as the most important strategy to implement positive discipline. However, the findings also revealed that many participants believed that using a code of conduct (or positive discipline) to enhance positive behavior was a waste of time and ineffective. Thus, continued to use negative disciplinary measures to deal with misbehaving learners.