Experiences of educators in managing a school in a South African prison

Abstract

This paper focuses on educators’ experience in managing a full-time school within the Correctional Services environment. It relates to Section 29 (1) in the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa (Act No.108 of 1996) which stipulates that “everyone has a right (a) to a basic education, and (b) to further education, which the state, through reasonable measures, must make progressively available and accessible.” Prison makes learning difficult as there are frequent lockdowns, headcounts and hearings that disrupt the consistency of classes and interrupt the education process. This study used inquiry mixed method. Semi-structured one on one interview, and document analysis were utilised as data collection instruments. Six educators employed full-time by the Department of Correctional Services were purposively sampled and interviewed. The culture within a correctional centre management is characterised by a focus on security measures such as lockdowns and head counts and these affect learning.