Part 2

Case Study 

 UNISA 

Institute for Adult Basic Education  

Certificate in Adult Basic Education and Training

This case study discusses learner support at UNISA’s Institute for Adult Basic Education and Training (ABET). The University of South Africa established the ABET Institute in 1994 and enrolled its first learners in January 1995. The Institute offers the following three programmes: Certificate in Adult Basic Education and Training, Diploma in Adult Basic Education and Training and Certificate in Local Government Administration and Management. For purposes of this study, we will focus on the certificate course in ABET. 

 1. Overview of programme 

Among other things, the Institute has identified the tremendous backlog of adults (estimated at 9.5 million) requiring some form of adult education as a major hurdle for the development of South Africa. For this reason, the institute’s programmes aim at enabling practitioners to:

·        present and manage ABET programmes

·        use, design and evaluate materials

·        assess learners and

·        analyse the learning needs and social contexts of the adult leaner[1]. 

The Certificate programme is designed for anybody who is involved or would like to be involved with training adults in the areas of literacy and numeracy, health care education, public works programmes, community development projects, Reconstuction and Development (RDP) programmes and industry training. The main mode of delivery is printed study material and the main structures provided for learner support are:[2]

  ●     contact sessions

                     i.       tutorials         ii.    workshops

·        practical work in ABET centres

·        telephone support

·        individual support

·        feedback on assignments

·        study groups

·        videos and tapes.

 2. Research method 

 The research method employed was purely qualitative (see Part 1) and data was collected from:

·     documents from UNISA Institute of ABET in Pretoria

·     interviews with coordinators, tutors and learners at Glencowie (Northern Province), Soweto and Mamelodi (Gauteng)

·     observation of contact sessions in the three centres. 

2.1   Documents 

The following documents were scanned:

·        the Institute’s Information Booklet for 1999

·        ABET: Contextual Studies Module 1

·        Diploma Course: Module 1: Adult Teaching and Learning

·        Development Studies: Module 1

·        Development Studies: Unit 2, Understanding Populations

·        General Information and Assignments for Modules 4, 5 and 6

·        Diploma Course Workbook for Module 3: Teaching Practice

·        UNISA Service and procedures for 1999. 

2.2   Interviews 

As indicated earlier, interviews were conducted with ABET Institute coordinators, tutors and learners in Glencowie (Northern Province), Soweto and Mamelodi (Gauteng). The first interview was held with Mr. Sekgobela who is the Programme Coordinator at the ABET Institute. Subsequent interviews were held with the coordinator and tutors in the three centres.  

2.3   Interviews with learners

A total of 53 learners were interviewed during our visits to the three centres. This number does not include learners who attended second visits to Soweto and Glencowie because, in both centres, learners who were interviewed in the second visits had also attended the first sessions.  

2.3.1    Glencowie learners

The Glencowie tutorial group was visited twice in the research: 38 learners attended the session while 15, who were also part of the first session, attended the second one. The average age of learners in Glencowie is 38.4 and they stay an average of 34.2 kilometers away from the centre. 24 (63.1%) learners have matric plus teaching qualifications, 3 (7.9%) have matric plus an ABET certificate from elsewhere, 1 has matric plus a diploma in agriculture and 10 (26,3) have matric only.  

Of the 38 learners interviewed, 23 are ABET facilitators; 10 are teachers; 02 are employed in other sectors; 02 are unemployed and 01 is a pensioner. Of the 38 learners at this centre, 31 (81.6%) have established their own adult learning centres.  

2.3.2    Soweto

According to the tutor at Soweto, 20 learners have registered for the certificate course. During our visit, 10 had attended the sessions but I managed to interview only 5 because the other 5 arrived a late. A second visit was arranged but only 03 Certificate learners attended the session.  

2.3.3    Mamelodi

In Mamelodi, 10 Certificate learners attended the session. The tutor at this centre was not sure exactly how many learners are registered for the Certificate course because, apparently, the University has not yet sent her a list of all learners who are supposed to be attending tutorials in the centre. Of the 10 learners who were interviewed, 05 have a matriculation certificate and are not working, 02 have post-graduate degrees and diplomas, 01 has matriculation plus PHC and works as cashier. The average age of learners at this centre is 36 and the majority of learners come from around Mamelodi.  

Information about learners’ ages, qualifications, occupation, and how far they come from the centre is very important because it will have a bearing on the types of support institutions should put in place. For example, older learners may need a different form of support, as they may well not have been involved in formal studies for some years. In the same way, learners who already have degrees may need different forms of support from learners with matriculation only. 

2.4   Observations  

In addition to interviews with coordinators, tutors and learners, we observed two contact sessions on different dates, in Glencowie and Soweto. Because of time constraints, only one tutorial session was observed in Mamelodi.

 3. Overview of the ABET programme 

UNISA Institute of ABET operates under the auspices of the University of South Africa. Prof. Veronica Mckay founded the institute in 1994 and in 1995 she was appointed Professor and Director of the Institute. The Institute operates in a very decentralised manner. While a small core staff runs the central head office, the Institute has appointed coordinators in each province on a part-time basis. The coordinators are responsible for managing and supporting tutors in the regions. Currently the Institute has employed 160 part-time tutors across provinces[T1] .[3]  

In most cases, coordinators in collaboration with tutors and learners in their provinces and regions, plan their own activities. For example, the head office does not dictate where and when tutors and learners should meet. They set up times and venues for their meetings by mutual agreement among themselves.    

3.1   Programmes 

As indicated earlier, the Institute offers three programmes, which are: Certificate in Adult Education and Training, Diploma in Adult Education and Training and the Certificate in Local Government, Administration and Management. For the purposes of this study, we are focusing on learner support in the Certificate in ABET course.

3.2   Purpose of the ABET Certificate programme 

The purpose of the Institute, as outlined in the 1999 Information booklet[4], is to enable practitioners to; “present and manage ABET Programmes; to use, design and evaluate materials; to assess learners and analyze the learning needs and social context of the adult learner” (p.3).  

The purpose of the certificate course, as outlined by coordinators and tutors, is evidently located within the broader mission of the Institute. According to the coordinator in Glencowie, the certificate programme aims at, “equipping learners with skills to establish learning centres in their communities, to recruit learners and tutors to their centres and to establish income generating programmes, such as helping communities to, for example, grow vegetables, etc”. Tutors in both centres also perceive the purpose of the programme as being to eradicate illiteracy and develop communities. In the words of the tutor at Glencowie, “The programme is trying to develop the community through education because no nation can develop if the majority of people cannot read or write”. 

3.3   Course goals 

The Information Booklet gives the overall goal of the certificate course as, “The course should help learners become more effective in their work as teachers of adults by improving their skills, theoretical understanding of the field they are working in and their practical teaching abilities”. However, each module also outlines briefly its own particular goals. For example, Contextual Studies aim at answering the following questions[5]: 

·        How is ABET affected by being situated in a rural community?

·        How do different community members react to ABET projects?

·        What impact does an education project make on a poor rural community?

·        What are the key features of a close-knit community?

The module on Adult Learning aims at introducing learners to theories of adult learning, equipping them with the skills of teaching adults[6] and it answers the following questions[7]: 

·        What do I have to do as an ABET Practitioner?

·        What will my learners be like?

·        How should I teach them?

·        What different ways are there to teach adults?

·        How will I know if my learners are progressing?

·        How can I keep my learners motivated and interested?

·        What kinds of material (books, pictures, etc) will be suitable for them? How can I get them to learn in groups?

The module on Managing Projects seeks to equip learners with skills to identify projects needed in communities or in organisations they work in. The module seeks to answer the following questions[8]: 

·        Who should be involved in planning the project?

·        How should the project be managed so that it runs smoothly and successfully?

·        What do I need to know about administering a project?

·        How will I know if the project is going according to plan?

·        How does the work of an ABET practitioner fit into national planning for education, training and development practitioners?

Learners see this programme as trying to help them understand how adults learn, how to teach adults, how to establish centres, manage those centres and develop their communities. Based on questions which each of these modules seeks to answer, it could be extrapolated that the UNISA ABET Institute does not perceive ABET only as literacy and numeracy but also as a catalyst for general community development.  

3.4   Target group 

According to the 1999 Information Booklet the target group for the programme is “anyone who is a trainer or who would like to become a trainer of adults in a variety of fields including: adult literacy and numeracy, health care education, public works programmes, community learning centres, community development programmes, industry training, RDP programmes, NGO programmes, etc” (p.04).  

The coordinators and tutors in the three centres were more specific about who the target group is. They mentioned the following:

·     Unemployed teachers – people who already have a teacher certificate and who want to be re-trained for purposes of teaching adults.

·     Retired teachers – who want to be involved in ABET.

·     Matriculants – who do not have money to go to other institutions.

·     People who offer tuition in different governmental and NGO-run adult centres but who do not have formal qualifications.

 According to the coordinator and tutor in Glencowie, in order to reach out to their target audiences, the programme was advertised through:[9]

·        messages and writing circulars to schools in the region

·        circulars to tribal and local government offices

·        circulars to hospitals. 

Though learners did not mention circulars, they also confirmed that Radio Thobela was used to advertise the programme. Most learners in the three centres indicated that they heard about the programme through word of mouth (i.e. from people who had completed the course). Learners in Soweto and Mamelodi also said that some advertisements for the programme appeared in newspapers such as The Pretoria News and City Press. 

3.5   Entry requirements 

In terms of the learner profile collected during the visits, learners’ current qualifications in the three centres range from a matric certificate to a degree. This confirms that admission to the certificate course is flexible. The Information Booklet states that the minimum entry requirement is a standard 8 certificate and that candidates who do not have a standard 8 certificate may be admitted on the basis of their other experiences. The booklet further states that, special provision is made for candidates who have attained the age of 45 (pp.4 and 9). Nevertheless, in the total of 53 who were interviewed in the three centres, none indicated that they had only STD 8 and none had been admitted on the basis of only age and experience.  

3.6   Curriculum 

The ABET Certificate course is made up of 4 modules offered by distance over a period of 1 year. The modules are set and sequenced as follows:

¨     Contextual Studies – This course introduces learners to the various social groups from which adults come, such as women, workers and youth.

¨     Adult Learning – This module looks at how adults learn. It teaches learners about methods of teaching and assessing adult learners.

¨     Managing Projects – This module examines the way in which ABET projects are set up, run, administered and evaluated.

¨     Specialization areas – in this module, a variety of specialist ABET options are offered. Learners are required to choose one, in which to specialize. These include:                                   

1) Primary health care and AIDS

2) Literacy

3) Numeracy

4) ABET in the workplace

5) Environmental education

6) English

7) Small business development.

 3.7   Mode of delivery 

The programme is delivered mainly using print media as the means for communicating with learners. According to Prof. Mckay[T2] , they also use video and audio. Tutorials are offered as the main form of learner support. According to the tutor in Glencowie, radio is also used occasionally for teaching purposes.

Registered learners receive packs of study material including a tutorial letter that gives them their assignment topics. They also receive a planning schedule, which is meant to guide the programme and to help learners plan their lives around their study schedule.  

According to the coordinator and tutor in Glencowie, their centre also uses field trips/tours to other learning centres as a way of supporting learners. Recently, they undertook a tour to Pretoria to visit prison learning centres, centres for the disabled and centres housing ‘street kids’. This is considered useful support because such visits make learners aware of centres that they can open in their own communities. 

3.8   Assessment  

In terms of information gathered in the three centres, assessment in the certificate course is done through 3 optional assignments, 3 compulsory assignments, a project  that is exam equivalent, a portfolio and an examination. Learners receive booklets that outline fully the assignments that they have to write and how they should go about doing the work. Local tutors in various centres mark optional assignments while compulsory assignments are sent to UNISA to be marked. Prof. Mckay, coordinators, tutors and learners in the three centres, agree that the purpose of optional assignments is:

·     to help learners understand their work better

·     to help tutors identify learners problems, assist and support them

·     to prepare learners for their examinations, especially because assignment questions are in many cases similar to examination questions. In fact, learners have to complete all the assignments in order to qualify to sit for examinations. 

However, there seems to be some misunderstanding about the use of assignments. While the coordinator, tutor and learners at Glencowie all maintained that assignments do not contribute to the overall mark, the tutor and learners at Soweto insisted that assignments contribute about 50% to the overall mark. [T3] However, there is general agreement in the programme that compulsory assignments are a requirement for examinations, meaning that learners have to complete all the compulsory assignments before they can sit for exams.  

Another misunderstanding came on the issue of the use of the portfolio for assessment. According to the coordinator in Glencowie, apart from assignments and examinations, certificate learners are also required to compile a portfolio which will include activities such as observations, tutoring (giving lessons), conducting placement tests, marking those tests, keeping registers, establishing a learner profile and motivating learners to reduce the drop out rate. However, the coordinator in Mamelodi maintained that it is only diploma learners who are required to compile a portfolio and not certificate learners.  

Prof. Mckay clarified the issue of use of the portfolio by confirming that portfolio assessment is used in all three years (that is, Certificate, first year Diploma and second year Diploma). Learners are given portfolio booklets with many questions and space for their observations. In compiling the portfolio, learners are required to draw evidence from their teaching, their observations of adult learning classes and centres and to illustrate their teaching skills.[10] Clearly, clarity on the use of assignments and portfolios needs to be addressed during staff training.[T4]  

3.9   Learner enrolment and performance  

Although statistics were not readily available, Prof. Mckay estimated that in its first year (1995) the institute enrolled 2 500 learners and that it currently enrolls between

4 500 and 5 000 per annum. Both Prof. Mckay and Mr. Sarakinsky, who work in the Institute’s division of assessment and evaluation, estimated that the institute has a pass rate of about 78%.  

3.10  Quality assurance  

The responsibility to assure quality lies mainly with the head office of the Institute at the university’s main campus and it is done mainly through bringing in external examiners to look at learners’ work. According to the tutor in Glencowie, visits by UNISA officials usually take place when the centre asks them to come, hence their visits are not regular. Soweto and Mamelodi centres did not indicate that they have had any visits by UNISA officials. According to Prof. Mckay, since the Institute has about 150 teaching points, they depend very much on coordinators to monitor and ensure quality. The Institute also gets monthly feedback from tutors. Such feedback usually covers issues such as outings and informal visits made by tutor groups and also about deaths and illnesses. Prof. Mckay is confident that such feedback is useful. 

With regard to learning materials, Prof. Mckay asserts that in each course they try to pilot the material before it goes to printing. This they do by printing their first draft in the form of a tutorial letter, which they pilot for a year in order to obtain formal and informal feedback from learners. They also obtain formal feedback by sending questionnaires to learners asking what they like, what was relevant, etc. They have also had assessment of their learning material done externally.  

According to Mckay, one such external evaluation was undertaken by the Molteno Project which indicated that the ABET material was the most accessible the evaluator (Molteno Project) “had ever seen”.  

Nevertheless, coordinators, tutors and learners at Glencowie and Mamelodi, do not seem to be aware of built-in mechanisms for learners to evaluate tutors and materials. In both centres it was indicated that evaluation of tutors is done informally. However, the tutor in Soweto insisted that there are built-in mechanisms and that learners in the certificate course may not know that they will be asked to evaluate their tutor and materials at the end of the year. 

All interviewees were, however, very positive that the reading materials are very good and easy to understand. Even those who have matriculation only were very positive that the language used in the material does not give them problems. Contact sessions have also been very helpful in enabling them to understand the modules. 

3.11  Coordinator/tutor recruitment and training 

According to Prof. Mckay, the nature of tutor training has evolved over the years as their tutors gain more experience of what they are doing. The Institute offers ongoing training in enhancing their roles in distance education. Tutors are taught about the different departments in the university and about how the UNISA system works. This enables them to understand the Institute’s requests for timeous claims and for rapid marking etc. Mckay summarises tutor training in the following way:[11] 

	We also provide training in facilitation skills and in doing the general administration tasks required of them.
	All tutors are trained in marking (for the optional assignments) and also so that they know what to expect from us at the head office with regard to our marking. This is very useful because tutors are able to “monitor” the marking done by someone else. This is an added control mechanism.
	We always give an orientation to each new piece of material that is developed.
	We tend to offer support with regard to the content – in addition to what they need to teach. For example, in this last workshop we gave extended content support on the new Skills Bill, since learners were asking their tutors about how it might affect the ABET sector. Tutors also requested advanced training on small business development and the writing of business plans – since this is what their learners were asking for. Generally we respond to their needs as presented to us by the co-ordinators. But, we still see their understanding of DE, of good facilitation skills and of their admin requirements as being fundamental.

Due its decentralised nature, the Institute also has the co-ordinators offering support, monitoring and training to tutors in the regions. Here different aspects are dealt with. 

If a co-ordinator requires it, one of the staff from head office will assist with such ongoing training. 

A SAIDE Researcher went to observe the Institute’s tutor/coordinator training workshop in Pretoria. About 200 coordinators and tutors attended the workshop. It focused on the following: making tutors and coordinators aware of challenges and possibilities in the form of policies on training, equipping tutors and coordinators with skills to write funding proposals, facilitation skills and writing a lesson plan. A coordinator from Natal ran the session on facilitation skills. He also issued handouts outlining the roles and responsibilities of tutors and coordinators. The sessions at the workshop were very interactive with participants being divided into groups to discuss issues and present to the whole group.

 4. Learner support 

 According to Prof. Mckay, learner support in the institute refers to many aspects. It begins with the attitude of all the staff members at the institute. She asserts that learners are to be treated as clients at all times and the support they get normally includes;

 ·       support at registration

·        study materials tutorial groups

·        peer support

·        assignments

·        placement possibilities for teaching practice; and

·        telephonic support.  

Coordinators, tutors and learners in the three centres also gave various responses about what they understood by learner support. According to coordinators and tutors in Soweto and Mamelodi, learner support refers to helping learners understand content, write assignments and projects and prepare for examinations. On the other hand, information gathered in Glencowie suggests that learner support may be understood in terms of mechanisms that have been put in place by the ABET Institute to support learners and initiatives by centres to go beyond what has been prescribed by UNISA. This section looks at learner support mechanisms employed by the institute generally and those that have been introduced by centres beyond the standardized provisions of UNISA. 

4.1          Pre-registration support 

The Glencowie centre offers this form of support outside the parameters of UNISA[12]. Prior to registration, the tutor and coordinator conduct workshops where they conscientise and motivate potential learners about the ABET field. Learners who show interest are advised to register.  

According to the tutor at the centre, they normally hold a series of about four such workshops to give people some background regarding the ABET field so that when they register, they already know about ABET. He also insisted that they do this on their own; it is not UNISA policy.[13] 

Though learners did not indicate that they attended such workshops, they acknowledged that they got more information about ABET in general and the certificate course in particular from the coordinator before they registered. Centres in Mamelodi and Soweto do not have such workshops. In these centres, learners indicated that they did not have any form of pre-registration orientation into ABET. 

4.2   Administrative support 

4.2.1    At Registration

According to Mckay, learner support at the institute begins at enrolment where prospective learners are supported by the learner counsellor dealing with their initial inquiry. They are given an overview of the course so that they can decide whether the course is in fact for them. The advisor answers queries learners may have and even helps them with the completion of forms. According to Mckay, some of the advisors take their role so seriously that they have groups of learners visit their homes for registration. A clear example supporting this assertion is Glencowie where learners do not have to go to the main campus, which is far, but instead contact Mrs. Mahlare, the coordinator, at her work to collect registration forms to fill in. She and the tutor normally go through the forms to ensure that learners have filled the forms correctly and that there is no information missing.  

According to learners, most of them (73.7% of the 38 learner who attended the first sessions and 60% of the 15 who attended the second session) got assistance from Mrs. Mahlare who gave them more information about the certificate programme, during registration. Learners further pointed out that not only was the coordinator helpful in giving them information but she actually organized financial support to cover their fees. (All the fifteen learners who attended the second session agreed that they got sponsorship: what they know is that they ended up paying R200 instead of R1200.) 

On the other hand, Soweto and Mamelodi learners had to go and register at the main campus of the university in Pretoria. This is mainly because the campus is nearer to these groups than the Glencowie centre. Learners in these centres said that they did not have any form of counseling about being a distance education learner nor about the ABET field. Unlike the Glencowie group, they do not have financial support. It is to be hoped that at subsequent training sessions, the commitment to learner support evident in Glencowie will be encouraged at other centres.[T5]  

4.2.2    After registration

After registration, UNISA sends learners modules, cassettes, assignments, an ABET booklet giving learners more information about the certificate programme and a booklet that guides learners on how to study.

According to the tutor in Glencowie, when materials have been sent, his centre makes a follow up by contacting learners to check if they have received all their learning materials. This year, the centre has also introduced a new dimension to their initial learner support mechanisms by taking learners on a tour to UNISA’s main campus in Pretoria to show learners other resources such as libraries.[T6]  

After registration, learners at Soweto and Mamelodi receive the learning material package. According to the coordinator in Mamelodi, after registration, they normally organise a mass meeting in Pretoria. The purpose of this meeting is to give learners general orientation into the programme and into ABET. Previous learners are also called to share their experiences and encourage new learners. Learners are then invited to their first tutorial meetings where individual tutors and their learners draft a timetable for their sessions. 

According to learners, after registration they also receive letters from UNISA informing them about where tutorial sessions are held [T7] and encouraging them to attend such sessions.   

4.3   Institutional support to improve the quality of learning 

4.3.1    Study materials

According to coordinators, tutors and learners who were interviewed, the study materials the ABET Institute prepares for learners are very supportive in that they are developed to be accessible to learners in terms of language, illustrations, design and the integration of study skills. According to Prof. Mckay, they are always very conscious about the level of language they use. Study materials also contain a glossary of difficult words for each chapter. The materials are based on case studies; they contain pictures or photographs and table questions asking learners to think and to answer questions about what they see.  

As Prof. Mckay puts it, the material is a dialogue between the writer and the learners. Evidence to this effect is that in the Introduction section of each module, the following questions are addressed, among others:[14]  

·        What does the study package consist of? As an answer to this question a list of what should be in the package is included. This is helpful because a learner is able to check if all the material has been sent and to query the university if something has not been received.

·        What is the Study Guide about? An answer to this question outlines what each unit in the module is about.

·        Will I manage to study this material? Here learners are put at ease and advised briefly on how to do their work.

·          I have not studied by distance before. Will I need study skills? Here the writer advises learners briefly about study skills and on how to use The Good Study Guide, which is part of the learners’ package. 

 Furthermore, materials are designed in such a way that learners are asked what they think before the material writers offer their own opinions. According to Mckay, this makes it possible for different readers to obtain different levels of understanding from the material. It should be remembered that the Institute registers learners with diverse educational backgrounds. As indicated earlier, the Molteno Project, which had been asked to evaluate the material, apparently[T8]  commended the Institute for producing the most accessible material the evaluators had seen.  

4.3.2    Contact sessions

The programme consists of two forms of formal contact sessions. These are tutorial sessions and workshops. 

1. Tutorial sessions

Interviewees in the three centres agreed that tutorial sessions are an important face-to-face mechanism to support learners. As indicated earlier, the ABET Institute has hired about 150 part-time tutors to conduct tutorial sessions in various regions countrywide. Tutorials normally run for 4 hours in a month. Tutors and learners are free to decide dates, times and venues[15].  

Tutorial sessions in Glencowie take place at Hlabje Primary School which is near the main road and therefore accessible to learners, although 16 (42%) feel that the venue is far as some learners, those coming from about 60 kilometers away, have to pay around R30 or more for the return journey.  

Sessions in Soweto are held at the Soweto College of Education while in Mamelodi sessions are held at Morakoma Primary School. Learners at these centres have no complaints about distance or transport. They pay about R6 to and from the centres.  

UNISA does not pay for the centres but learners have to provide their own transport. All learners indicated that the venues are suitable but those at Glencowie complained that when sessions are held on Sundays, transport is scarce and this makes it difficult for them to reach the centre. The fact that the Glencowie and Mamelodi groups use primary schools while the Soweto group uses what was the Soweto College of Education, does not make any difference because none of these centres have resources such as copiers, computers, and overhead projectors. Eagerness to learn is so high that learners at Glencowie do not complain even if sometimes they have to use shack classrooms in the school for their meetings.  

In all three centers, tutors facilitate the contact sessions. The medium of instruction is English but tutors and learners in Glencowie often code-switch to Sepedi while those in Soweto often code switch to IsiZulu and Sesotho. In Mamelodi, code switching is minimal. According to tutors they are supposed to use English only but given the varying educational levels of learners this is difficult to adhere to strictly, hence they sometimes use African languages to help learners understand when they are struggling with English.  

There are some clear differences in the ways tutorials are conducted in the three centres. The tutor at Glencowie draws up a clear agenda for the session to indicate issues to be discussed and learners are allowed to add to the agenda. In the two sessions observed, the main issues were to discuss assignments and the independent project and although in both centres learners did work in groups, those groups did not have a chance to report back. Class discussions were tutor-centred. Asked why he tended to dominate the sessions, the tutor said that he normally dominates when he is introducing a new topic or trying to show learners where they have gone wrong in assignments. 

In Soweto, there was no clear agenda but discussions were also centred on the independent project. In the two sessions that were observed, learners worked in groups  – mainly on their own. They were working on their independent projects. The tutor moved from one group to another to find out how they were doing and to guide them in their discussions and activities. As in Glencowie, groups did not have a chance to present on the issues they were discussing.  

One tutorial session was observed in Mamelodi. The tutor at this centre used group work in an effective manner. Learners were divided into groups, with each group having its own topic to work on. Each group had to choose a time-keeper, scribe and group leader who was also to present on behalf of the group. Groups were given 40 minutes to discuss. Thereafter there were detailed presentations by group leaders. Groups, tutor and coordinator worked together in probing and discussing some of the issues that the groups raised. 

There seems to be some misunderstanding regarding attendance of tutorial sessions. The coordinator, tutor and learners at Glencowie all agreed that tutorial sessions are not compulsory. Both the coordinator in Mamelodi and Prof. Mckay supported this. They asserted that that although it is not compulsory to attend tutorial sessions, they always try to encourage learners to attend because tutorials are helpful to learners. However, both the tutor and learners at Soweto maintained that tutorial sessions are compulsory.  

In all three centres, an attendance register is taken at every session. According to the coordinator at Glencowie, the attendance register is taken to identify learners who did not attend and to follow up on them to find out what the problem could be. While the tutor agreed with the coordinator, he also said that the register is taken because it has to be attached to his claim form to UNISA, as evidence that he attended the session. 

The coordinator and tutor in Glencowie and the tutor in Soweto were all positive that attendance at tutorial sessions is very beneficial. In both centres, statistics for other sessions were not available to confirm learner attendance. Nevertheless, if attendance on the days in which we visited these centres was to be any yardstick, some questions may be raised. According to the tutor at Glencowie, 56 learners have registered for the certificate course. During our first visit, 38 (68%) learners had attended the session meaning that 18 (32%) were absent. On the second visit, 15 (27%) learners had attended the session meaning that 41 (73%) were absent. Both learners and the tutor at Glencowie indicated that high absenteeism on the second visit was due to the fact that the date coincided with the date of the return of boys from an initiation school so many learners had probably chosen to honour the ceremonies rather than attend sessions.  

In Soweto, the tutor indicated that 20 learners have registered for the certificate course. During my visit only 10 (50%) learners attended the sessions meaning that 10 (50%) had absented themselves. Here learners did not have any reason known to the tutor, for why did not attend. In Mamelodi, the tutor does not know how many learners have registered for the course. However, on the day of our visit 10 certificate learners attended the session. The coordinator in Mamelodi admitted that many learners do not attend tutorial sessions, but rather study on their own. According to the coordinator, the main reason could be because the learning materials are user-friendly so many learners, particularly those who already have degrees, can do the work on their own. 

According to the coordinator in Glencowie, if a learner did not come to the sessions, his/her friends are sent to ask him/her to phone the coordinator or the coordinator phones the learner/s to find out what could be the problem. The tutor also pointed out that there are no means to send tutorial notes to learners who did not attend sessions. Instead, before the next session commences, they include a brief review of what was covered in the previous session so that those who were absent can catch up. As the coordinator in Mamelodi indicated, it seems that tutors have no formalized obligation to follow up on learners who absent themselves. According to the coordinator, during their initial mass meeting, they lay ground rules such as informing learners about their responsibility to either phone or write letters to tutors informing them why they were unable to attend sessions.  

 Purpose of tutorial sessions 

The Information Booklet outlines the following regarding the importance and purpose of contact sessions:

·     building of group identity – groups become so united that they organize trips to places of interest to members of the study group

·     they allow learners to share information not only about study matters but also about side issues that have a bearing on ABET.

The booklet further states that tutorials “offer learners support which contributes to the success rate of learners enrolled with the institute”[16]. 

The coordinators, tutors and learners at the centres do not perceive the purpose of contact sessions differently from the Information Booklet. This is what they said. 

Coordinator (Glencowie): “Due to lack of facilities such as libraries, tutorial sessions are the only way through which teaching can happen. Tutorial sessions are used mainly to guide learners who struggle in doing the work alone. By coming together, they are able to share ideas.”

 “Learners normally bring their marked assignments to tutorial sessions to be discussed with the tutor and other learners.”

 

Coordinator Mamelodi:

“Tutorial sessions enable tutors to help learners understand the content, work on assignments before and after learners have written assignments, to discuss feedback on assignments and prepare learners for examinations. Tutorial sessions also offer learners the opportunity to practise ABET skills by giving learners opportunities to present.” 

 

Tutor (Glencowie): “Contact sessions are important because the admission criteria are open – some learners have STD 8, some STD 10 only and they can’t do the work on their own. Even those from colleges enjoy tutorial sessions because ABET is still a new field so tutorials are very much important because they (sessions) clarify some of the concepts – especially assignments writing – our assignments are very much different from other assignments because they involve a lot of practical work.” 

Tutor (Soweto): “You see, learners have gaps that need to be filled in. The tutor and tutorials come between UNISA and learners”.

 “Tutorial sessions help tutors to know the learners, understand their problems face-to-face. Learners are also able to exchange contacts, see common problems and they are able to extend their meetings outside the normal contact time. Sessions also address problems with assignments, learners’ experiences, jobs and modules/manuals”.

 

 

Glencowie Learners[T9] 

Learners 1: “Tutorial sessions help me to get information about what is happening at UNISA.”

Learner 2: “Tutorial sessions help me get knowledge pertaining to assignments.”

Leaner 3: “Sessions help us with assignment which we can not do alone at home and the tutor helps us understand how to teach adults.”

Learner 4: “In sessions we are able to share ideas about how to teach adults and to address their problems.”

Learner 5: “Sessions help us to understand the modules since we discuss them in groups and with our tutor and to get more information.”

Learner 6: “Modules alone cannot make us practitioners to carry out the work they are required to do in centres so when we come to sessions they sometimes come up with problems so when we are in a group we help each other and thereafter I feel ready.” 

  

Soweto Learners

Learner 1: “In contact sessions we are taught about things which we did not know e.g. Profile.”

Learner 2: “In sessions we explain the material (modules) and share information”

Learner 3: “Sessions help us gain vocabulary, for example you get to know what OBE means and concepts such as learner centred approach.”

Learner 4: “We get to know each other – creates strong bond of friendship which enables us to communicate outside tutorials.”

Learner 5: “We are able to discuss assignments and you are able to judge how far you have gone in relation to other learners.”

From the statements made by coordinators, tutors and learners, the purpose of tutorial sessions as perceived in the centres is:

·        to enable learners and tutors to get to know one another

·        to clarify modules and help learners to understand the content

·        to discuss assignments and feedback

·        to discuss learners’ experiences and to share general information

·        to help learners revise their work and prepare for exams

·        to motivate learners

·        to practise presentation skills. 

During observations in the centres, discussions were centred around assignments, independent projects and revision. Nevertheless, there is no doubt from the way tutors relate to their learners and from the way learners relate to one another that the sense of belonging to a team has been attained in all the learners. The atmosphere in the tutorial sessions is very casual, learners are free to argue with tutors if they do not agree with one another.

B.      Workshops  

Workshops are seen as extra forms of contact sessions to which learners are invited once a quarter. Although learners in Soweto indicated that they have not had any workshops, learners, and the tutor and coordinator in Glencowie agreed that they have had workshops. The purpose of such workshops has been to discuss learning centres and to share information about problems that learners are experiencing. According to learners in Glencowie, workshops also afford them the opportunity to discuss ways in which they can use teaching material from Project Literacy and the Continuing Education Programme, which they use for teaching adults in their centres. Tutors in Glencowie and Soweto indicated that they are normally invited to UNISA to attend workshops on various issues such as ‘Team work’ or ‘Creative thinking’ and thereafter, tutors will be expected to organize workshops to train learners in such areas. 

Despite the fact that learners have to pay for their own transport and cater for themselves at the workshop, all the learners at Glencowie have found the workshops very useful. 

4.3.3    Audio-cassettes 

Audio-cassettes are part of the learning material package that learners receive on registration. According to learners and tutors, the cassettes supplement modules in that modules are based on case studies and the cassettes normally contain summaries of case study  interviews. Learners indicated that as they read the modules or manuals, some of the tasks require them to listen to the cassettes. In one learner’s words, “Modules give us the guidelines on how to tackle this course; cassettes cement the knowledge you have gained”. 

For various reasons, learners indicated that they have not always listened to the tapes. All 05 learners who were interviewed in Soweto have tape recorders. Nevertheless, only 01 has listened to the tapes once. According to all five learners, including the one who has listened to the tapes, time to listen to the tapes has been a major problem because they are often under pressure to finish their assignments and so listening to tapes has not been a priority, especially because it is possible to do the assignments without having to listen to them. These sentiments were echoed by learners in Mamelodi who also indicated that they have never listened to the tapes or watched video cassettes. In addition, of the 15 learners interviewed on the second visit to Glencowie, 1 said he had listened to the tapes; 8, all women, said they had no tape recorders; 4 said their problem was with electricity; while 2 did not have reasons.  

4.3.4    Videos  

There is general agreement among all the interviewees that UNISA has video-cassettes which learners can borrow from UNISA. According to the tutor in Soweto, like the audio-cassettes, video cassettes also supplement the modules in that they contain case studies showing for example how to start projects such as crèches or explaining topics such as ‘Meaningful Learning’. Learners in the three centres said that they have not watched the cassettes. The Soweto and Mamelodi groups cited time and the fact that they can do their work without having to watch the cassettes as reasons for not watching them. In Glencowie, the tutor and learners cited lack of resources such as video and TV as the main reasons. (In our last visit the tutor was trying to organize learners to come and watch the video at his school. It was decided that the matter should be pursued later because many learners had not attended the sessions.)

4.3.5    Telephone

Learners in the three centres have indicated that they have both their tutors’ and coordinators’ home and work telephone numbers so that they can phone them if they have problems. Though tutors and coordinators in the centres do not keep records of learners’ phone calls, they said that they get many calls.

The coordinator in Glencowie estimated getting an average of around 6 calls per week. 31 learners in Glencowie indicated that they have phoned the coordinator at some point. 7 learners indicated that they have never phoned either the coordinator or the tutor. The reason cited is that telephones are far and expensive and so they normally prefer to travel to the coordinator/tutor’s offices at their places of work or to meet them during contact sessions because then they will have enough time to discuss their problems. 10 learners indicated that they often visit the tutor at the school where he teaches and that they have found him accessible and helpful. Six learners in Mamelodi said that they have phoned the tutor twice; three have phoned once; while one has never phoned. 

Of the five learners interviewed in Soweto, one said he phones the tutor once or twice a week; 02 said they phone twice a month; one phones if she has problems, and the other one has never phoned because she has not had serious problems. However, she thinks that she will be phoning often because the independent project that they are required to work on is “very difficult”. 

Reasons for phoning

Learners in the three centres mentioned similar reasons for phoning their tutors and coordinator. Learners in Soweto, Mamelodi and those who can access phones in Glencowie said that they phone the tutor only if they need assistance with assignments or finding out if they will be having tutorials. Tutors also confirmed that they get more calls when learners are writing assignments. Most of the time learners seek assistance and guidance for assignments. For administrative queries, the Soweto and Mamelodi groups normally phone UNISA learner services in Pretoria. On the other hand, learners in Glencowie do not phone Pretoria for administrative queries but rather phone their coordinator, Mrs. Mahlare, who then takes up the matter with the university. 

4.3.6    Assignments as support 

As indicated earlier, assignments are perceived as an important component of learner support. Assignments enable tutors to identify learners’ problems and assist them to improve and markers are also able to give learners feedback to guide learners in their work. The coordinator in Mamelodi  notes that, “Markers are trained to talk to learners through comments. When they mark, they have to think of a learner who is somewhere alone and they have to teach that learner through feedback.” This was supported by Prof. Mckay who also emphasised that their institute perceives marking as a “dialogue between the marker and a learner”. Most learners in the centres are satisfied with the feedback provided. However, learners in Glencowie indicated strong dissatisfaction with comments by both the tutor and markers at UNISA. One of them said,  

“with feedback I get for my assignments, I can not get any further because even if I got 50% there is no elaboration on how to improve. I sometimes think of scoring up to 80% but I can not get that mark because feedback is not enough.” 

During our visits to centres, most learners had not brought their assignments with them. However, the four assignments that we had access to in Glencowie seemed to support the two learners’ argument that feedback is insufficient. In 3 assignments the tutor only said, “A good attempt” and in the other one he said, “Lots of relevancy in your assignment keep it up”. Although such comments may be encouraging, they are not substantial enough to tell a learner what it is that was good or bad about the assignment. In countering the two learners’ complaints about short comments, the tutor in Glencowie pointed out that marking learners’ work is a frustrating exercise. If you give detailed feedback that shows learners where they might have gone wrong, they (learners) complain that “there is no master of English” or that feedback is discouraging. However, when one avoids giving detailed feedback, they complain that feedback is not enough. According to the tutor, this is so serious that tutors once raised it as a complaint in one of their workshops[T10] . 

It seems that comments or feedback also differ depending on whether marked assignments are optional (marked by tutors) or compulsory (marked at UNISA). This is because the 02 compulsory assignments we managed to see in Soweto seemed to have feedback that not only encouraged learners but also spelled out what needed to be improved. These are some examples: 

 

1)      “Well done, no errors of grammar or spelling. This is impressive. Avoid sub-titles in an essay[T11] ” 

 

2)      “Thank you once more for your interest in ABET and also the indication of how you implement the theory you’ve learned in ABET. I enjoyed the assignment and how you structured the whole essay however you should guard against becoming too involved in describing the community and then say little about the effectiveness of the projects. Congratulations.” 

 In the few assignments that were perused, it was impressive to note that markers also wrote their names and telephone numbers on the learners’ scripts so that learners could phone them if they had queries. Many learners indicated that they have never phoned, but they nevertheless appreciated this possibility.   

Turn around time

In all three centres, optional assignments marked by the tutors are returned quickly but the compulsory ones marked at UNISA normally take some time. According to interviewees in the centres, compulsory assignments usually take between 3 and 4 weeks. According to Prof. Mckay, in terms of the university policy, turn around time is 3 weeks for compulsory assignments. Learners indicated that optional ones take from 1 to 2 weeks before they are returned. Learners in Glencowie complained that the turn around time for compulsory assignments is too long but they have not raised any formal complaint with UNISA. Learners in Soweto do not seem to have complaints about the turn around time of assignments. 

However, the Mamelodi coordinator said that he has had complaints from learners about the long time that assignments take before they are returned. Learners have complained that they are sometimes required to write their second assignments having not received the previous ones.[17] 

4.3.7    Support with practice

The Glencowie learner profile shows that most of the learners, 23 (60.5%) out of 38 learners who attended the first session in Glencowie, have established their own centres. Both the coordinator and tutor visit these centres to find out what problems they are facing and to see if they are managing these projects according to the way they have been taught.[18] Learners who have not yet established their own learning centres normally visit other centres to learn practically how to run a centre. Those who cannot make their own arrangements get assistance from the coordinator or the Institute in choosing centres and making arrangements. Though learners doing practicals can call the coordinator or tutor to observe and assess their performance, the bulk of supervisory and supportive responsibilities during practicals are given to supervisors (normally people who are heads of department) at the visited centres. 

There again seems to be some confusion regarding practicals. Coordinators, tutors and learners in Glencowie and Soweto indicated that certificate learners do go for practicals, yet the coordinator at Mamelodi was adamant that it is only diploma learners who are required to go for practicals. He maintains that Certificate learners are required only to practise methods of teaching adults in their various tutorial sessions. According to Prof. Mckay, learners in the certificate course do go for practice teaching. 

4.3.8    Individual support 

As indicated earlier, the learner profile in the three centres shows that learners in the certificate programme are at different educational levels, which suggests that they may need different forms of support. Information gathered in the three centres suggests that individual support may be offered in different ways. According to the tutor in Glencowie, around March, the beginning of the academic year, about 10 learners visited him at different times to seek assistance. He pointed out that those who visited were mainly the shy learners who could not ask questions during sessions. Similar visits by individual learners were also confirmed by tutors in Soweto and Mamelodi.  

Besides visiting tutors at their places of work, tutors and learners use their tutorial sessions for individual support as well. During our observation in Soweto, the tutor was able to work with individual learners finding out how far they had gone with their preliminary work for the independent project. In such discussions, she showed individual learners how to go about doing their work.  

In Mamelodi, the tutor also confirmed that she uses breaks during sessions to talk with learners, particularly those she identifies as having problems. Tutors in the three centres said that the optional assignments that they mark help them identify learners who have serious problems.    

Learners in all three centres have also used telephones to seek individual assistance in their own time. According to the tutor in Glencowie, the fact that tutors do not have a telephone allowance to allow them to phone learners limits the effective provision of individual support. Tutors have also picked up that learners normally require more individual support at the beginning of the year. As the year progresses, the number of learners who visit tutors at work decreases. Learners also indicated that the support that they get during contact sessions alleviates most of their problems so there is not much need to seek additional individual help. Besides if they have problems, they can always phone their tutors or coordinators.  

4.3.9    Study groups 

In this section it is worth emphasising the fact that the centres that were visited are themselves formed out of tutorial groups. These groups may be referred to as study groups because they meet and work together in other aspects of their studies. Within these study groups some learners have formed smaller groups of learners who always sit and work together during tutorial sessions. Most of these groups do not meet outside tutorial sessions. Only one learner in Mamelodi indicated that she is a member of a study group that meets twice a week. Learners cited various reasons why they were reluctant to work in groups outside tutorial sessions. One of the reasons was that they are staying far apart from one another. Glencowie learners who are already working as ABET facilitators also complained that the government has not paid them since last year and this makes it extremely difficult to travel around to meet in groups. Some learners in Mamelodi said that the reason they are reluctant to work in groups was that some group members come unprepared for discussions and so “you end up helping other people while you get nothing from the group. Some people are selfish they keep information to themselves pretending as if they are not prepared only to find that they take your ideas and combine with theirs.”   

Although learners are not forced to work in groups, they are encouraged to work in groups for their independent project. In the second session observed in Glencowie and the one in Soweto, learners were given the opportunity to discuss in groups, brainstorm topics and explore the possibility of working together. Some learners have indicated that they will be forming groups to do the project together. Nevertheless such groups are not yet fully operational because they are just starting on the project. 

4.4   Communal/family support (support outside UNISA)

Learners in Soweto mentioned other forms of support that are not within the parameters of UNISA. These sources include previous learners, family support, media and IEB workshops.  

Previous learners are said to be useful in that they give current learners confidence, share with them their experiences of the course and also help them where they need it. They also share past examination papers with the current learners. Despite all 4 learners in Soweto agreeing on the potential usefulness of previous learners as sources of support, only 1 has formally consulted with them to seek assistance.  

Family members have also been found to be very supportive. Learners indicated that family members normally relieve them from day-to-day domestic responsibilities especially when they have to write assignments or prepare for examinations. Some learners pointed out that they also get financial assistance through borrowing from colleagues and members of their families.  

Media, especially newspapers such as The Sowetan’s section on ‘Nation Building’ and magazines such as Today normally contain material useful for learners’ projects and topics which they can take to their classes for teaching purposes.  

Learners in Soweto also indicated that most adult learners write Independent Examinations Board (IEB) examinations and that this body normally organizes workshops for practitioners to make them aware of how they should go about teaching adults and what will be expected of adult learners during examinations. Such workshops are not for UNISA learners only. Learners can attend these workshops on their own as ABET practitioners. Although these are undoubtedly useful opportunities, only 01 learner has attended such workshops so far. 

 5. Is the support offered at centres useful? 

In all centres, coordinators, tutors and learners were positive that the support offered is useful. The coordinator in Glencowie cited three reasons why she thought that learners are benefiting from support offered in the programme. 

¨      Firstly, although there was no statistical information to support her argument, she was adamant that there have been some improvements notably in the fact that before they started using Hlabje Primary School as their tutorial centre, learners were forced to travel to Pietersburg, about 40 kilometers away. For this reason, enrolment was very low, many learners dropped out and the performance of those who remained was very poor. At present, the tutorial centre is nearer. Learners are able to attend contact sessions and according to the coordinator, this helps them a lot. Their performance has improved and many more learners are retained until they complete the course. 

¨      Secondly, their high pass rate, which she estimated at 99% in 1998, is another indicator of the usefulness of their support mechanisms.

Apparently only one learner failed but due to motivational support and counselling from the coordinator, tutor and other learners, she did not quit the programme[19].  

¨      Thirdly, she was convinced that the fact that about 85% of the learners in the centre own their own centres and in her own words, most of those centres are “flourishing” is another indicator that the support they are offering is useful. 

The tutor in Glencowie also echoed his coordinator’s sentiments that the support they are offering is useful. In addition to what the coordinator said, he perceived two other forms of support that are going to be even more useful to the learners in future.  

¨      Firstly, the introduction of tours to visit places such as UNISA’s main campus, Cullinan Rehabilitation Centre and prison centres as they did this year. This is useful because it helps learners to think about projects that they can open in their own communities.

 

¨      Secondly, the fact that UNISA has decided to send videocassettes to centres which means learners will no longer have to travel to UNISA to watch or borrow video-cassettes. Although the centre currently does not have a TV and video machine to be able to make effective use of videocassettes, the tutor perceives this as a positive step in learner support.  

The coordinator and tutor in Mamelodi were also very confident that support offered to learners, particularly through tutorials, is very useful. They were adamant that learners who usually attend tutorial sessions or seek telephonic support from the coordinator and tutor normally perform better than those who do not attend tutorial sessions.

 6. Concluding observations 

 From information gathered from the Institute’s regional centres and from Prof. Mckay who is the Director of the Institute, it could be concluded that the mission of the Institute is not rooted in a shallow understanding of ABET as equivalent to literacy and numeracy. The Institute perceives ABET as a means for empowering and developing communities. As would have been expected, some centres seem to be more advanced than others in their understanding of ABET as a means for community development. The Glencowie centre is certainly among the leading centres that are trying earnestly to develop communities through ABET. The coordinator and tutor in the area have been very influential in encouraging their learners to open their own learning centres. In fact, some of the learners have opened very successful centres. One of the learners is currently running a centre that produces bricks and bakes bread. To encourage these kinds of community development projects, when quarterly workshops have been organised for learners, the coordinator and tutor make arrangements with the lady to supply bread. 

The Institute is also managed and administered in a uniquely decentralised manner. While they have employed few staff at the head office, they have about 160 tutors and coordinators offering various forms of support to about 4 500 – 5 000 learners registered with the Institute. In fact, many learners have never been to the main campus of the University. This is mainly because most of them, particularly those in remote areas, register by mail or with their local coordinators who then take the forms to UNISA.

 

It is also very clear that tutorials are the main form of learner support. Although the Institute requires learners and tutors to meet for 4 hours a month, it does not dictate the terms of where and when they should meet. Learners and tutors have the responsibility to choose venues and to set up times suitable to them. A major problem we have observed in the three centres we visited was poor attendance. According to Mckay, the Institute can only try to encourage learners to attend tutorial sessions but they may not force learners to attend. We observed during our visits at the centres, and at the tutor training workshop, that many tutors are very concerned about poor attendance and they in fact would have liked the university to force learners to attend. The major concern of tutors is that most of the learners who do not attend sessions do not perform well and this reflects badly on the tutors, as if they are not doing their work.     

Another interesting issue is that most of the centres are not[T12]  well-resourced. Nevertheless from our conversation with Prof. Mckay, the Institute does not consider this a crisis especially given the fact that most of their learners will be required to teach in poor, rural areas, which do not have appropriate resources. This is an understandable viewpoint because people who have been trained in rich and well-resourced environments, with transparencies, overhead projectors, television, video, telephones, and all the other sophisticated technologies, often find it difficult to improvise and to teach where none of these technologies are available.  

Table One: Interview with coordinators and tutors

Person Interviewed	Date and Duration of Interview	Place on Interview	Method of Recording
1. Elijah Sekgobela Registrar/Coordinator	25 /05/99 1hr 30mins	Pretoria Gauteng	Notes by hand
2. Mrs. Mahlare Coordinator	25/07/99 1h00	Glencowie Northern Province	Notes by hand
3. Mr. S Nkamula	07/08/99	Glencowie Northern Province	Tape Recorded
4. Mrs. M. Zwane	14/08/99	Soweto	Notes by hand

 Table Two: Observations of contact Sessions.

Tutor Observed	Date	Place	How was Session Recorded
1. Mr. Nkambule	25/07/99	Glencowie	Took notes
	07/08/99	Glencowie	Took notes
2. Mrs. Zwane	14/08/99	Soweto	Took notes

 Footnotes 

[1] UNISA Institute for Adult basic Education and Training, Information Booklet 1999

[2] Interview with Mr. Sekgobela, Programme Coordinator

[3] Response from Prof. Mckay, Director of the UNISA ABET Institute

[4] UNISA Institute for Adult Basic Education and Training (1999), Information Booklet

[5] UNISA ABET Institute. (1995). Module 1: Contextual Studies. Pretoria: University of South Africa

[6] UNISA: Institute for ABET Information Booklet 1999, p.6

[7] UNISA ABET Institute. (1995). Module 2: Adult Learning. Pretoria: University of South Africa

[8] UNISA ABET Institute. (1995). Module 3: Managing Projects. Pretoria: University of South Africa

[9] Interview with coordinator and tutor in Glencowie

[10]Response from Prof. Mckay, Director of the UNISA ABET Institute

[11] Responses from Prof. Mckay, Director of the Institute

[12] Interview with Tutor 1, Glencowie

[13] Ibid

[14] For more information see UNISA ABET Institute ABET: Certificate Modules 1, 2 and 3

[15] UNISA Institute for ABET, 1999, Information Booklet also confirmed by coordinator, tutor and learners.

[16] UNISA Institute for ABET, 1999 Information Booklet, p.8

[17] Interview with Mamelodi coordinator, 18 September 1999

[18] Interview with the tutor at Glencowie

[19] Interview with the Glencowie coordinator

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 [T1]How many provinces?

 [T2]Check> McKay?

 [T3]We need to find out from the Prof. What is really the case!

 [T4]I thought we could safely add this comment?

 [T5] Can we add this comment?

 [T6]At whose cost?

 [T7]Isn’t this worked out by each group?

 [T8]If you could see the report, you would not have to use ‘apparently’

 [T9]Ephraim, I cannot work out how to undo the shading. It looks odd.

 [T10] What was the response? What advice were they given?

 [T11]Please undo the shading

 [T12] The following sentence suggests that the first sentence should include ‘not’