Abstract:
This study was undertaken with the purpose of investigating the involvement of
educators in community development in the lnsikazi Circuit.
In terms of research design, the study used a case study, namely the lnsikazi
community. In-depth interviews were carried out with participants. Focus group
discussions were also used to weigh the different standpoints of stakeholders and
establish areas of agreement and disagreement. In line with the dictates of
qualitative research, data analysis was done using the constant comparative
method. Each interview was transcribed, labelled and appropriately coded using
emerging themes.
The researcher found that educators should act as promoters of community
education by inviting the community to school meetings and sensitizing them about
the need for their children's' education. However educators do not get the
opportunity to do so since the majority of parents do not honor such meetings. Some
of the key findings include:
• Educators were seen as sources of information for the community by bringing
awareness to the community but their busy schedules usually mitigate against
their playing this role.
• Educators should be community mobilizers but they are not effective in this role as
they are usually out of touch with community needs.
• Educators should play the role of as organizers and coordinators of the
different stakeholders, but the majority of them indicated that they were not
interested in community work as it is demanding.
Some of the reasons that hampered effective educator participation in community
development include a lack of time, unresponsive parents/community and lack of
monetary incentives.
It is therefore recommended that to overcome all these problems there needs to be
regular interaction between the community and the educators. During such
interactions, issues pertaining to community development and how community
development should benefit both the community and the educators should be
highlighted. It is the researcher's hope that through such interactions, it will be
possible to build genuine partnerships between the community, educators and other
stakeholders.
