Against this background, the study examined the role of the Human Resource Development Unit of the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Arts and Culture (MHD unit of the KZN-DAC) in building learning societies through the development of reading habits in the Edendale community under the Umsunduzi Local Municipality. The findings of the study show that, due to resource constraints, the HRD unit of the KZN-DAC does not play a significant role in equipping the librarians with skills necessary for the promotion of a reading culture in communities.
INTRODUCTION
BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
For this reason, it was essential to address the challenge of illiteracy, which continues to plague sub-Saharan Africa in particular. The study proposed recommendations for the KZN-DAC HRD Unit to assist and support public librarians in their pursuit of promoting reading culture among rural communities.
PROBLEM STATEMENT
In percentage terms, this amounts to about seven percent of adult South African citizens. These ideals can only be achieved if the majority of citizens have a strong reading culture.
KEY QUESTIONS GUIDING THE STUDY
According to Masuku, the legacy of apartheid manifested itself predominantly in the qualifications of the employees. A recent General Household Survey (2012:12) found that 45% of African adults could not read or write, while 35% of the economically active population was reported to be functionally illiterate.
AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
LITERATURE REVIEW
THE LEGISLATIVE POLICY FRAMEWORK GUIDING HUMAN RESOURCE
Examples of these frameworks include the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa (1996); the Human Resource Development Strategy for South Africa (HRD-SA) (2009); the National Skills Development Strategy (NSDS including the Scarce Skills List 2007); the basic education strategic plans (ECD, schooling, ABET) among others. These legislative and policy frameworks and their contribution to the current study are discussed in detail in Chapter Two of the study.
THE LITERATURE MAP
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
Funds for the training and education of general librarians should also be provided for this objective. This means that the HRD unit at KZN-DAC needs to come up with strategies to train and improve the skills of general librarians in an effort to inculcate and promote a culture of reading in the communities.
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
This can only happen in a country with a high literacy rate, where reading culture is a national pastime. It is therefore important for the country to have public librarians who are well equipped with skills and training needed to promote a vibrant reading culture in communities.
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
- RESEARCH DESIGN
- QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH DESIGN
- QUALITATIVE RESEARCH DESIGN
- MIXED METHODS RESEARCH DESIGN
- THE RESEARCH PARADIGM GUIDING THE STUDY
- RESEARCH STRATEGY
- DATA COLLECTION INSTRUMENTS
- QUALITATIVE INTERVIEWS
- QUANTITATIVE SURVEY THROUGH QUESTIONNAIRES
- SAMPLING STRATEGIES
- SAMPLE SIZE
- SAMPLE
- TARGET POPULATION
The sample population under study consisted of nominated staff from the KZN-DAC HRD Unit, the Library Services Promotions and Marketing Directorate and public librarians from the Georgetown Public Library within the Umsunduzi Local Municipality. Qualitative interviews were used with the three members of management, namely: the director, the deputy director and the deputy director of the HRD unit; four officers from the Promotions and Marketing Division within the Library Services Directorate and fifteen officers from the Georgetown Public Library.
STUDY SITE
PROFILE OF EDENDALE COMMUNITY UNDER UMSUNDUZI
The greater Edendale is a semi-rural and semi-urban area in the Umgungundlovu District Municipality in the KwaZulu-Natal Province of South Africa.
MEASUREMENTS
LIKERT SCALE
DATA ANALYSIS
THEMATIC DATA ANALYSIS
This method of data analysis is defined in detail in Chapter Four of this study. The thematic analysis method involves the process of identifying themes in data and then reporting those themes as findings.
STATISTICAL PACKAGE FOR SOCIAL SCIENCES (SPSS)
In-depth interviews were used to collect and analyze data using the thematic data analysis method. Thematic analysis was deemed appropriate for analyzing the data to be collected in this research given the fact that this technique succinctly organized the collected data and then provided a detailed description of the data categories.
ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS
LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY
OUTLINE OF THE STUDY
A total of 50 questionnaires were distributed to members of the Edendale community served by the Georgetown Public Library. The quantitative data analysis represented the experiences and opinions of 50 members of the Edendale community served by the Georgetown Public Library.
CHAPTER SUMMARY
INTRODUCTION
DEFINITION OF TERMS
Literacy: According to UNESCO, literacy is the ability to acquire the essential knowledge and skills that enable individuals to actively participate in all activities that require reading and writing, and literacy refers to a person's ability to read with understanding, for example by a newspaper, in the indicated language. Functional Literacy: According to UNICEF (2005), as cited in UNESCO, functional literacy refers to the ability to use reading, writing and arithmetic skills for the effective functioning and development of the individual and the community.
THE GLOBAL AND REGIONAL TRENDS OF LITERACY LEVELS
THE GLOBAL READING AND LITERACY STATISTICS
Human Resource Development: is a set of planned and intentional actions of an organization that aim to provide its employees with opportunities to acquire essential expertise and skills towards the achievement of the organization's goals and objectives (Werner and De Simone, 2010: 43). The sub-Saharan African region has the lowest literacy rate compared to other regions of the world.
THE READING AND LITERACY SITUATION IN THE CONTEXT OF SUB-
Consequently, much needs to be done in terms of improving literacy and reading rates in order to place Africa on a par with the rest of the world. The state of the library system and the disparity in the provision of public services between rural and urban areas in Africa highlights the need for a deliberate effort by all concerned.
THE STATE OF THE READING CULTURE AND LITERACY IN THE SOUTH
The interventions mentioned above are in line with the introduction of the National Reading Strategy, which aims to promote lifelong learning (DoE, 2008:5). The National Reading Strategy assists in the role that the HRD unit at KZN-DAC could play through public libraries in addressing South Africa's challenge of a lack of reading culture in order to meet the SDG literacy targets.
HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT POLICIES IN SOUTH AFRICA IN THE
- THE CONSTITUTION OF THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA, 1996
- TEN-YEAR INNOVATION PLAN, 2008-2018
- THE HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT (HRD) STRATEGY 2010-2030
- THE NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN: VISION 2030
- WHITE PAPER ON PUBLIC SERVICE TRAINING AND EDUCATION
- HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY FOR SOUTH AFRICA
- THE NATIONAL SKILLS DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY (NSDS) 2005-2010 34
- THE HRD STRATEGY FOR THE PUBLIC SECTOR (2002-2006)
- SKILLS DEVELOPMENT ACT (1998)
- SKILLS DEVELOPMENT AMENDMENT ACT (2008)
- NATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS FRAMEWORK (NQF) ACT (2008)
The National Development Plan (NDP): Vision 2030 KZN-DAC CSR skills development strategy should aim to achieve the objectives of the NDP. The purpose of the NQR Act (2008) is to fulfill the state's constitutional responsibility towards citizens' rights in relation to basic and further education (Department of Education, 2008).
THE EDUCATIONAL, TRAINING AND EMPOWERMENT PROGRAMMES
- THE EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT (ECD) STRATEGY
- THE NATIONAL EARLY LEARNING DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS
- ADULT BASIC EDUCATION AND TRAINING (ABET) STRATEGY (1997)
- THE OBJECTIVES OF ADULT BASIC EDUCATION AND TRAINING
- THE CULTURE OF LEARNING, TEACHING AND SERVICES (COLTS)
- THE NATIONAL READING STRATEGY
- THE AIMS OF THE NATIONAL READING STRATEGY
- SPECIFIC CHALLENGES IN IMPLEMENTING THE NATIONAL READING
The National Reading Strategy was adopted as a response to the shocking findings of the two national systemic evaluations carried out by the national Department of Education in 2001 and 2004 respectively. The implementation of the National Reading Strategy across the country faces challenges in relation to teacher competence; libraries; teaching conditions; the printed environment and inclusive education (Department of Education, 2008:8).
THE NATIONAL SCHOOL OF GOVERNMENT
THE LIBRARY AND INFORMATION ASSOCIATION OF SOUTH AFRICA
Africa, where many students and their parents cannot afford to buy books and that it is precisely in this context that the South African library and information sector is of strategic importance to the communities in that country. The Archive Platform (2014:1) states that LIASA membership should consist of both individuals in libraries and information services as well as institutions or organizations that maintain or are interested in libraries and information services.
THE BOOK CLUB INITIATIVE
However, Khomo and Raju (2009:11) state that a significant number of library and information services (LIS) staff in all three types of libraries (namely academic, public and special libraries) surveyed in KZN are not members of LIASA . different reasons. Furthermore, according to Mahala, the book clubs add meaningful value to the department's efforts to address the lack of a reading culture, and contribute to achieving the broader imperatives of developing a caring, democratic and cohesive society.
THE NATIONAL BOOK WEEK (NBW)
Mahala (2010:13) argues that members of the book clubs extend the book club phenomenon to their communities by encouraging their families, relatives and neighbors to take up reading for leisure.
KHA RI GUDE MASS LITERACY CAMPAIGN
SOUTH AFRICAN NATIONAL LITERACY INITIATIVE (SANLI) 2000
KZN MASIFUNDISANE ADULT LITERACY CAMPAIGN-2006
THE CURRENT INITIATIVES OF THE KZN-DAC
However, these initiatives do not benefit the remote rural and semi-urban communities because the majority of libraries are located in cities and in municipal areas, which are often far away from remote rural settlements.
ITHUTENG (READY-TO-LEARN) CAMPAIGN-1996
CHAPTER SUMMARY
This chapter also showed that the statistics for reading culture and habits in South Africa paint a dire picture. Other focal aspects arising from this chapter were the issues of legislative and policy frameworks governing HRD strategies in post-apartheid South Africa.
INTRODUCTION
THEORY
HUMAN CAPITAL THEORY
HUMAN CAPITAL
Human capital is defined as productive wealth embodied in work, skills and knowledge (OECD, 2001), as stated in Tan Human capital also refers to any stock of knowledge or innate acquired characteristics of a person that contribute to their economic productivity Garibaldi, 2006), as cited in Tan. In other words, human capital is the set of economically productive human skills that can be formed by combining natural capabilities with investments in human resources.
HUMAN CAPITAL DEVELOPMENT (HCD)
HRD Unit of KZN-DAC by making budget available for equipping public librarians with the necessary skills to promote reading culture in the community. Therefore, it plays a major role in the development and growth of a country's economy.
THE THREE ELEMENTS OF HUMAN CAPITAL THEORY
- INVESTMENT IN EDUCATION AND TRAINING
- EFFICIENCY AND PRODUCTIVITY OF EMPLOYEES
- ADVANCEMENT OF POPULATION
Ofobruku and Nwakoby argue that investment in education and training results in improvements in organizational productivity and profitability. According to the principles of HCT, investments in education and training lead to the efficiency and productivity of employees, which in turn affects the progress of the population (Saima et al, 2015:61).
CHAPTER SUMMARY
Promotion of a reading culture in the Edendale community could be achieved if the KZN-DAC HRD unit policy makers could see this campaign from the HCT's point of view. For this reason, KZN-DAC needs to allocate a budget for initiatives aimed at promoting a culture of reading in local communities.
INTRODUCTION
RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY
RESEARCH
Based on the above definitions of the concept "research", it is clear that research is a planned undertaking, carried out with the aim of finding new information and facts related to a specific phenomenon. With reference to this study, the researcher examined information and facts about the role of the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Arts and Culture in promoting a culture of reading in the Edendale community.
RESEARCH DESIGN
Welman, Kruger and Mitchel (2005:2) who define research as a process of obtaining scientific knowledge through various procedures and objective methods, while research according to White (2004:2) is a systematic process of collecting and logically analyzing data for a specific purpose.
RESEARCH PROCESS
- RESEARCH APPROACH
- MIXED METHODS APPROACH
- QUALITATIVE RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
- QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Bless et al (2013:16) are of the opinion that a qualitative researcher explores a problem from the perspective of the participants. O'Dwyer and Bernauer (2014:44) agree with Mason (2002) when they assert that qualitative research seeks to discover new knowledge while preserving the complexities that exist in the natural settings of the phenomena being studied.
DATA COLLECTION PROCEDURES
RESEARCH QUESTIONNAIRES
By using hand-delivered questionnaires and collecting them again, the researcher helped to achieve high response rates from the respondents. The main purpose of administering the questionnaire to community members was to obtain their views regarding the role of KZN-DAC in creating a culture of reading in the Edendale community.
QUALITATIVE RESEARCH INTERVIEWS
- SEMI-STRUCTURED INTERVIEWS
Furthermore, the researcher wanted to uncover the challenges experienced by the HRD unit in terms of promoting a reading culture and explore opportunities associated with HRD to inculcate a reading culture in the Edendale community. The interviews enabled respondents to provide valuable responses which enabled the researcher to reach firm conclusions regarding the role of the KZN-DAC CSR unit in promoting a culture of reading in the Edendale community of the Msunduzi Municipality.
SAMPLING PROCEDURES
NON-PROBABILITY SAMPLING
The researcher's knowledge of the target population influences the judgment of which units to choose to provide the most appropriate information to address the purpose of the study (White, 2004:85). The researcher used a non-probability purposive sampling method to select participating KZN-DAC officials for qualitative interviews.
PROBABILITY SAMPLING
Cluster sampling: used when a sampling frame, for example a list of names, is not available, but only a map of the relevant geographical area. This method is cost-effective because it concentrates the fieldwork of the study on a specific section of the geographical area.
RESEARCH PARADIGM ADOPTED IN THE STUDY
- THE POST-POSITIVIST RESEARCH PARADIGM
- THE CONSTRUCTIVIST RESEARCH PARADIGM
- THE TRANSFORMATIVE RESEARCH PARADIGM
- THE PRAGMATIC RESEARCH PARADIGM
Furthermore, Sekaran and Bougie (2013:29) state that post-positivism is concerned with rigor and replicability of research, the reliability of observations as well as the generalizability of the findings of the study. Therefore, the researcher in this study used structured interviews as one of the data collection methods for the Edendale community.
DATA ANALYSIS
STATISTICAL PACKAGE FOR THE SOCIAL SCIENCES (SPSS) FOR
This study adopted the pragmatic philosophical worldview because it is compatible with the mixed methods research design, data collection and analysis methods and techniques, as well as research procedures used in the study. For purposes of understanding quantitative data relating to the role of the KZN-DAC in promoting a reading culture in the Edendale community, the SPSS method of analysis was crucial for this study.
THEMATIC ANALYSIS FOR QUALITATIVE DATA
The general demographic information, for example: age, gender, employment status and educational background of the Edendale community members who participated in the survey, was carried out using the SPSS analysis technique. In addition, the study attempted to determine the perceptions of the Edendale community members regarding the promotion of a reading culture in their community.
ENSURING RELIABILITY AND VALIDITY
This statement is consistent with Babbie and Mouton's contention that the extent to which an empirical measurement adequately reflects the true meaning of the phenomenon under study. This was instrumental in achieving tangible results on the role of the KZN-DAC HRD unit in promoting a culture of reading in the Edendale community.
ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS
CONFIDENTIALITY AND PRIVACY
The principle of trust is connected to this, and the researcher again reassured the respondents that their trust will not be betrayed in any way for material, monetary or personal gain.
VOLUNTARY PARTICIPATION AND INFORMED CONSENT
PERMISSION TO CONDUCT A STUDY
CHAPTER SUMMARY
INTRODUCTION
DATA PRESENTATION
THE PRESENTATION OF QUANTITATIVE DATA
A total of fifty (50) questionnaires were administered to community members of Edendale, located in Umsunduzi Local Municipality and maintained by the Georgetown Public Library.
THE PRESENTATION OF QUALITATIVE DATA
DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION
RELIABILITY AND VALIDITY OF RESULTS
QUANTITATIVE DATA ANALYSIS
QUANTITATIVE DATA ANALYSIS AND LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES . 88
The figure above reveals the gender distribution of the respondents who took part in this survey. The above table reveals the institutions that promote reading in society spread by the respondents who participated in this research.
QUALITATIVE DATA ANALYSIS
- RESEARCH QUESTION ONE
- RESEARCH QUESTION TWO
- RESEARCH QUESTION THREE
- RESEARCH QUESTION FOUR
- RESEARCH QUESTION FIVE
No, the Human Resources Development Unit does not develop strategies for librarians related to promoting a culture of reading. Secondly, the training of general librarians, specifically to promote a culture of reading, is not a function of the KZN-DAC Human Resource Development Unit, but is devolved to the municipalities..”.
SYNERGY BETWEEN RESEARCH OBJECTIVES AND QUALITATIVE
SYNERGY BETWEEN RESEARCH OBJECTIVES AND QUANTITATIVE
SYNERGY BETWEEN LITERATURE AND RESEARCH FINDINGS
This finding is in line with Lehulere's (2010:1) claim that very few libraries are built for rural communities. These claims are supported by the fact that 30.8% of respondents to this survey indicated that their local library was under-resourced.
CONVERGENCE AND DIVERGENCE OF QUALITATIVE AND
The quantitative interview data revealed that KZN-DAC does not have formal working relationships with other stakeholders such as families, LIASA and municipalities to promote reading culture. Then, the results of the quantitative survey revealed that 89.7% of the respondents indicated that no one encouraged the culture of reading in their families.
CHAPTER SUMMARY
INTRODUCTION
GENERAL CONCLUSIONS
- THE PERCEPTIONS OF KZN PUBLIC LIBRARIANS REGARDING THE
- CHALLENGES EXPERIENCED BY THE HRD UNIT OF THE KZN-DAC IN
- OPPORTUNITIES ACCRUING FROM THE PROMOTION OF A CULTURE OF
- CRITICAL FACTORS NECESSARY FOR PROMOTING A CULTURE OF
The KZN-DAC Human Resources Development Unit cites financial constraints as a major challenge in this regard. However, the Human Rights Unit at KZN-DAC claims that lack of resources prevents it from prioritizing the training of general librarians to equip them with the appropriate skills to promote a culture of reading in communities.
RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE STUDY
RECOMMENDATIONS EMANATING FROM THE LITERATURE
The literature review on community libraries on the African continent reveals that the level of awareness of the value and importance of libraries is very low among African communities, including South Africa. As a department responsible for building and maintaining public libraries in the province, KZN-DAC should launch vigorous campaigns to educate communities on the need and importance of public libraries so that they can develop a sense of library ownership and to protect them.
RECOMMENDATIONS EMANATING FROM THE EMPIRICAL STUDY
A lack of collaboration between structures such as the municipal library services, LIASA, the KZN-DAC HRD unit and the Department of Basic Education and the NGOs regarding the initiatives has a negative impact on the promotion of a reading culture. Notwithstanding the limited budget that the KZN-DAC receives from the provincial treasury, the KZN-DAC HRD Unit should design a financial support model that will ensure that strategies, initiatives and programs including, but not limited to, the training of public librarians to promote a reading culture are implemented.
LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY
CHAPTER SUMMARY
You are invited to participate in a research project entitled The role of the Human Resource Development Unit of the KwaZulu-Natal department of arts and culture in promoting the reading culture in the Edendale community. THE ROLE OF THE HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT UNIT OF THE DEPARTMENT OF ARTS AND CULTURE IN PROMOTING A CULTURE OF READING IN THE EDENDALE COMMUNITY.
