Restructuring and Re-culturing the Secondary Schooling Sector to Accommodate Multi-Grade Teaching and Learning

This paper interrogates why grade repetition is allowed to be a normality in public secondary schools. The paper was motivated by diverse discourses, some of which regard grade repetition to be the product of the absence of restructuring and re-culturing in the form of multi-grade teaching in secondary schools. The paper is conceptual and empirical and structured within the qualitative research paradigm. Narrative enquiry and interviewing techniques were employed to collect data. Out of the population of 13 secondary schools in one of the circuits in Mopani district in Limpopo Province, six were conveniently sampled. In each of the six sampled secondary schools, only Chairpersons of the School Governing Bodies became research participants. The findings revealed that firstly, secondary schools need to restructure and re-culture their conceptualization of schooling. Secondly, restructuring and re-culturing management and leadership of secondary schools is essential. Thirdly, restructuring and re-culturing teaching methodology matters. Fourthly, restructuring and re-culturing learning methodology is indispensable. Fifthly, restructuring and re-culturing assessment methodology is indispensable. Lastly, restructuring and re-culturing the monitoring and evaluation methodology of secondary schools is helpful. The researcher recommends that grade repetition be frowned upon where all learners are strongly advised against it. Furthermore, the researcher recommends the improvement of the level of citizen trust in the public education sector through restructuring and re-culturing of the secondary schooling sector. This study adds to the body of existing literature on how multi-grade teaching and learning could be approached in the secondary schooling sector.