Education Rights for Learners, Parents and Educators

Curationis

The South African government has put in place a range of laws, policies and programmes that are designed to give effect to children’s rights and support children’s survival, health and optimal development. These rights do not just exist on paper. They have the potential to transform professional practice and improve the quality of care across a range of health care services. A child-rights’ approach requires nurses to act in the best interest of children, respect their evolving capacities, think more holistically about a child’s well-being and work with others to address the broader social determinants of health – such as access to food, water and sanitation. This article draws on lessons learned from a short course in children’s rights and child law for health professionals offered by the Children’s Institute, University of Cape Townfrom 2011–2014. It encourages nurses to reflect critically on their current practice and to take action to improve a child’s well-being. It also advoca...

The futures of children around the world are often hampered by a lack of education. Two millennium development goals (MDGs) aim to address this situation. In South Africa, although the targets set for universal access to primary education for boys and girls (MDG 2) and gender equality at all levels of education (MDG 3) are reportedly on track, there is a disparity in educational solutions for hospitalised children. In the KwaZulu-Natal province, where scores of children are hospitalised with HIV, tuberculosis, and other critical illnesses and injuries, the trend has been to close hospital schools. Previously, hospital schools provided for early childhood development, primary and secondary education. Currently, mainstream schools are expected to be inclusive and educate children in hospitals. We use the Phila Impilo (Live Life) initiative to offer insights into how children’s own experiences can be used to inform best practices for their treatment, care and education while hospitalised. We suggest that a commitment to inclusive education implies that the needs of hospitalised children should be taken into account in educational policy and planning, enabling them to feel whole, respected and supported, despite their illness and the challenges that they face.

Curationis, 2008

The need for health professionals to address their human rights obligations has emerged in the last decade both internationally as well as nationally following the findings of South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Support for human rights norms has become a priority for institutions as well as practitioners within the health sector. Training plays a crucial role in shaping health professional practice. In addition to creating a clear understanding of the linkages between human rights and health, educators can role-model how health professionals should act to support human rights. This article explores human rights derived from the South African Constitution in relation to the obligation on health professionals to respect, protect, promote and fulfill human rights. The implications of this commitment to human rights training of nurses are discussed, drawing on the authors’ nine years of experience in running courses for South African health professional educators. Theme...

2012

The unprecedented scale of health sector reform in the course of radical political transformation in post-apartheid South Africa is well-documented. This thesis examines child health policy reform as a crucial part of this process. The goals of broader health sector reform were to improve the overall health status of citizens, in particular those most vulnerable, and eliminate inequities in health service provision and health status outcomes. Although children were accorded explicit prioritisation during this time, child health indicators remain poor and some have worsened. Amidst the documented explanations for the poor progress with child health indicators, the specific role and contribution of child health policies had not been interrogated. The thesis examines the development, design and implementation of national child health policies, with particular focus on equity. The National School Health Policy serves as a case-study for the analysis. Three complementary policy analysis ...

African Journal of Primary Health Care & Family Medicine

South African secondary schools do not deliver school-based healthcare services despite high rates of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, sexually transmitted infections, and unplanned pregnancies among adolescents, ongoing sub-optimal uptake of healthcare services from public healthcare facilities by adolescents, and national policy support for such services. A pilot school health nursing programme (SHNP) was offered to 44 secondary schools in a single health sub-district within the Western Cape, South Africa. The programme included fortnightly nurse visits that offered a standard package of healthcare services, including sexual and reproductive health services tailored according to school preference.Of the 44 schools, 42 gave permission for the SHNP to operate, with the majority of schools selecting the full comprehensive package of services. Programme implementation was truncated such that delivery only occurred over two school terms (20 weeks); however, 344 students at...

PLOS ONE, 2016

Understanding caregivers' experiences of care can identify barriers to timely and good quality care, and support the improvement of services. We aimed to explore caregivers' experiences and perceptions of pathways to care, from first access through various levels of health service, for seriously ill and injured children in Cape Town, South Africa, in order to identify areas for improvement.

2012

Curationis 31(1): 5-18 The need for health professionals to address their human rights obligations has emerged in the last decade both internationally as well as nationally following the findings of South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Support for human rights norms has become a priority for institutions as well as practitioners within the health sector. Training plays a crucial role in shaping health professional practice. In addition to creating a clear understanding of the linkages between human rights and health, educators can role-model how health professionals should act to support human rights. This article explores human rights derived from the South African Constitution in relation to the obligation on health professionals to respect, protect, promote and fulfill human rights. The implications of this commitment to human rights training of nurses are discussed, drawing on the authors’ nine years of experience in running courses for South African health profes...

IJQHC Communications

Background Patients' awareness of their rights is important/critical because it creates a benchmark for effective nurse-patient communication and relationship. The objective of this study was to assess the patients' awareness of the Patients’ Rights Charter in the selected hospitals of the Limpopo Province, South Africa. Methods Phenomenological research design was used. In total, 30 patients were interviewed during their hospital stay. Data were collected using semi-structured questionnaires that inquired about their awareness of the patients’ rights charter. Results Results showed that patients lacked awareness of the Patients' Rights Charter and they could not give examples or mention the rights they have as patients. The study revealed that sources of information regarding the Patients' Rights were limited. Conclusions The majority of the participants were not aware of Patients' Rights. Most of the participants could not mention any of the rights listed in th...

2005

This article attempts to understand citizenship and childreni?½s human rights in the context of poverty and inequality in South African society. It reviews some of the policy texts pertinent to Early Childhood Development, particularly Education White Paper 5 on Early Childhood Education and White Paper 6 on Special Education. The article speaks to the discrepancy between the existing normative framework of society and its reality. It seeks to do this through a discussion of the i?½glossy rhetorici?½ of education policies and legislation informed by human rights, social justice and a democratic citizenship discourse and the actual realization of this promise.

Law, Religion and the Family in Africa, 2021

The Children's Act strengthens the requirement set out in Section 28(2) of the Constitution in that the best interests of a child are paramount in all decisions regarding children. 32 Therefore, if a parent refuses to consent to a blood transfusion, 27 Hay v B 2003 (3) SA 492 (W). 28 Hay v B, para 494I. 29 Hay v B, para 494I.