4. Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) - Faculties submissions

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Subject: search.filters.subject.South AfricaSubject: search.filters.subject.SDG-4: Quality education

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    An assessment of the necessity of implementing a blockchain based land registry in South Africa
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024-08) Jeram, Deelan; Saghatforoush, Ehsan; Azasu, Samuel
    Background statement: Several nations have recently implemented blockchain-based land management systems, focusing on land registration, titling, recordation, and information management, to enhance transparency, trust, data security, data quality, and immutability through consensus mechanisms. This technology streamlines access and tracking of land records, reducing fraud, corruption, record manipulation, and property resale while lowering transaction costs. These advantages aim to address issues of inefficient and untrustworthy land records in less developed countries. Problem: South Africa faces challenges, ranking 108 out of 190 in property registration according to the World Bank, with lengthy procedures (7), extended transaction times (23 days), and high costs (8% of property value). In contrast, blockchain-adopting countries like Sweden and Georgia are ranked at 9 and 5, respectively. Despite these inefficiencies blockchain technology has not yet made an inroad into the land registration or transaction process. Aim – The aim of this study is to investigate the potential use of blockchain technology to digitize land registration in South Africa. Methods: This paper investigates a blockchain property registry pilot project in Khayelitsha, South Africa, using Peled's theoretical framework and employs qualitative research methodologies, including case study analysis and expert interviews, supplemented by a systematic literature review. Outcomes: The study reveals significant challenges in South Africa's land registration, including unreliable land records, informal land tenure systems, limited access for marginalized communities, corruption, weak legal frameworks, post-colonial property rights legacy, and inefficient real estate transactions. Despite the promise of blockchain, these issues persist, hindering progress. Eight key factors obstruct blockchain adoption in South Africa's land registry, including legal barriers, organizational resistance, technological hurdles, resource constraints, political and social factors, and trust-related issues. The case study identifies additional obstacles, such as misalignment of interests, lack of formal agreements, data quality issues, and further legal barriers. Nonetheless, the pilot project managed to create a "pseudo title deed" with potential benefits for the city. This study suggests the application of blockchain in state-subsidized housing developments to enhance data security and enable electronic land transactions. It emphasizes the need for a combination of expertise, infrastructure readiness, and procedural changes to facilitate innovation in the public sector. Despite the potential, the study concludes that South Africa's land registry is not yet prepared for widespread blockchain implementation, citing legal, technological, and organizational challenges. Significance: This research is the first to explore the limited adoption of blockchain technology for land registration in South Africa, contributing valuable insights to the field. This paper identifies critical factors for successful blockchain-based property registry implementation, offering insights for legislation, policy development, and land registration system design to address inequalities and improve land tenure in developing countries. It outlines a potential path for South Africa's Deeds Registry to implement blockchain technology in state-subsidized housing developments.
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    Non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) at Charlotte Maxeke Academic Hospital, 2010-2017
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023-11) Nqwata, Lamla; Feldman, Charles; Black, Marianne
    Rationale: Diseases due to non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are difficult to diagnose and are not reportable in South Africa (SA), resulting in the disease burden and trends being under-appreciated. Objectives: To characterize NTM disease occurrence and trends in Johannesburg and to estimate end-of-treatment outcomes. Methods: A retrospective review of all clinical isolates that were positive for NTMs between 1 January 2010 and 30 June 2017 and the corresponding medical records of the patients at Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital (CMJAH) were analysed. A data collection form was designed, and data was collected based on information listed on the form. This was analysed using Graphpad Instat (Graphpad Inc, 3.1 version, San Diego, California, US) and STATA version 11, College Station, Texas, software. In descriptive analyses, two-tailed Fisher’s exact tests were used to compare categorical variables, while Kruskal-Wallis tests and Student’s T-test were used to compare continuous variables, as needed. Kaplan-Meier curves and log-rank tests were used to compare time-to-death, while Cox regression analyses were used in multivariate analyses of the same. Results: A total of 123 patients with positive NTM isolates were enrolled in this study. In this cohort, positive NTM isolates were found mostly in males (71; 57,7%), with a median age of 39 [Interquartile range 31.5-49.5] years. Mycobacteria avium complex (MAC) was the most common, isolated in 90 (75%) cases. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, found in 96(80%) patients, and prior pulmonary tuberculosis (TB), found in 38(30%), were the common comorbidities. Overall, 27(22%) were successfully treated and 28(23%) died. In multivariate Cox regression analysis the adjusted hazard rates were 2.79 (95%CI 1.20 – 6.50) in those with low CD4 cell counts and 4.01 (95%CI 1.17 – 13.77) in those with unknown HIV test results. Receipt of antimicrobials did not significantly improve survival. Conclusion: Non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) appear to be common in our setting and is associated with poor outcomes.
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    Public attitudes to corneal tissue donation in an urban South African population
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023-08) Hajee, Faheema; Hollhumer, Roland
    Background: Corneal pathology is the second leading cause of preventable blindness in Sub-Saharan Africa. Corneal disease is the cause of visual loss in 11% of blind or severely visually impaired children and 4% of blind adults in South Africa. In majority of cases, a corneal transplant or keratoplasty can restore or significantly improve vision. South Africa has an immense shortage of donor corneas, causing the burden of corneal disease requiring transplantation to continually rise. Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the public attitude towards corneal tissue donation in an urban South African population. Setting: The study was conducted at St John’s Eye Hospital, Soweto, South Africa. Method and Design: This was an observational, cross-sectional quantitative study of the current attitude of an urban South African population towards corneal tissue donation. A self-designed questionnaire was developed. The participants were asked about reasons for both willingness and unwillingness to donate their corneas. The study population included patients or escorts attending the out-patients clinic at Saint John’s Eye Hospital. Results: A total of 100 participants (60 females and 40 males) completed the questionnaire. The mean age (±SD) of the study participants was 41.26 (±14.7) years. Seventy-six percent of participants did not know about corneal donation. Sixty four percent of participants were willing to donate their corneas, whereas 25% were not willing to do so. The main reason for unwillingness to donate their corneas was cultural reasons. In this study there was no statistically significant correlation between the willingness to donate corneal tissue and age, gender, level of education and employment status. There was a statistically significant difference between the willingness to donate one’s solid organs as compared to the willingness to donate one’s cornea (p-value 0.029). Participants were more willing to donate their solid organs than they were willing to donate their corneas. Conclusion: There is a decreased level of awareness of corneal tissue donation in this urban South African population. However, many of the participants had a positive attitude towards corneal donations. Increasing the awareness of donation and its benefits may help increase the supply of corneal tissue.
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    Final-year medical students' experiences and perceptions of integrated primary care learning at decentralised training sites during the COVID-19 pandemic: A mixed-methods study
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023-09) Ruch, Aviva; George, Ann; Francis, Joel
    Background: There is limited data on the effectiveness of online learning to augment theory and clinical knowledge and skills across decentralised training (DCT) sites. This study explored the 2021 cohort of final-year medical students’ experiences and perceptions of the integrated primary care (IPC) online teaching and learning across five DCT sites affiliated with the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa. This information is essential to determine what online IPC teaching and learning should be retained and what adjustments are needed to enhance and standardise IPC online learning across our DCT sites. IPC is a final-year Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBCH) subject at Wits University. The subject focuses on primary health care, integrating Internal Medicine, Surgery, Psychiatry, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Family Medicine, Community Paediatrics and Public Health. Training across different sites poses challenges for standardising learning content and the nature and quality of patient engagement and interaction. The Covid-19 pandemic not only exacerbated the difficulties associated with decentralised teaching and learning, but also decreased student-patient interaction. The rapid shift to emergency remote teaching left teachers with limited time to prepare for online and blended teaching and highlighted shortcomings in some health-professions educators’ ability to create meaningful, authentic learning interactions. The study design was underpinned by the Technology Acceptance Model, the Community of Inquiry Model and the Theory of Self-Regulated Learning. Methods: This explanatory sequential mixed-methods design consisted of a cross-sectional online survey conducted in November 2021, followed by two focus-group discussions in December 2021. The 316 final-year medical students who had completed their IPC block were purposively sampled to participate in this study. Medical students who had not yet completed the IPC block were excluded from the study. Twenty-one closed and four open-ended questions explored the students’ perceptions of how the online materials supported their learning and augmented their clinical skills and management of patients, their challenges with learning online, and ways to improve the online-learning experience. The closed and open-ended survey answers were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics and content analysis, respectively. The results of the content analysis are presented graphically. The survey findings informed the questions asked in the focus-group discussions (n = 2 and n = 3). The discussions were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. The transcripts were analysed inductively in MAXQDA. The findings are presented as thematic maps. Results: The survey response rate was 52% (164/316). The respondents were representative of the study population. Most respondents easily accessed the online content, with more than 70% accessing the online content several times a week. More than 80% found the online content logically organised; the content analysis highlighted three categories of reasons why the online content and interactions influenced their learning. The content analysis also identified three categories of reasons why the online content influenced patient management, but more than a third of respondents remained neutral when asked if the online content introduced them to new clinical skills. Quizzes and tests were the preferred learning method. The features that best supported the respondents’ online learning were grouped into five categories: ‘Range of activities’ (n = 73), ‘Content selection’ (n = 56), ‘Flexible access to content’ (n = 8), ‘Organisation of content’ (n = 4) and ‘Other’ features (n = 7). Respondents highlighted several categories that presented challenges to online learning: ‘Pedagogical issues’ (n = 30), ‘Excessive workload’ (n = 27), ‘Operational issues’ (n = 20), ‘Learning issues’ (n = 17), ‘Technical issues’ (n = 11) and ‘Unclear course expectations’ (n = 50). Participants in the focus-group discussions (FGD) concurred with many of the perceptions and experiences of the questionnaire respondents. Three themes were identified in the thematic analysis of the FGD: ‘Features supporting learning’, ‘Challenges of learning online’, and ‘Ways to improve learning’. Conclusions: The respondents and focus-group participants displayed a positive attitude to the IPC online content and interactions offered to them during the Covid-19 pandemic. Their experiences and perceptions offered insights to better support learning through practical suggestions for students and faculty, especially around faculty competency to design meaningful learning interactions, both online and blended. While this study focused on IPC, the student recommendations may apply to other subjects nationally and internationally, suggesting the need for further research into using online teaching to support clinical teaching.
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    The patterns and distribution of maxillofacial fractures at Pelonomi hospital
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023-10) Mvala, Boyisile Stephen; Rikhotso, Risimati Ephraim
    Background: Despite large volumes of trauma patients treated, no study has analysed the epidemiology of craniofacial trauma at Pelonomi Hospital. Such studies could provide insight into the aetiologies and treatment modalities of maxillofacial injuries; and allow for development of strategies to ensure efficient and optimal utilization of limited health resources. Aim: To analyse the patterns and distribution of maxillofacial fractures at Pelonomi Hospital (PH). Methods: We designed and implemented a retrospective, descriptive cross-sectional study whose sample consisted of patients treated for maxillofacial fractures at PH, Frees State, South Africa, between January 1, 2017, and December 31, 2019. Data was collected from the patient’s clinical and radiographic records. Variables recorded included demographic data (gender, age), aetiology of the trauma, type of fractures and type of treatment provided. The delay in treatment was determined from date of injury to the day of treatment. The referral letters were assessed to determine district from which the patients were referred. Descriptive statistics of frequency and percentage were used to analyse the data. Fischer’s exact test was used to determine the association between the independent and dependent variables. The level of significance was set at a p-value less than 0.05. Results: A total of 307 patients with craniofacial fractures were included in the study. Females constituted 21.8% (n=67) and males were by far the majority of the participants at 78.2% (n=240). Individuals in the 20-29 age group had the most maxillofacial fractures (41.2%) and majority of patients in the study were Black (81.1%). The major cause of these injuries was interpersonal violence (60.9%). Alcohol contributed in 64.50% of the injuries. The most frequent fracture was a mandible fracture (70.7%). Majority of fractures in the study were treated with closed reduction (52%) and the waiting period prior to treatment was found to be 2 weeks. Conclusion: Blunt trauma sustained under the influence of alcohol in young individuals is responsible for majority of maxillofacial fractures at Pelonomi Hospital. Future prospective studies with large patient numbers and post treatment follow up are recommended.
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    Understanding the dynamics that enable and constrain the implementation of learnership programmes as skills development interventions in South Africa: A descriptive analysis of learnership programmes funded by the Education Training And Development Practices –Sector Education Training Authority (ETDP Seta)
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023-09) Khubisa, Zanele Cynthia; Ramsarup, Presha
    The study aimed to understand the dynamics that enable and determine the implementation of Education, Training, and Development Practices Sector Education and Training Authority (ETDP SETA) funded learnerships (2017/18 and 2018/2019) as critical skills development interventions in South Africa. The qualitative analysis considered the viewpoints of learners, host employers, and ETDP SETA Officials. Several key enablers have been identified, namely workplace-based learning, effective mentoring and monitoring, and evaluation of learnerships. On the other hand, certain key constraints have also been identified including limited involvement of corporate employers, inadequate resourcing, lack of educational progression, and the delays in issuing of certificates. It is important to note that the latter two constraints directly affect the employability of beneficiaries. The study recommended that the ETDP SETA improve its efforts to cultivate a consistent understanding of the national skills development imperatives amongst its stakeholders; incentivise employers to enhance their participation in workplace-based training and enforce policies and legislation that promoted improved pathways and connections to the rest of the PSET system. The SETA should consider enforcing measures that promote the timely issuing of certificates.
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    A social realist perspective of academic advising in a South African higher education context: A study of practices and practitioners
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023-08) De Klerk, Danie; Dison, Laura
    The South African higher education sector has numerous challenges to contend with. Students' prospects of success are often vulnerable to uneven secondary schooling, structural and material constraints, massification of the sector, and a range of other factors. In this thesis, I argue that academic advising has the potential to help find responsive and sustainable solutions to address these challenges. Academic advising is well established in the global north. In contrast, it remains an emerging field of practice in South Africa, with a dearth of literature about how advising is developed and practiced within the country’s unique higher education context. This thesis aims to contribute to the limited knowledge base about advising as a practice and the work of academic advisors as practitioners in South Africa. The study provides a social realist perspective of the emergence of advising within a South African higher education context. It draws on Margaret Archer’s work on structure, culture, and agency, the morphogenetic approach, and the notion of stratified layers of social reality to analyse data, make inferences, and draw conclusions. This is a qualitative study that adopts a mixed methods approach. The research paradigm is phenomenological, while phenomenographic principles are used selectively to advance the objectives of the study. The data that informs the study consists of a quantitative baseline dataset and qualitative data collected through semi-structured interviews with 15 academic advisors working at the University of the Witwatersrand. As this is a PhD by publication, the thesis consists of four interconnected papers (i.e., chapters), bookended by introduction and conclusion chapters. The first paper provides insights about advising as gleaned from the baseline data, while the second draws on the same data to highlight the impact of students’ structural and material constraints on the work of academic advisors. Papers three and four use interview data to glean academic advisor insights about advising prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic, respectively. The thesis concludes by highlighting the transformative potential of academic advising for South African higher education yet cautions that a major shift in the way advising is perceived and practiced is required for its potential to be realised.
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    Challenges faced by women in obtaining leadership roles in South African Higher Learning Institutions
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2021) Qwelane, Nomsa; Koech, Roselyn
    The role of women in leadership positions in the South African Higher Learning Institutions (HLI) is crucial. It is inclusive to women from different ethnic groups, ages, abilities, socioeconomic status, and various other women who face marginalization due to their different walks of life. South Africa is formed of diverse societies; hence, HLI should enrol women from diverse backgrounds; however, the policy is not inclusive of women’s leadership roles. This has a negative impact on their work performance. Therefore, this study is inquisitive to understand whether the barriers are identifiable in policies of HLI. This study aimed to identify and characterise opportunities for growth for women in higher education institutions. Eleven adult females in senior administrative positions between the ages of 25 and 65 participated in the study. A phenomenological approach, including The Glass Cliff Theory, was used to ground the study. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data and further analysed thematically. Results showed that the executive management had played a pivotal role in implementing diversity policy, such as removing these barriers. However, the participants have noted the fundamental challenge of the policies was not its framework but rather the speed at which it was implemented.
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    Exploring a culture of reading: A case study in an under-resourced South African primary school
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023-09) Biesman-Simons, Claire; Dixon, Kerryn
    South Africa faces an undeniable literacy crisis. Since 2000, there have been increasing calls for the creation of a culture of reading to address this crisis. This has been on the part of the South African government, academia and civil society. However, this has occurred without clear consensus on the term’s meaning and with little explanation of how a poorly-defined concept with its origins in the Global North would achieve this outcome. How this term has achieved such national prominence and the ways it affects school practices motivated this research. The first phase of the study investigated how the term “culture of reading” functions in national government education discourse, and its impact on the country’s reading landscape. This was followed by an ethnographic-style case study exploring the factors that shaped a culture of reading at a no-fee primary school, situated on the Cape Flats in Cape Town. Drawing on a review of more than 400 South African, African and global texts that reference “culture of reading”, this study provides a definition of a culture of reading that is appropriate for the African context, and central to the analysis of this study. To investigate how the term “culture of reading” functions in government discourse, I performed a textual analysis of a corpus of 58 publicly available texts produced by the South African government from 2000 to 2019. The analysis reveals an uncritical faith in a culture of reading as fundamental to improved reading levels despite there being no clarity on the term’s meaning or evidence of tangible outcomes in learners’ reading achievement. Bourdieu’s notion of doxa is drawn on to demonstrate how the government’s consistent return to an ill-defined Global Northern ideal is indicative of a misunderstanding of what reading is and can achieve, and of a need to further grapple with the complexities of South Africa’s reading landscape. Approaching reading from a socio-cultural perspective, the ethnographic-style case study investigates how habitus, capital and field (Bourdieu, 1990b) interact to shape school reading practices, and how the resulting culture of reading is reflected in one school’s reading practices. The case study shows the contextual realities and conditions in the field that affect the promotion of a culture of reading. Data was generated from interviews with 51 participants, classroom and schoolwide observations, photo elicitation, and document reviews which were subjected to a thematic analysis. Findings indicate that despite the evident value that staff and most learners attribute to reading and their positive dispositions towards reading (i.e. their habitus), the school’s culture of reading is undermined by external and internal forces. This is most notably with regard to inappropriate curriculum demands, a multilingual learner body restricted to learning in English, the impact of a community fraught with violence, as well as a dysfunctional culture of teaching and learning that has resulted in a divided staff body and poor discipline. Bourdieu’s attention to how no field exists in isolation is demonstrated by educators’ battles to promote reading in an education field that does not account sufficiently for social, cultural and economic contextual realities. Data generated in the Grade 5 classroom evidenced that agentive educators, equipped with the necessary cultural capital, can construct a sub-field that supports a culture of reading in spite of these constraints. However, this is precarious, and findings from the Grade 1 classroom demonstrated how overlapping fields and a dysfunctional culture of teaching and learning constrained an experienced educator, impacting on her wellbeing. The study highlights that there are many ways in which schools and educators can navigate and overcome institutional constraints that threaten South African learners’ reading development. The research highlights the need for closer alignment between government’s expectations of schools and their contextual realities, with educators’ professional and emotional wellbeing needing to be prioritised. Recommendations for research include further investigation into learners’ home and community language and literacy practices and how these practices can be built on at school.
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    Children Moving Across Borders: Equitable Access to Education for Undocumented Migrants in South Africa
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023-09) Blessed-Sayah, Sarah Enaan-Maseph; Griffiths, Dominic
    South Africa is experiencing an increase in intra-regional migration, and the management of migration in the country is increasingly becoming highly securitised. Individuals who move intra-regionally across borders include children –accompanied by parents or caretakers, unaccompanied, and those seeking refuge because of untenable and oppressive circumstances in their home country. Also, individuals who move to South Africa without legal documentation often give birth to children within the State, who are then undocumented. Without documentation, these children cannot access education, which means that achieving their educational right becomes impossible. This happens partly because of legal contradictions that exist in immigration and education policy frameworks. For instance, the Bill of Rights, as contained in Section 29(1)(a) of the Constitution of South Africa (The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa No. 108, 1996), states that everyone has the right to basic education, and further states in subsection 2 that the State (being South Africa) is obligated to respect this right. Additionally, the South African Schools Act 84 of 1996 (Republic of South Africa, 1996) states that public schools are obliged to admit children without any form of discrimination on any grounds. However, the Immigration Act No 13 of 2002 states that no ‘illegal foreigner’ should be allowed on the premises of any learning institution (Republic of South Africa The Presidency, 2002). Thus, the question remains whether undocumented migrant children are included in the ‘all’ or ‘every’ because of existing legal contradictions between the Constitution and the Immigration Policy. Furthermore, the need to consider how the educational right of undocumented migrant children is upheld comes from the evident nationalist view on migration in South Africa, which is projected through government, and in local communities. Although some studies have evaluated the extent to which this right is protected or ensured, and others have considered the barriers to exercising the right to education in South Africa, only a few specifically focus on the right of undocumented migrant children to equitable education, and strategies to ensure its fulfilment. Thus, an explanation of equitable access to education in South Africa entails developing an approach for understanding undocumented migrant children’s educational experience, because this approach would provide a platform to achieve workable ways to ensure the fulfilment of their right to basic education. This research explores the difficulties undocumented migrant children experience in relation to education. Given this, an explanation regarding access to education for undocumented migrant children, from an equity viewpoint in South Africa, is developed. Thus, this study had three major aims. Firstly, to develop an understanding of equity in relation to access to education. Secondly, to investigate the impact (problems) of migration on undocumented migrant children in relation to equitable access to education in South Africa. Thirdly, to develop strategies that can ensure that these undocumented migrant children have their right to basic education protected in South Africa. Using the capability approach combined with Unterhalter’s (2009) description of equity as a three-fold concept as the study’s conceptual framework, I argue that ensuring equitable access to education for undocumented migrant children in South Africa requires an integrated approach, which goes beyond top-down strategies and highlights the role of agency. Each finding under the study’s objectives serves as evidence that support my overall argument for an integrated approach. A qualitative research design, from an interpretivist phenomenological lens provided me with the opportunity to carefully interact and bring forward the contextualised lived experiences of undocumented migrant children. This brought about an in-depth description of equitable access to education for them. The study was conducted with an NGO working with undocumented migrant children in the eastern region of the Johannesburg area in the Gauteng province of South Africa. The criterion used for selecting participants was based on the fact that the Project staff members, children who attend the Project, and their parents understand the social environment in which the children reside. They were able to give detailed and in-depth explanations on the impact of migration on their access to education, in an equitable manner. Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) officials who deal with undocumented migrant children, and South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) staff who deal with education also understand the impact of migration on these children’s chance to equitably access education and were included in the study. A total of 45 participants who were conveniently selected, based on the inclusion criteria, made up the sample size. Nineteen undocumented migrant children (n=19), eleven parents of undocumented migrant children (n=11), and fifteen professionals participated in this study (n=15). I served as the primary tool for data collection while employing different qualitative methods, including individual semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions. The method of data analysis I used for this study included an inductive and deductive approach using the NVivo QSR 12 software. From this method of data analysis, I identified three key themes relating to the specific objectives of the study. Objective 1: I found that undocumented migrant children, their parents, and professionals who deal with this group of children perceive equity to mean ‘the opportunity to thrive’ and ‘fairness’. In addition, under the first objective, it was found that equitable access to education is closely linked to being able to attend schools. While the undocumented migrant children described this in terms of the right to attend school and learn educational skills, the parent and professional participants explained it as a fundamental human right which should not be constrained by one’s legal status in South Africa. Along this line, it was also revealed that equitable access to education is important for various reasons including access to other services; capabilities, functioning, and the platform to achieve other human rights; and the avoidance of social ills. In all, equitable access to education strongly supports the human dignity of undocumented migrant children. Objective 2: Under objective two, I found that the impact of migration to South Africa, as it concerns equitable access to education for undocumented migrant children, was negative. Various problems faced by these children were identified. Firstly, the overarching problem was the lack of documentation which affects the opportunity for undocumented migrant children to equitably access school. This lack of documentation includes the non-issuance of proper birth certificates and so, the non-registration of the births of these children; and the fear of going to renew or apply for permits at the South African Department of Home Affairs (DHA) because of fear of police arrest. Secondly, the problem of continued discrimination, and xenophobic attacks and attitudes was also experienced by undocumented migrant children and their parents. These attacks affected their chance to access education. Thirdly, the lack of access to basic services presented itself as a difficulty which affects the opportunity to access schools, in an equitable way. Fourth, policy gaps, including ambiguities and non-implementation of recent court judgments, also served as problems which affect access to education for these children. Lastly, Covid-19 and the effects of the pandemic further compounded already existing difficulties undocumented migrant children face concerning their equitable access to education. Objective 3: The study revealed that strategies to address the problems experienced by undocumented migrant children include government-level, community-level, and individual-level strategies, and a combined, planned approach (integrated approach). Under government-level strategies, it was found that undocumented migrant children need to be issued birth certificates with identification or registration numbers and so, be appropriately registered at birth. Existing policies about education and immigration also need to be revised, and recent court judgments like the Phakamisa Judgment must be implemented. Also, stakeholders must be trained to ensure the proper implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of policies and recent judgments on equitable access to education for undocumented migrant children. As part of community-level strategies more assistance from NGOs, who bridge educational gaps for undocumented migrant children, would be useful in ensuring undocumented migrant children get educated. Individually, promoting social cohesion between migrants and non-migrants was highlighted. Also, parents of the identified children were encouraged to acquire documentation for their children. However, these different levels, on their own, are not sufficient to ensure equitable access to education. Thus, this study advocates an integrated approach to addressing the problems experienced by undocumented migrant children and their parents, regarding their children’s equitable access to education. Supporting this, the professionals interviewed recommend that all levels of society need to work together, in an organised way, to achieve access to education for the identified group of children. Also, the role of the agency and a bottom-up approach to ensuring access to education in an equitable way were highlighted through the integrated approach. Based on the findings, I argue that the various strategies identified require an integrated approach (for thinking and doing), which includes recognising the agency (individually and collectively) of undocumented migrant children. This approach draws on both top-down and bottom-up approaches with the significant roles of policy implementation, monitoring, and evaluation as well as agency (in both individual and collective forms) highlighted. Important is that this integrated approach (for thinking and doing) will be based on a thorough knowledge of the context. The findings thus serve as supporting empirical evidence for the overall thesis which is that to ensure equitable access to education is achieved, equity must be explained in detail, as a multi-faceted notion, and combined with the capability approach, which allows us to identify and interrogate specific structural limitations.