The impact of resource constraints on teaching and learning in South Africa’s community learning centres

The impact of resource constraints on teaching and learning in South Africa’s community learning centres

Ronnie Risimati Maceke , Elvis Modikela Nkoana & Thulani Andrew Chauke

Issue: Vol. 7 No. 1 2026 Article 1 pp.1-14
DOI : https://doi.org/10.38159/jelt.2026711 Published online 18th February 2026.

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ABSTRACT

The persistent lack of resources in Community Learning Centres (CLCs) and its impact on educator morale, teaching quality, and learner engagement remains a serious concern that has not been sufficiently explored. This qualitative study seeks to address that gap by drawing on data collected through semi-structured interviews and observations involving nine educators and three centre managers from three Johannesburg-based CLCs in Gauteng Province, South Africa. Thematic analysis revealed key challenges, including shortages of teaching materials, limited access to technology, poorly maintained facilities, and inconsistent administrative support. These constraints not only hinder effective teaching but also contribute to educator absenteeism, low morale, and burnout. Using Christopher Hood’s Public Management Theory, the study interprets these institutional challenges within broader structural and systemic limitations. The findings further indicate that weak infrastructure, inadequate funding, and limited professional development opportunities undermine the capacity of educators and managers to deliver quality teaching and learning. The study recommends that fair and strategic resource allocation is essential for improving teaching quality and learner outcomes. A coordinated response is required, including urgent infrastructure upgrades, sufficient funding for materials and digital tools, stronger centre-level communication, ongoing professional development, and stricter policy enforcement. This research contributes to the existing body of knowledge by highlighting how resource inadequacies in adult education settings erode both teaching efficacy and educational equity.

Keywords: Adult Education, Community Learning Centres, Educator, Resource challenge.

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AUTHOR(S)

Dr Ronnie Risimati Maceke is a Lecturer in the Department of Education Studies at the University of Limpopo, South Africa. He holds a PhD and a Master’s degree in Adult Education from the University of South Africa (UNISA), a BEd Honours degree in Education, Training and Development from the University of Johannesburg (UJ), an Advanced Certificate in Educational Management from the University of Johannesburg (UJ), and a Primary Teacher’s Diploma (PTD) from Shingwedzi College of Education. His research interests focus on Adult Community Education and Training.

Prof Elvis Modikela Nkoana is an Associate Professor in the Department of Development Planning and Management at the University of Limpopo (UL), South Africa. He holds a Doctor of Environmental Sciences from the University of Antwerp (UA), Belgium. Before joining the University of Limpopo, he was an Associate Professor in the Department of Adult, Community and Continuing Education at the University of South Africa (UNISA) in Pretoria, South Africa. His research interests include Adult Community Education and Training, Environmental Literacy, and Community-based Climate adaptation in the global South context.

Prof Chauke Thulani Andrew is a Y2 NRF Rated Researcher, an associate professor in the Department of Adult Community and Continuing Education at the University of South Africa, author with a PhD in Education. Chauke has extensive experience in youth development and electoral administration, higher education with a particular focus on democracy, youth health and youth development in general. He is also a researcher with interests in the intersection of youth studies, youth work and youth behavior, education and youth political participation, positive youth development, sociology of youth.

TO CITE ARTICLE

Maceke, Ronnie Risimati, Elvis Modikela Nkoana, and Thulani Andrew Chauke. “The Impact of Resource Constraints on Teaching and Learning in South Africa’s Community Learning Centres.” Journal of Education and Learning Technology 7, no. 1 (2025): 1-14. https://doi.org/10.38159/jelt.2026711