Parental and Caregiver Involvement in South African Education
Edited by: Zahraa McDonald, Adam Cooper, Ashnie Mahadew and Noxolo Xaba
Parental and Caregiver Involvement in South African Education reveals the powerful role families play in shaping learning across South Africa’s diverse communities. From townships to rural villages and urban centres, this edited volume blends research and case studies to show how parents and caregivers are transforming education—often against the odds.
Organised into three compelling sections, the book first frames a social justice approach, then explores contextual realities, and finally delves into interventions in South African education. Contributors explore challenges and triumphs, offering insights into community-driven innovations that improve learning outcomes. More than analysis, the book presents practical, evidence-based strategies for strengthening partnerships between homes, schools and communities. It invites the readers to rethink education through the lenses of equity, inclusion and social justice.
Essential reading for parents, caregivers, educators, policymakers and changemakers, this volume is a call to recognise and support the vital collaborations at the heart of meaningful learning.
“This is an extremely timely contribution. As we grapple with the challenge of radically improving the South African educational system, the contributors to this volume tell us about the structural, affective, and practical issues that stand in the way of bringing parents and caregivers properly and fully into the process of education. The chapters are informative and are written with feeling and insight.” Crain Soudien, Emeritus Professor, University of Cape Town
Full title: Parental and Caregiver Involvement in South African Education
Editors: Zahraa McDonald, Adam Cooper, Ashnie Mahadew and Noxolo Xaba
Publication: October 2025
ISBN: 978-0-7969-2698-2
Format: 229 mm x 152 mm
Extent: 304 pp
Price: R390
Poverty and Inequality in African Cities: Reflections on Challenges and Causes
Edited by Nicasius Achu Check and Adebayo O Olukoshi
Africa’s rapid population growth, increasingly inadequate housing markets and poor infrastructure networks have contributed to ineffective urban planning and social service delivery, deepening poverty and inequality in Africa’s urban settings. As people move from rural areas to cities seeking better opportunities, many struggle to secure stable employment and decent housing, intensifying their vulnerability to poverty and social exclusion.
Poverty & Inequality in African Cities: Reflections on challenges and causes investigates these interconnected challenges, with particular attention to the haphazard nature of urban planning in Africa. It highlights how overcrowding, poor sanitation, and limited access to essential services such as water and electricity contribute to high poverty rates in these urban spaces.
The contributors offer valuable insights into the trends and underlying causes of ineffective urban planning, shedding light on structural constraints and emerging opportunities for reform.
This new volume is part of the revived State of Africa series and provides policy direction for decision-makers seeking to address urban development challenges across the continent.
“A sharp and timely examination of one of Africa’s defining challenges—rapid urbanisation. Insightful, grounded, and essential reading for anyone concerned with the politics and realities of urban development on the continent.” Richard Obinna Iroanya, School of Military Science, University of Namibia, Windhoek
Full title: Poverty and Inequality in African Cities
Subtitle: Reflections on Challenges and Causes
Editors: Nicasius Achu Check and Adebayo O Olukoshi
Publication: November 2025
ISBN: 978-0-7983-0541-9
Format: 234 mm x 156 mm
Extent: 424 pp
Price: R420
Author | Editors contact details: skhan@hsrc.ac.za
Catalogue
https://www.hsrcpress.ac.za/downloads
For orders:
Local | orders@blueweaver.co.za
International | cservice@rienner.com
If you enjoyed reading these, please click here to subscribe to the HSRC Review quarterly magazine.
