Early in 1998, SAIDE, the SABC, and the Department of Education met to develop plans for four related research projects. These projects - which have arisen in large part from the relationship between the SABC and Department of Education articulated in the Educational Broadcasting Plan released by the Department in 1996 - were as follows:
1. Developing a phased implementation plan for the introduction of a school educational broadcasting service;
2. Identifying roles for the SABC in supporting the provision of Adult Basic Education and Training programmes, and developing an implementation plan;
3. Developing a conceptual paper on the most appropriate roles for the SABC in supporting the spectrum of youth and adult education falling outside the boundaries of the conventional schooling and higher education systems; and
4. Formulating an educational approach for the SABC in relation to the use of technologies other than radio and television.

Projects one and four took respective priority, and SAIDE began work on the two projects in April of this year. This article focuses on progress in project one.

The development of implementation plans for a school-based educational broadcasting service clearly needed to begin with extensive needs and context analysis. However, significant work has already been done in many relevant areas, and hence we sought to build on existing research projects and policy processes wherever possible.

Thus, we began with a scan of the policy environment, which sets clear limits in various ways on the possible focuses of a school-based educational broadcasting service. In addition, we have conducted overviews of existing South African and international research on the use of radio and television to support educational provision at school level, as well as examining the roles that broadcasters around the world are playing in this area.

Given the special place of radio as a communication mechanism in South Africa's and the existence of eleven local radio stations around the country, we also commissioned a situational analysis of educational radio.

The concept of a school-based service implies that the service was likely to be influenced in important ways by the fact that the primary place of engagement with such a service for learners and teachers would be the school and that this engagement would take place during school hours. This has meant that exploration of the resource realities facing schools in South Africa was also an essential component of the service.

In compiling data in this area, we have consulted the School Register of Needs, but supplemented this with research visits to a small sample of schools. This latter process was designed to determine the practical difficulties that would be faced in getting teachers and learners around televisions or radios at appropriate time of the day.

In addition to these research processes, consultation with key players has also been an essential component of the research. As well as organizing meetings with a range of individuals, we have organized two highly constructive workshops and participated in further consultative workshops organized by the SABC.

These processes have engaged teachers, teacher union representatives, national and provincial departmental officials, academics, NGOs, and others in assessing the pitfalls and possibilities of a school-based service. These processes is being followed up with provincially organized workshops organized by the Department of Education.

Using this research input - which is still continuing - we are currently in the process of developing implementation plans for a school-based service, while simultaneously incorporating this into broader planning processes for an overall school service.

It is anticipated that this will lead to plans for the following:
•    A broadcast service providing radio and television resources for use in support of the school curriculum;
•    A broadcast service to support whole school development;
•    A broadcast service providing ongoing support and professional development for educators in the primary and secondary school sectors;
•    Non-broadcast strategies to motivate teachers to use the broadcast materials;
•    Non-broadcast professional development strategies to support teachers in the use of the materials;
•    Increased physical infrastructure and hardware in schools to expand access to the broadcast materials;
•    Mixed media strategies to support the school-based educational broadcasting service (in line with broader SABC approaches to the use of technologies other than radio and television - see project four below); and
•    Evaluation of the quality and use of the school-based service.

People interested in receiving more information about these planning processes are welcome to contact Neil Butcher or Kali Sachinis at SAIDE.