| Summary: | A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Arts in fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of Communication Science at the University of Zululand, 2017 === The South African education system requires urgent intervention to improve the quality of its tarnished image. The Department of Basic Education has been criticised and referred to as a national catastrophe which is characterised by pockets of disasters by Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga. There are numerous challenges and crises which diminish the image of the Department of Basic Education. The media has further influenced the negative perception by stakeholders of the education system leaving the reputation of the Department of Basic Education and local schools tarnished. This thesis examines how reputational management could be used to promote the image of basic education in uThungulu. The first part of the study reviews literature on reputation management, media effects, crisis management, challenges and strategies for reputation management. Subsequent chapters describe the construction of a survey instrument employed to measure and evaluate the relevance of reputation management at public schools. A questionnaire was used to glean information about impact of utilising reputation management to improve Basic Education. Staff from the uThungulu district municipality, as well as, members of the local community responded to the questionnaire. MoonStats was used to organise data from the questionnaire into logical, sequential and meaningful categories. Further, MoonStats and Excel assisted in generating descriptive statistics, graphs and bivariate statistics which made it easier to compare variables. Penultimate chapters blend the insights gained from the literature review to interpret the results obtained through the study. Among other issues, it was interesting to note both sample groups agreed that local schools and the Department of Basic Education are faced with numerous crises and challenges which diminishes its reputation, therefore, it was recommended that the implementation of effective reputational management communication strategies will actively address these issues and restore a positive image within the Department of Basic Education.
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