The voice of a group of teachers in full-service schools in South Africa.

Background: Full-service schools (FSSs) were introduced into the South African school system as part of the movement towards inclusive education. Objectives: The authors of this article embarked on a study to obtain the opinions and feelings of a group of teachers about FSSs and inclusive education. Thus, the 'voice' of these teachers could be heard. Method: The research followed a qualitative approach using group discussions and classroom observations. Triangulation was used to verify information. Results: The data revealed that the teacher participants had definite opinions and feelings about inclusive education in FSSs and their classroom experiences also came to light. The themes arising from the research are the teachers' opinions about teaching in FSSs, support from the school and the school management, discipline in the schools, teaching methods, language issues, religion and parent involvement. Conclusion: It is clear that the specific needs of teachers whose schools were transformed into FSSs will have to be attended to. The teachers are the ones who have to apply inclusive education in their classrooms, and it is essential that teachers' teaching and personal needs in full-service classrooms are addressed. Contribution: The article contributes to a better understanding of the teachers' important role in FSSs and the problems experienced by the teachers. This aligns with the ethos of inclusive education and human rights included in the scope of the journal.

Difficulties in teaching Grade 3 learners with reading problems in full-service schools in South Africa.

Background: Many primary school learners in South Africa, including those in so-called full-service schools (FSSs), are reading below their grade level. Objectives: The authors of this article embarked on a study to find out what difficulties a group of Grade 3 teachers in full-service school faced to support their young custodians with reading problems. Methods: The research followed a qualitative approach using semi-structured interviews and classroom observation. Results: The data showed that the reading problems experienced by some Grade 3 learners can be attributed to the multiple levels of the education system. On the macro system as set out by Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory where the government and provincial departments operate, the first issue was the national department's progression policy which allows Grade 2 learners to progress to Grade 3 without the required reading competency. The second issue was a lack of enough readers and overcrowding in classrooms. Problems on the microsystem included aspects such as the language of learning and teaching; learners' reading skills and attitudes towards reading; teachers' lack of knowledge about diverse learning needs and parental support. Conclusion: It is envisaged that the study will contribute to an understanding of the teachers' difficulties in teaching reading so that the Grade 3 learners' reading problems especially those in FSSs could be dealt with through combined efforts of all the stakeholders in the education system.

Creation of a caspase-3 sensing system using a combination of split-GFP and split-intein.

A genetically encodable caspase-3 sensing system has been created using self-assembling split-GFP, in which a C-terminal fragment is "covalently" cyclized via a caspase-3 substrate sequence mediated by split-intein. The specific cleavage of the cyclic C-terminal fragment by caspase-3 induces the GFP reassembly and fluorescence recovery.