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LEADING A SCHOOL IN A DEEP RURAL AREA
Menyezwayo Senior Secondary School was founded in 1976, catering for learners in grades 8 to 10. By rural KwaZulu-Natal standards, a twenty-six year old school is venerable, but grades 11 and 12 were only added in 1992 and 1993 respectively. Both its relatively recent establishment and the time taken for the final two years of formal schooling to be added are indicative of how undeveloped the area is.
Access is difficult, as the school is eight kilometres from the nearest road (and that a gravel regional one). Remoteness makes it difficult to attract the best teachers as nowadays most educators are not keen on working in rural areas, let alone in a school so far from a road. Their reluctance is understandable as transport of any kind is a problem: a teacher who does not reside near the school has to walk the eight kilometres to and from school every working day.
Pupils also find it difficult to register with the school because of its inaccessibility. Many walk more than ten kilometres to and from school each day, and this distance contributes to their often coming late for school. The teachers plan to begin lessons at eight o´ clock each day, but this is at present only a dream. The campaign to have learners arrive early as a measure to support a disciplined, functioning school is crippled by youngsters arriving in dribs and drabs until 08h30.
ACCOMMODATION
The school used to own four cottages to accommodate teachers, and these were located on the premises. However, owing to the high level of crime in the area, teachers abandoned these and sought accommodation in nearby households or kraals. Such lodging is difficult to find, and acceptance in the new community takes time and effort. Some of the teachers have chosen to live in the small town of Kranskop, which is in a spectacular setting, but over 20 kilometres away. Some local people do provide accommodation in the form of rented cottages, but even in these, there is still a great security problem. During the 2001 December holidays, many of these cottages were broken into and possessions stolen or destroyed. One of the cottages was even burnt to the ground. Three staff members who were residing in these cottages lost heavily. One, a teacher of grade 12 mathematics and biology, suffered from depression as a result, and ended up taking early maternity leave. This left the huge problem of having to find a qualified replacement teacher of mathematics and biology. I was fortunate in finding someone after an anxious two-week period in which the classes sat without a teacher. Accommodation is also a problem for learners who wish to attend the school but who live far away.
TEACHER SUPPLY
The school caters for learners in grades 8 to 12. In terms of the government´s 2001 „post provisioning norm“ it qualifies to have only six teachers. It is not possible with this small allocation to cover all the subjects the school has to offer. Consequently, there are classes without a teacher. It takes time for the department to give the school the right to appoint an „unprotected temporary educator“. When schools such as ours wish to introduce new subjects that will equip learners for the demands of the 21st century, we are faced with a task that is virtually impossible.
BOOKS AND STATIONERY
Books and stationery are supplied by the department of education, in accordance with the norms and standards for funding. But the funds available are not sufficient as they are calculated on the number of puils and not on their needs. In our case the funds allocated are such that we can order for only three grades each year. Another problem is that the firms that win tenders to supply the textbooks and stationery frequently deliver them very late, usually long after the school has re-opened for the new year. This problem is especially acute in rural schools. At the time of writing, the school had not yet received its allocation to the grade 9 Natural Science textbook.
MALNUTRITION
There is a polite and euphemistic connotation to the word malnutriton, and it does not reflect the true situation that faces us. Most pupils come from families that must survive on less than the equivalent of US$1 a day. The reality is that each day we have children arriving without having eaten anything and without food or pocket money to buy even the sparsest morsels of food. Needless to say, this seriously affects their performance in the classroom.
THE INADEQUACY OF CLASSROOMS
Menyezwayo Senior Secondary School started in 1976 with three classrooms. In 1992 a further three were added. Since then, no more classes have been built because the community simply is not in a position to provide more money. This shortage of classrooms hampers any efforts to introduce new subjects into the senior grades. Despite this, we have introduced commercial subjects into grades 10 and 11. This has meant that when the commercial class is in session, the „general class“ must stay outside. The same situation will apply next year when the commerce students move on to grade 12, unless the school can find a sponsor who will enable more classes to be built. What the school really needs is eight additional classrooms and an assembly hall.
CONCLUSION
The provision of quality education in rural areas remains an extremely difficult challenge to South Africans. The performance of children generally depends on the nutrition, stimulation and support their parents can give them. Often, rural parents cannot supply these. Stimulation of early childhood development in rural areas would help in providing nutrition, intellectual stimulation and the adjustment to school discipline which children from poor backgrounds lack. The establishment of pre-school and other improvements in provision will have some influence, but these alone will not improve rural education. No single intervention will have a magical effect. A holistic developmental approach, with the establishment of clinics, roads, transport, electricity, running water, community centres and the creation of job opportunities is needed if the lot of educators in rural areas is to be made easier and less stressful.
Menyezwayo Senior Secondary School was founded in 1976, catering for learners in grades 8 to 10. By rural KwaZulu-Natal standards, a twenty-six year old school is venerable, but grades 11 and 12 were only added in 1992 and 1993 respectively. Both its relatively recent establishment and the time taken for the final two years of formal schooling to be added are indicative of how undeveloped the area is.
Access is difficult, as the school is eight kilometres from the nearest road (and that a gravel regional one). Remoteness makes it difficult to attract the best teachers as nowadays most educators are not keen on working in rural areas, let alone in a school so far from a road. Their reluctance is understandable as transport of any kind is a problem: a teacher who does not reside near the school has to walk the eight kilometres to and from school every working day.
Pupils also find it difficult to register with the school because of its inaccessibility. Many walk more than ten kilometres to and from school each day, and this distance contributes to their often coming late for school. The teachers plan to begin lessons at eight o´ clock each day, but this is at present only a dream. The campaign to have learners arrive early as a measure to support a disciplined, functioning school is crippled by youngsters arriving in dribs and drabs until 08h30.
ACCOMMODATION
The school used to own four cottages to accommodate teachers, and these were located on the premises. However, owing to the high level of crime in the area, teachers abandoned these and sought accommodation in nearby households or kraals. Such lodging is difficult to find, and acceptance in the new community takes time and effort. Some of the teachers have chosen to live in the small town of Kranskop, which is in a spectacular setting, but over 20 kilometres away. Some local people do provide accommodation in the form of rented cottages, but even in these, there is still a great security problem. During the 2001 December holidays, many of these cottages were broken into and possessions stolen or destroyed. One of the cottages was even burnt to the ground. Three staff members who were residing in these cottages lost heavily. One, a teacher of grade 12 mathematics and biology, suffered from depression as a result, and ended up taking early maternity leave. This left the huge problem of having to find a qualified replacement teacher of mathematics and biology. I was fortunate in finding someone after an anxious two-week period in which the classes sat without a teacher. Accommodation is also a problem for learners who wish to attend the school but who live far away.
TEACHER SUPPLY
The school caters for learners in grades 8 to 12. In terms of the government´s 2001 „post provisioning norm“ it qualifies to have only six teachers. It is not possible with this small allocation to cover all the subjects the school has to offer. Consequently, there are classes without a teacher. It takes time for the department to give the school the right to appoint an „unprotected temporary educator“. When schools such as ours wish to introduce new subjects that will equip learners for the demands of the 21st century, we are faced with a task that is virtually impossible.
BOOKS AND STATIONERY
Books and stationery are supplied by the department of education, in accordance with the norms and standards for funding. But the funds available are not sufficient as they are calculated on the number of puils and not on their needs. In our case the funds allocated are such that we can order for only three grades each year. Another problem is that the firms that win tenders to supply the textbooks and stationery frequently deliver them very late, usually long after the school has re-opened for the new year. This problem is especially acute in rural schools. At the time of writing, the school had not yet received its allocation to the grade 9 Natural Science textbook.
MALNUTRITION
There is a polite and euphemistic connotation to the word malnutriton, and it does not reflect the true situation that faces us. Most pupils come from families that must survive on less than the equivalent of US$1 a day. The reality is that each day we have children arriving without having eaten anything and without food or pocket money to buy even the sparsest morsels of food. Needless to say, this seriously affects their performance in the classroom.
THE INADEQUACY OF CLASSROOMS
Menyezwayo Senior Secondary School started in 1976 with three classrooms. In 1992 a further three were added. Since then, no more classes have been built because the community simply is not in a position to provide more money. This shortage of classrooms hampers any efforts to introduce new subjects into the senior grades. Despite this, we have introduced commercial subjects into grades 10 and 11. This has meant that when the commercial class is in session, the „general class“ must stay outside. The same situation will apply next year when the commerce students move on to grade 12, unless the school can find a sponsor who will enable more classes to be built. What the school really needs is eight additional classrooms and an assembly hall.
CONCLUSION
The provision of quality education in rural areas remains an extremely difficult challenge to South Africans. The performance of children generally depends on the nutrition, stimulation and support their parents can give them. Often, rural parents cannot supply these. Stimulation of early childhood development in rural areas would help in providing nutrition, intellectual stimulation and the adjustment to school discipline which children from poor backgrounds lack. The establishment of pre-school and other improvements in provision will have some influence, but these alone will not improve rural education. No single intervention will have a magical effect. A holistic developmental approach, with the establishment of clinics, roads, transport, electricity, running water, community centres and the creation of job opportunities is needed if the lot of educators in rural areas is to be made easier and less stressful.
igel - 13. Dez, 18:24
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