Siyabalala – 04 August 2014

I was excited about the visit today as the past 7 schools have provided me with many challenges. Each day I arrive at the Education Department district offices not knowing where I will be deployed as this is left in the capable hands of Mr Mgijima.

Waiting outside the Education Department is an education in itself. Each morning I have noted an elderly lady walking past in old broken running shoes, track suit pants, a dress, an apron and a spade in her hand. She shuffles past and is deep in thought. I often wonder where she is off to.

Having arrived just after 8 I had to wait until just before 9 when Mr Mgijima arrived from King Williamstown. He had experienced heavy mist but did phone to let me know that he would be late. We headed off chatting as we covered a number of different topics including the missing screws from the furniture issue. He agreed with me that this was a problem but had not considered the possibility of investing in a few screws to reduce the damages to existing furniture. I had visited a local hardware store while waiting and determined that 4 screws would cost around R2.00 and would reduce the number of learners having to share furniture during lessons.

Having prepared for a lesson using a data projector and the SMART digital wireless slate I was disappointed to discover that the power in the classroom was non-existent. Mr Mgijima was kind enough to spend some time trying to resolve this matter with long extensions cords from the next building. This did influence the order of the lesson but did not distract from the quality of the demonstration.

Having arrived late at the school we were interrupted by the meal break as the school is part of a feeding scheme. During this break I discovered that I had a flat tyre and had no choice but to change it – easier said than done. The gravel roads added a new dimension to this little task together with a tyre that did not want to budge. A few blows with a brick on the inside of the rim resolved the matter by which time the learners were back.

I noted at least 5 learners in this school who answered some of the more difficult questions despite the language barriers. One has to bear in mind that these learners have received tuition through the medium of English since Grade 4 and yet they lack the confidence and sometimes the ability to communicate in English after 4 to 5 years. This is also evident in their answering of the questionnaire. I have taken note of the situation especially with English being their second language.

It is interesting to note in the Sunday Times dated 3 August that the poor use of English is a major constraint for learners. If they are not able to address this matter they will be severely constrained with regards their ability to cope with studying at university in the near future. I have suggested that learners answer the open ended questions in isiXhosa if they wish to do so.

The customary schoolyard furniture graveyard was evident yet again. It is interesting what the cost of 4 screws can save on a school budget. All the schools that I visited have this issue and yet there is a budget for repairs and maintenance. New furniture has been ordered and apparently a few heads have rolled over furniture tenders at a very high level.

I have challenged my NMMU students to raise funds for screws that we can repair a few desks on my next visit. Maybe I am just a dreamer as there is potential in these remote areas. Sadly they do not have a Science teacher at the school.