Browsing by Author "October, Wade"

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    The impact of household poverty on learners’ academic performance at a Cape Winelands school.
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2023-12) October, Wade; Davids, Nuraan; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Education. Dept. of Education Policy Studies.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study aimed to explore the impact of household poverty on the learner’s academic performance at a Cape Winelands school. Employing a qualitative, phenomenological case study design, the objectives of the study were to understand how the National Norms and Standards for School Funding (NNSSF) policy (DBE, 2006) is implemented in rural schools; gain insights into the academic challenges experienced by learners in a rural context; and explore the dynamics of the rural school and the learners within their communities.The data for this study was constructed from a purposively selected sample of six learners, two teachers and six parents/guardians of the learners from a primary school. In addition to conducting focus group interviews with the six learners and semi-structured interviews with the teachers and parents/guardians, the data from these interviews were analysed in conjunction with the NNSSF policy (DBE, 2006). Academic performance, household poverty and the rate of poverty in South Africa cannot be divorced from its political histories, such as the Bantu Education Act and the segregation in terms of the Group Areas Act. These policies affected the livelihoods of many parents post-1994. This resulted in many inequalities in terms of employment and educational regress in terms of the current population groups. Within this research, parents' unemployment is strongly linked to their lack of education. In many instances, both parents were unemployed and illiterate, and a culture of poverty developed within these households. This study differentiates itself from other studies on poverty as it focuses on household poverty, which aligns with the manifestation of family dynamics. The learners are put in the middle, and all negative effects of family dynamics influence the development of those learners within the school. The school seems to be the safest place for these learners, although many are driven away from school due to ill-discipline within the classroom. They often drop out and become part of many social problems within the community. This study found that most parents are unlikely to help their children due to their low levels of literacy. This study recognised that it is imperative to note that schools in rural communities continue to face tremendous challenges ranging from overcrowded, rundown classrooms, and low access to technological resources. At the centre of this, redress is the NNSSF policy (DBE, 2006), which is expected to address the past injustices in terms of inequality, but as is evident from this study, fails to achieve its stated objectives. In turn, implementation of the NNSSF policy seems to be neglected in rural schools. Teachers do not know about the NNSSF policy and how it affects their teaching at the school. This study found that the lack of teachers, resources, and classroom space impacts learners' academic performance to such an extent that they cannot read or write according to their grade level. Learners are being left behind, and no additional academic attention is given to those learners within the classroom. The learners' builds up an academic backlog, increasing as the learners move from grade to grade. Teachers become demotivated within the school and overloaded with tasks other than educating learners. The rural school must be seen as a community-based school. The school should manifest itself within the community as a place of excellence where learning and teaching prosper. This can only be done with the support of the parents at the school. The school's leadership should take cognisance of the community's diversity and form private partnerships to generate some additional income. This will also allow the school to become self-sufficient and function independently. This study also encourages a framework for rural schools to be drafted to allow for integration within the different communities.