This article by Grace Moeketsi and Tshepo Nkosi addresses education problems including high fees and corporal punishment and the issues surrounding this.
Soshanguve Community Development Forum (SCDF) is a community-based organisation which was established in May 2003 by residents of Soshanguve East. The purpose of the SCDF is to tackle education problems like the school feeding scheme, payment of high school fees, the lack of resources within schools, punishment during school hours, the continued use of corporal punishment and other problems. The aim of this article is for the community to know about these issues.
As the SCDF we are currently running an education campaign. The aims of the campaign are to raise awareness about the problems in public schools, to involve learners in identifying their problems and to mobilise them to stand up for their rights and to build the organisation. We decided to run this campaign with a petition so that learners can list their problems individually.
The petition focuses on the issue of school fees. The Gauteng Schools Education Act of 1995 says that every person shall have the right to basic education and to equal access to schools. But schools like Amogelang senior secondary school in Soshanguve, fail to comply with the Act by refusing learners admission to school due to failure to pay school fees. On the contrary, their fees are high. They have been charging R200 per year for the past four years. Exemption forms have not been introduced properly to the parents. In 1994 our parents voted for the dream of free education but it has now become a nightmare of pre-paid education.
Corporal punishment still exists and learners do not have a say in the matter because they are threatened by teachers. Yet, when we look at the Act it says no person shall administer corporal punishment to a learner at any public school.
We believe that now is the time for learners to come out and have a say about or take an action against corporal punishment. They should also demand functioning nutrition programmes, which at the moment are sporadically running in a handful of primary schools in our area. Every one knows that all children – from primary to high school – need food. Hundreds of learners continue to be locked out of the school premises during break with no provision of meals for those who have no food at home.
Representative Councils of Learners (RCLs) have been elected to represent learners, but instead they have become school administrators’ puppets. They do not know the chores or their rights as learners; all they do is to say yes to principals and educators. For example, when learners are late they lock the gates instead of standing up for them.
We have found out that learners are afraid of opening up. Others talk about their problems but they do not take action.
We are hoping to broaden this campaign nationally as we know that June 16 plays an important role in the education struggle. We will assess the campaign by monitoring the amount of changes in different schools.
WE DEMAND FREE QUALITY EDUCATION AT ALL LEVELS!
Grace Moeketsi and Tshepo Nkosi are both members of SCDF in Soshanguve and are active in the APF-education sub-committee.
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