School Dropout Crisis In Northern Cape Only Half Make It

Department of Basic Education (DBE)’s “National policy pertaining to the programme and promotion requirements of the National Curriculum Statement” often pressures schools into promoting learners, even if they are not ready academically for as long as possible.And also that after they deliver, they remain engaged, re-enter school, and are able to continue their education.”

According to the report, the norm in the community is that people do not feel the need to finish school. “[Children] don’t see school as the key to a good future,” the report read.

Nogoduka said, “Children don’t just drop out of the schooling system. It’s a process that often starts with disengagement and early warning signs.”

Only half the learners who start primary school make it to high school in the Northern Cape’s Joe Morolong Local Municipality And of the learners who make it to high school, just 15% matriculate.

These appalling statistics were revealed in a report released on Thursday by the Zero Dropout Campaign. The findings are based on data gathered by the Campaign, as well as in-depth interviews with school staff, learners, families of the learners and community members conducted in 2022.

The researchers, led by Dr Andrew Hartnack, looked at the causes of learner disengagement and dropout at two Northern Cape no-fee schools in particular, Kgoro Intermediate School and Dithaba High (the names of the schools were changed for the report).

Kgoro Intermediate has eight teachers for its 263 learners: 107 are in grade 7, 88 in grade 8, and 68 in grade 9. In 2022, at least 30 learners in the grade 7 class were repeating the year The school was initially built to accommodate half the number of children they now admit.The classrooms are overcrowded.

The report stated that many learners at Kgoro have to leave by 2:30pm, often to go do household chores like herding livestock and gathering water

Meanwhile at Dithaba High, there are 24 teachers for 679 learners: 341 in grade 10, 178 in grade 11, and 160 in grade 12.The school is also overcrowded; one of the grades has 49 learners in one class.The recommended class size is 32.

The report says most learners at Dithaba High have already repeated grades. Despite struggling academically, many learners are pushed through the intermediary school and often arrive in grade 10 aged 18 or 19 with serious learning gaps. Only half those who start grade 10 at Dithaba typically matriculate, the report adds.

Researchers also noted that the

The major contributing factors to the high school dropout rates, according to the the report, are a lack of parental support, especially for children staying alone or with their grandparents as well as teenage pregnancy Other factors include unsafe journeys to school, pressure to earn an income, and taking risks to get noticed by better-resourced groups (from criminal gangs to sugar daddies).

Speaking at the virtual launch, Coceko Nogoduka, chief director of care and support in schools at the DBE, said that the pandemic had disrupted the already struggling schooling system, losing nearly two years of learning and development.

Nogoduka said there had been a significant rise in pregnancies of children aged between 10 and 14years-old. Pregnancy was one of the prominent reasons why learners dropout between grades 10 and 12.

She said the department’s policy, launched in 2021, “looks at how we can create a supportive environment for pregnant learners to ensure that they stay in school

She said the department and organisations working to mitigate dropouts, should focus on creating supportive environments within schools which would help to identify issues early

Nogoduka said the department had developed a “learner support agent” programme to assist struggling learners. “The vision is that the person will provide firstline kind of social support to the learner They will refer them to [for example] Social Development or NGOs in the area to help them remain in school,” she said.

Richard Masemola, principal at Emshukantambo Secondary in Soweto, said at the launch that in most cases teachers were unaware of the learners’ circumstances. “We don’t visit homes and we don’t know where these children come from. When they don’t show up to school, then we start to ask questions. But even then, it’s at the tail end.”

The Northern Cape education department did not respond to our requests for comment. Spokesperson for the Northern Cape Department of Education Geoffrey van der Merwe promised to respond to GroundUp’s questions once he had received approval from the department.Ground Up

In die hoofstroom media asook verskeie sosiale mediaplatforms was die onlangse matriekuitslae trending news die afgelope week en vir ‘n paar dae gaan die land nog hande klap oor (fiktiewe) uitslae wat nou deur die DAbetwis word. Baie geluk aan die halwe klas van 2022 wat geslaag het, want die ander helfte het iewers langs die pad uitgeval. Niemand kan daaroor rekenskap gee nie. Hoe dan anders van ‘n regering wat oor niks kan rekenskap gee nie?

Ek was lank in die onderwys en het dit met passie gedoen. Dis inderdaad ‘n voorreg om met leerders te werk en hulle vir die lewe ná matriek gereed te kry Ongelukkig vir hulle tref die skok hul eers ná daai 12jaar, vir sommige selfs 15jaar. ”Wat gaan ek nou maak?”, is die vraag nou van duisende skoolverlaters in ‘n land waar alles besig is om te tuimel en gelei word deur ‘n party wat nog niks sinvol gebou het vir die mense van Suid-Afrika nie.Almal praat van die stygende werkloosheid onder veral jongmense ,maar niemand het ‘n werkbare plan nie. In Postmasburg wat omring word deur sowat 40 myne gaan dit nie veel beter nie.

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Skoolhoofde by Postmasburgse skole moet begin anders dink en hulself afvra of hulle werklik ons jongmense gereed kry vir ‘n veranderde wêreld, veral ‘n dorp wat omring word deur die meeste myne wat geensins ‘n behae toon om by onderwys betrokke te raak nie. Wanneer gaan ons ‘n punt bereik waar plaaslike skoolhoofde saamstaan met sakeforums om mynhuise wat lyf wegsteek in die bek te ruk? Dis seker net ongeletterde en onopgevoede mense wat bande brand en paaie blok, want sien… Mnr en Juf is te hoog geleerd om die movement te join en stap dan met ‘n glimlag verby die eens leerder en latere volwassene wat sukkel om werk te kry - hulle eie produkte wat hulle gevorm het oor ‘n tydperk van 12 jaar. Hoeveel skoolhoofde en onderwysers was laasjaar by die Mining Indaba???Toe, steek op julle hande! Maar julle leer ons kinders van mynbou en besigheidstudies in die klaskamer, en staan dan armpies gevou as plaaslike klein besigheidseienaars mynhuise aanvat om aan die einde van die dag werk vir ons jongmense en julle leerders te skep.

Mynmaatskappye glo as hulle ‘n rugsakkie, ‘n sonhoedjie en broodjie by ‘n loopbaanuitstalling uitdeel het hulle ‘n volhoubare impak gemaak op onderwys in Postmasburg. Gereeld hoor ons dat onderwys, gesondheid en infrastruktuurontwikkeling plaaslike myne en hernubare energieplase se fokus area is. Besoek jy egter enige skool in Postmasburg besef jy met trane in jou oë dat onnies nog wragtie met geel kryt skryf en leerders nie eens Internet toegang het nie terwyl die grootste sonplaas ‘n katspoegie ver opgerig word deur die wêreld se beste wetenskaplikes en ingenieurs wat in wêreldklas vergaderings met die beste tegnologie bespreek word. Vat jy dan hierdie mynreuse aan op sekere platforms praat jy met mense wat voorgee dat hulle