Education in South Africa

This week we talked a little bit about education in South Africa, both pre- and post-apartheid. The lectures were not that interesting but yesterday (Thursday) we actually got to go hang out at some of the schools in Capetown. The 19 of us split up into 5 groups and all went to different high schools. At the end of the day we met back up and shared our experiences and it was very interesting to hear the extreme differences in our accounts.

My group went to a high school in Athelone. It was called Garlandale High School. It is grades 8-12. The school has about 800 students and 33 teachers. It is a state-funded school but there are tuition fees of R1250 ($125) per year which the principal said most students do not pay.

Right when we got there we met with the principal and she told us that today was a bit different from their normal day and they had a group called Life Choices there to talk to the students about HIV. She invited us to the pep rally and of course we went. The guy leading the rally started off by getting everyone excited about the day. He got them to chant and cheer and you could feel the energy in the room. Then he asked for 3 volunteers for a game. 4 kids went up on stage and he made fun of them for not being able to count well. Then he set up the game that each section of the crowd would cheer and dance if a certain contestant got the question right. And everyone would say something like "sorry boghuti" if anyone got a question wrong.
So the game started and the first question was "What does HIV stand for?" The first 3 kids did not know. The fourth girl knew the answer but forgot that before you answered you were suposed to say "Better choices makes a better future." So she didn't get credit. The second question was "What does AIDS stand for?" None of the 4 kids on stage knew that one. Last question was "How is HIV transmitted?" Everyone said unprotected sex.

So then the game ended and he started talking about their program. He said that they were at the school to do VCT which is Voluntary Counseling and Testing. There are a couple representativs of Life Choices at the school 2 days a week in case any of the kids want to talk about HIV. And that day they had free and confidential HIV testing for any of the students that wanted to get tested.

While at the school we shadowed one of the 12th graders. It was cool to talk to her because she is actually from Iraq and just moved to South Africa about a year and a half ago. She moved with her mother and her younger brother. Her father stayed behind. She did not want to move but her parents made her. They were very worried about her health and her safety if she stayed in Iraq. But she said she wanted to go back and that as much as she liked South Africa it would never be home. I was a bit nervous when I heard where she was from because I feel like whenever I meet someone from Iraq I should apologize for being an American, it's a really awkward feeling. But she was very nice and friendly. She talked to us about differences in the school systems between Iraq and South Africa. She said that in Iraq you are given homework and expected to do it and know it the next day because you use it in the classroom. She said that in South Africa they barely ever go over the homework and are often not expected to know it. She also said that in Iraq students are much more respectful. She said that there is hardly any talking in class and people listen and respect the teacher.

Our first class was called Life Orientation and is one of the 4 required classes for students to take. In that class they had another speaker from Life Choices there to talk to them about HIV and sex. He talked to them about some of the facts and some of the myths associated with HIV and it was interesting to see how well informed the kids were. It was also interesting to see how informed and participatory they were, and how sexually active.

The next class we went to was Biology. They were learning about genotypes and phenotypes. That class was very chaotic and people hardly listened to the teacher. He would randomly walk out of the room in the middle of explaining things for no apparent reason. Some students said that sometimes it was to answer his phone. At one point one of the students said to him "Why are you so nervous, afraid your wife will find out?" So it seemed as though something was going on with that teacher. The classroom had graffitti everywhere: tables, walls, chairs. And the students did not have any books for that class. Only handout copies of things if the teacher was able to make them from a book.

Then we had a 15 minute break in which we talked with our student guide and some of her friends. It was kind of interesting. The kids asked what we were doing in South Africa and also why we were at their school. They kept saying we should have gone to see a better school. One of the boys offered to get us drugs and we told him no thanks. We asked them about their plans for next year and our student guide said that she was going to study at UCT (University of Cape Town) while the other kids didn't know. Although one of the girls had a baby and she said she needed to start her life after high school. At the end of the break the girls wanted pictures of us on their cell phones so that was both strange and complimentary (I hope).

The last class of the day that we were able to attend was Math. Math is another of their 4 required classes. Apparently they were reviewing for an exam so the teacher was giving them practice problems and they were working on completing them. They were covering series and sequences.

Since our ride would be coming in the middle of the next class we parted ways with our student guide and stayed and talked with the math teacher for a bit. He was very interesting and beneficial to speak with. He had worked at the school for close to 25 years, so close to the school's opening. He spoke with us about education both pre- and post-apartheid and he said that in some ways things have gotten better but in other ways they have gotten worse. He said that students used to have to memorize things such as multiplication tables and they would make songs for memorization. However he said that his students now do not do such things and often when he asks them to multiply simple fractions they cannot do it in their heads. He described the struggles of teaching saying that being a teacher was supposed to be a prestigious job but that is not true at all. He says that most students do not listen or respect their teachers. He also said that teaching is difficult because he is only about to cover about 80% of the material that he needs to cover in the day.

We also talked with him about politics. He was involved in organizing the Sowetto uprising. He said that back then they used the younger students as a tool for the struggle. They got them riled up and convinced them to fight back. He said that acts of sabotage were not capturing the attention of people, but that young children rebelling would capture the attentions of people in the U.S. and Europe for more than a day. He also talked about how he used to be very involved in the ANC but because of corruption he plans to become a member of COPE and vote for them in the election. (Cope broke off from the ANC and is a somewhat controversial party).

After that we headed back to the classroom to meet up with the rest of the students. It was interesting to hear their experiences since the schools we went to ranged from the poorest of the poor (which was the high school in Langa) to very wealthy and nice schools. The school that I was at was just above the Langa school.

It was a hard day for me. I have always valued education and it's hard to think of the serious disparities that happen in education systems everywhere. It made it especially hard for me to think of my 13 year old sister who attends Langa High School. She is very smart and a great kid. She takes medical training classes on the weekends. I think of what she could do if she was able to go to a nicer school with real resources and teachers who cared and challenged students. That was another big issue, the work ethic of a lot of the teachers. Many of them complained about their jobs and did not care to be there and it reflected in their classes. When I think of the impact that some of the teachers that I have had over the years had on me..... It's just awful to think that so many kids don't get that in their lives.