Farm schools in Grahamstown are often overlooked by the government and keep going with the minimum of resources. Marred by poverty and inequality, these schools are the Cinderellas of the education system. Their size, remoteness and a severe shortage of teaching staff marks them as some of the country’s neediest schools.
Farm schools in Grahamstown are often overlooked by the government and keep going with the minimum of resources. Marred by poverty and inequality, these schools are the Cinderellas of the education system. Their size, remoteness and a severe shortage of teaching staff marks them as some of the country’s neediest schools.
The teachers at farm schools teach all the subjects, sometimes up to seven grades, all in one class. But because learning outcomes and assessment standards differ in all learning areas and grades, planning, lesson preparation and quality of education is severely affected.
Kholiwe Nxanywa is the principal, administrator and the only teacher at Mosslands Farm School outside Grahamstown.
She teaches eight subjects to 18 learners, but has to prepare classes for six different grades. “I cluster lessons that have related learning outcomes and teach the different grades simultaneously. It’s only when the learning outcomes are different that I try to teach them separately,” she said.
The situation is the same at Farmerfield Intermediate Farm School, which is in the same area as Mosslands. “We need more teachers,” said principal Monica Khakane, who added that teachers are overloaded with work.
Small groups of learners in farm schools become used to an environment where they are exposed to the expertise of only a few teachers.
This becomes a severe setback when they progress to secondary school level. Many learners are unable to survive and ultimately drop out.
Farm school teachers say they receive no support from the Department of Education to help them to cope with multi-grade situations.
But teaching more than one grade in one class, does not discourage Nxanywa from Mosslands. “I was never trained on how to teach multi-grade classes, but I try my best to be creative and give it my best shot,” she said.
The multi-grade setup at farm school contributes to a low standard of education and sets back the already less privileged farm workers’ children while perpetuating poverty.
Department of Education Circuit manager Nomcobo Fushane acknowledged that learners are not at the same level as those in regular schools because their teachers cannot give them proper attention.
“Most times, learners work on their own while the teacher is focusing on the learners in the other grades,” she said.
Fushane confirmed that the department is addressing the problem. “A turnaround strategy is being commissioned to combine some of the farm schools and provide transport for learners who might need to travel long distance,” she said.But for now, Grahamstown farm school learners remain deprived of the right to quality education.
