Shock as ‘apartheid’ subject holds back pupils

FURIOUS parents are demanding answers after 37 pupils failed Afrikaans at Strelitzia Secondary School in Isipingo and will have to repeat Grades 8 and 9 next year. According to the Department of Basic Education, pupils need to attain 40% to pass the language subject.

Parents said the school management was aware their children were struggling to cope in the second language subject and should have provided extra tuition.

The mother of a Grade 8 pupil said her 14-year-old son obtained 28% in the subject and would need to repeat the year.

“He passed everything else but will now have to redo the year because of a second language subject he does not understand and was learning for the first time.”

The widow claimed her son tried to explain to teachers that he had difficulty in the subject but nothing was done.

Asked what she had done to assist her child, she said she did not have money for private tuition but bought him an Afrikaans dictionary.

She also searched the internet for study aids.

“But it was the school’s duty to help these children. That’s why we send them to school.”

The woman said her son was demotivated and embarrassed to return but had no choice.

The father of a Grade 9 pupil said his son had not failed the subject during the three terms but obtained 33% at the year end.

“The school is to blame,” he said. “There was no indication that my son was struggling. I can afford tuition and if I knew there was a problem, I would have sent him for extra classes.”

He further claimed parent-teacher meetings were rare.

“I have an older daughter at the school and when I requested a meeting with the principal, he said if I had a problem I should have moved her to another school.”

Another parent said attempts to meet the principal proved futile as he was away marking matric papers.

Ward 90 councillor Sunil Brijmohan said families had approached him for help after getting no joy from the school.

He said 37 pupils were forced to repeat their grade because of one subject.

“Why should an apartheid subject stop children in a new South Africa? These pupils are not weak as they have passed all other subjects in their curriculum.” He added that the teachers were aware that many of the pupils had not done the subject in primary school.

“The pupils should have been provided with the extra tuition after they received their first term results, which showed they were not coping. However, the school management said extra classes could not be provided after school or weekends due to the safety and security of the pupils. Then we ask why not offer them lessons, even if it is 15 minutes during the day?”

He added: “Many children will want to drop out of school or turn to social-ills as a coping mechanism, whilst many povertystricken families will now have to fork out R3 300 on school fees for another year on the same grade, which is a great inconvenience.”

The principal declined to comment, referring POST to the KZN Department of Education.

The school’s governing body chairperson, Mukesh Briglal, said: “We are disappointed to hear that there were so many failures in that specific subject. It is heartbreaking for these children to redo an entire year for a subject that might not have any relevance in their future.”

Vee Gani, chairperson of the KZN Parents Association, said it was important for pupils to be provided information in a manner in which they would understand and be able to grasp a subject with ease.

“It is upon the onus of the teacher and not the parent. Parents are not in a position to teach because they are not familiar with the subjects and teachers are trained.”

He added that schools needed to implement intervention programmes.

The Department of Education had not commented by the time of publication.