Teachers battle the odds to boost literacy at rural Giyani school
They battle overcrowding in the foundation phase classrooms, a shortage of reading material and lack of parental support to encourage a reading culture at home.
These challenges are compounded by the need to transition from mother tongue learning in Xitsonga to English when the pupils reach grade 4.
'As teachers we are struggling in terms of resources,' grade 4 teacher Irene Baloyi said.
'The school has limited resources such as reading materials. Learners do not have enough textbooks, and what they have is workbooks.
'Resources like pictures and posters are not available, and they are the most important resources that can be used to educate and help learners understand words easily.'
The school, established in1963, serves a sprawl of rural villages in the Greater Giyani municipality and is classified as a no fee-paying school, making it accessible for pupils from poor households.
It was built to accommodate a sizeable number of pupils but due to the growing need for education, enrolment numbers have increased exponentially in recent years, leading to overcrowded classes.
Baloyi said the number of pupils in the lower grades kept growing every year.
But the biggest hindrance to the ability of teachers to provide a quality education was a lack of resources.
'Some classes in the foundation phase are overcrowded, making it hard to provide quality education. We also have limited books and posters.
'To cope, we sometimes create our own teaching aids by drawing on large paper and writing letters for the kids to learn from.
'The other challenge we have in the foundation phase is our learners' medium of instruction is the mother tongue (Xitsonga) from grade R to 3, but in grade 4, the medium of instruction changes to English, which becomes very difficult for our learners to transition to and understand.'
Despite all the challenges, the teachers continue to do their best to give their pupils the quality education they deserve to break the cycle of poverty at home.
Grade 2 teacher Nomia Malatjie said she employed different methods of teaching to encourage her pupils to read.
'Group reading helps, and learners are grouped so that pupils can assist one another. Some learners also help others to read one on one after school.
'The school also employs phonics-based instruction, guided reading and reading aloud and discussion to help learners improve their reading skills,' she said.
'Our learners mostly come from poor backgrounds – sometimes child-headed homes or living with their grandmothers who are not educated.
'They do not have support from their families or at home. They have limited resources to help them.'
Malatjie said most of the school's teachers worked overtime to help support pupils who were struggling to read in class by forming smaller groups for reading and storytelling.
The school also held regular meetings with parents to encourage them to support their children at home by listening to them read after school.
Teacher Lifbeth Risenga said Vusizi Primary needed a library to help improve pupils' reading and comprehension, as well as donations of books.
The school's governing body chair, Thomas Mathebula, is concerned about the pupils' struggles to improve their literacy levels.
'We are doing our part to help disadvantaged pupils. When pupils struggle with reading and writing, we call a meeting with the teachers and principal before involving parents,' he said.
Salphinah Makaringe, grandmother of a pupil at the school, said she understood that parental support was crucial in helping children improve their reading skills.
'I take care of my granddaughter while her mother is away. When she comes home from school, I ask if she has any homework.
'If she does, I help with what I can, but I am limited in my ability to assist with things I do not understand or know,' she said.
This special report into the state of literacy, a collaborative effort by The Herald, Sowetan and Daily Dispatch, was made possible by the Henry Nxumalo Foundation
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