2. Literature Review
2.9 Challenges Encountered By Supportive Teachers In South Africa And African Countries
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• Regularly rotate responsibility among teachers, so that one or a few teachers do not bear the burden of all that needs to be done.
• Schedule staff meetings and in-service training
• Encourage peer support
• Provide opportunities for teachers to improve their skills, which in turn will increase their sense of professionalism, self-esteem and motivation.
2.9 CHALLENGES ENCOUNTERED BY SUPPORTIVE TEACHERS IN SOUTH
Nosipho Mshengu Page 30 strategizing methods to enhance orphaned learners support in schools and also the integration of other departments like social welfare department. Wood, Ntaote and Theron (2011) argue that teachers should also be supported and empowered on the initiative to support orphaned children in schools.
Life Orientation teachers felt ostracised by other teachers, when they initiate to assist orphaned learners, since they were chosen to attend the Department of Education workshop.
Furthermore, teachers reported that when they try to share the information of how to support orphans and vulnerable learners at school, so that they can work together in supporting the orphaned. They reported that other teachers were not interested at all (Goba & Wood, 2011).
According to Kirby, Obasi and Laris (2006), directing only Life Orientation teachers for HIV/AIDS workshop is opposing to the Department of Education’s statement that it is the responsibility of all teachers to address OVC problems to all schools. Other teachers did not want to partake on supporting orphans and vulnerable learners because they reported that they were not included in the workshop which were organised by the Department of Education (Goba & Wood, 2011).
Teachers also reported that even though there were also equipped with counselling skills, the only thing that they could do is to listen to the learner’s problem. But afterward, they did not have a clue what to do next (Goba & Wood, 2011,30-46). They suggested that they needed more days for the kind of workshops and with in-depth information regarding after listening what teachers are supposed to do and how to do the follow up. According to Van Laren and Ismail (2009), another challenge for teachers in implementing the knowledge were the courses which were discussed, with the exclusion of the life skills programme, cannot be integrated into the curriculum and require actions which are considered as extra mural activities of the Life Orientation teachers and those they wish to involve something that time-consuming and edgy teachers may find demanding to do (Van Laren & Ismail, 2009).
Teachers needs to be exceptional aware of the school environment for them to be supportive, they first need to be able to recognise and be alert of the daily school struggles of orphaned learners and their particular needs (Muller, Katz & Dance, 1999). Teachers who are supportive to orphans and needy learners should be able to work beyond their scope of practise: which include being aware of the challenges that prevent orphaned learners from attending school frequently and performing well academically (Muller, Katz & Dance, 1999, 23).
Nosipho Mshengu Page 31 According to Skinner and Belmont (1993), supportive teachers tend to struggle in understanding challenges of orphaned learners within the school environment. Teachers reported struggling to provide proper counselling to sympathise and care for orphaned learners who are encountering challenges which they experience in school; lay counselling skills seem not to be enough to assist orphaned learners to cope in school and also maintaining confidentiality tend to be difficult in teachers. It is also reported that teachers also struggle to make orphaned feel at home or by creating a friendly school environment. This is caused by the difficulty of spotting orphan in school since not all orphans appear to be needy (Skinner & Belmont, 1993).
The other challenge which is reported by the teachers is that, they felt like they play an extra role and it is challenging for them if they do not receive support from their colleagues (De Jesus & Conboy, 2001). Sometimes they end up doing more work which is related to the welfare of the orphaned learners instead of teaching. Furthermore, they end up using from their own pocket to support the orphaned learners without the support from the school environment, teachers basically play the role of being a parent since the orphaned learners do not have. According Wood (2009, 23-28), since teachers who support orphaned learners do not receive support from the schools, supporting orphaned learners sometimes it becomes a burden to them. “They reported incidents of having to follow up learner absenteeism, deal with the hostility of learners by their peers due to stigmatisation, struggle to get material and financial support for learners and offer emotional support to traumatised learners all of which left little time for actual teaching and learning to take place” (Wood, 2009,23-28). In addition, teacher’s situation plays a major role in supporting orphaned learners in school, for example, if the teachers are affected by the death of the beloved which also affect them emotionally and financially. Teacher’s unpleasant situation has a negative impact on the response to orphaned learners needs in the school environment (Theron, 2007, 27).
Secondary schools in townships seem to be struggling in providing child-friendly environment for learners. Establishing a caring school environment in under-resourced township schools is possible. There are some remarkable successes. The bulk of under resourced schools struggle to adopt the measures needed to earn the distinction of being child- friendly and caring (Theron, 2007, 38). The most common obstacles to effectively implementing a caring schools programme are broken up into two broad categories: school- based obstacles are those related to in-house problems that most townships are grappling with (overcoming and lack of resources). The institutional obstacles are those factors that only are addressed by systematic changes related to social welfare. Educators at secondary school are
Nosipho Mshengu Page 32 aware of the problems facing their institutions and expressed differing levels of motivation for changing status quo.
2.10. EFFORT TO PROVIDE CARE AND SUPPORT TO ORPHANS AND