VOICES OF THE INVlSmLE
6.5 Thando: Days are Always Dark for Me
6.7.3 Economic Activities
their employers take care of all their school needs. Those who work for salaries earn very meagre wages, which in most cases results in failing to pay their school fees in full. At times their employers fail to pay their school fees. This results in learners being chased away from school by unsympathetic educators. These learners have been overloaded with work to such an extent that they do not have time to devote to their schoolwork. Working learners need to study and do homework, but this is impossible. 4 of the 5 learners reside in informal settlements like Siyanda and Richmond farm. Houses in these settlements are one or two rooms. There is no space to do school work. All their extra time is consumed by economic activities.
The attitude of some family members towards school and overcrowding hinders learners from attending to their schoolwork. Thando's aunt always reminds her that it was enough for Thando to be able to only write. Her continuation with schooling is not her business. She is an example of an indifferent relative. Also, for HIe's mother to force her to sell alcohol in the same room where she is supposed to sleep until very late at night highlights the lack of space to do school work. On top of all these problems some learners take care of school needs for their siblings. These learners feel that no one in their lives has ever genuinely taken an interest in their education.
Finally one of the educational needs relates to sport and recreation. This is hampered by the school's failure to plan properly. Sipho and Thando are actively involved in sport, which usually takes place during school hours. This means no selling and other teachers continue to teach which put these learners at a disadvantage. At times sports practice drags on until late in the afternoon forcing learners to abandon their after-school economic activities.
and dysfunctioning of the school, theft, teacher interference, as well as selling on credit. Sipho and Hoe sell sweets even at home i.e. outside school. They have a problem of buying their stock. Sipho employs other learners to sell for him at school. On the question of work undertaken by these learners, gender also plays a part. Some activities are specifically for boys and others for girls. There are also those activities in which both sexes participate.
Boys
Both boys started working in rural areas at a very early age herding cattle. They took cattle to the field before going to school and looked after them after school.
There were days when they woke up as early as 3 a.m. to take the cattle to the dip.
This is a very tiring and time-consuming job. They stayed with their employers when doing this job. This arrangement helps them in that they are able to pay their school fees. They also get food and shelter free of charge as Mandlakhe put it. He worked for strangers who paid him R20 a month. Sipho on the other hand was not paid anything except that all his school needs were taken care of. Sipho failed to cope with his schoolwork and this resulted in conflicts between him and his teachers, which ended in him taking drugs. He went further expanding his activities by becoming a shoemaker and a hairstylist. Mandlakhe did not stop working in the fields though this was done during weekends. He is presently working for a hardware store in Newlands, Durban. Sipho sells from his table at his home.
Girls
All 3 of them started working as child-minders. It started with their own siblings when their mothers were not even there. They were surrogate mothers who had to tend to every need of the child. They all had irresponsible mothers who did not care whether they went to school or not. They all provided domestic services for both relatives and strangers. They have suffered a lot at the hands of these people.
There were instances in which they were not paid any salary. Instead, they exchange their services for school needs, food, and shelter. They were all, at some
stage, raped while doing their duties. They differ on what they are presently doing during weekends and holidays. HIe works in the garage during holidays and Thando cooks at the taxi rank during weekends. Thobile works in the kitchen at a local school for the deaf during holidays. This institution is used as a marking centre for some Grade 12 examination papers.
Girls and Boys
There is a difference between girls and boys in their academic performance. Both boys had repeated more than two grades in their school lives. Sipho's failures are associated with herding cattle when he was still on the farm. Recently he perceives his involvement with girls as well as the pressures exerted on him by the school (participation in sport) as the cause. When he was given a chance of proceeding to Grade 12, he dropped out of school. In his letter to the school he stated that he could no longer cope with the amount of work in Grade 12.
Mandlakhe differed on the issue of herding cattle; his failures were associated with his carelessness. It is only now that he indicates that personal problems as well as his work, which is tiresome, and dangerous (he contracted TB) are the causes of his repetition of grades.
All 3 of the girls have never repeated any grade. Instead, they have been excellent learners achieving high marks. Thando for instance was given a chance to skip a grade and she managed. The over age status is not due to repetition of classes but rather due to late registration for Grade One. In the case of Thobile early pregnancy also contributed to her over-age status as she had to drop out of school for two years. All girls indicated that they were not performing at their maximum potential. HIe dropped out of school after the first term of Grade 12. Her performance was already deteriorating even before that. Thando had problems with her aunt during her last year at school so much so that she had to stay with her teacher during examination. There was no time for her to study at home.
Thobile, on the other hand, could not attend Saturday and holiday extra classes in
which most of the Grade 12 curriculum is covered in this school. She got a school-leaving certificate with below average symbols.