3. How does the existing resource demand influence the remote rural ECD school management?
5.2 Remote rural ECD schools’ responses to resource demand
5.2.1 Infrastructural resources
What emerged was ECD children have access to the toilets but, these toilets were neither suitable nor adequate for the children. Inappropriate infrastructure was a challenge that school heads identified in their schools. They resented that their schools were operating with unsuitable, sub-standard and unhealthy toilets. ECD children were sharing toilets with the main stream grades. These toilets were not age appropriate for ECD children, which was a grave concern for the administration. This situation was inviting danger in the form of a fatality where one child might accidentally fall into the squatting hole. This school head had this to say:
Our toilets are insufficient that ECD children congest with the main stream grades, which is unhealthy for this tender age. The number of squatting holes and the enrolment do not tally. They should be 15 boys and 12 girls per squatting hole. This is the regulation gazetted by the ministry of health. We don’t have toilets meant for the ECD so we are even afraid of the size of the squatting holes. They are large, and the Blair toilets are dark inside so that these little children cannot see. It’s always wet inside, this is not healthy at all, since most of these children come to school bear- footed (Goko School Head).
All the schools acknowledged access to classrooms by their children and teachers. A common thread running through most of the responses was the idea that classrooms were inadequate since they allocated one classroom for all the ECD classes. Suitability of classrooms was another area of interest for ECD, it was clear that most of the schools did not build standard classrooms for ECD but they allocated those already used by the main primary school grades which were not user-friendly to ECD children. Despite the number of ECD classes they had in the school, most participants testified that they allocated or built at least one classroom for the ECD children. One school head had this to state:
I mean five classes are sheltered in one classroom. Each class gets a portion of the learning time to learn while inside the classroom but at any given time four classes will be learning outside, either under the trees or at the outdoor play centre. Our children are learning under the trees. Five classes are sharing one classroom. When it is raining or in winter they come into the classroom and no proper learning takes place (Goko School Head).
Other schools echoed different scenarios in relation to classrooms for ECD. They did not allocate any classroom to the ECD children, since they were given permission to use church buildings in the school premises during bad weather. All the classes, both ECD-A and ECD- B, were using these church buildings. However, they were not allowed to display any teaching and learning materials in these church buildings. One of the deputy heads had this to say:
We have no classrooms allocated to ECD, but we have 94 ECD children in ECD-A and ECD-B classes. We have a church building where the children go to when it is raining. When the weather is good, they learn outside, at the play centre or under the trees. In the church building we are not allowed to display play areas. It is for shelter only (Mungwezi School Deputy Head).
Emerging data shows that all the schools had classes under the trees. Classrooms were inadequate in all the schools. The above data is corroborated by the EMIS data which revealed that for 2013; schools like Dambara, Goko, Mash, Muzorori, Hlolwa and Vukosi each had one classroom for ECD classes, while Mungwezi and Mande had no classrooms for ECD classes.
All schools lamented the notion that they had inadequate classrooms for ECD in their schools. All schools affirmed that they had one session; all children starting school at the same time in the morning. They expressed that the children learnt independent groups according to their classes but they alternated the use of the classrooms, thus classes took turns to have lessons inside the classroom. This was only when the weather was fine, during rainy days children clustered in this classroom. One of the TICs had this to say:
All classes come in the morning but when one class is inside the classroom, other classes are outside. We have classes under the tree here at our school, it’s true. Every day we have classes learning under the trees. Only on bad weather days they gather in the classroom and all the teachers will be inside also. Really, no teaching would be taking place; only silencing and reprimanding the children. How can we expect them to teach over 150 in one classroom? (Muzorori School TIC).
The importance of standard classrooms was supported by (Pence, 2008; Awopegba, 2010) illustrating the key policy recommendation on ECD classrooms with ensured suitability and integrity with enough illumination, ventilation and space for sitting arrangements to allow free play and interaction with the teacher. Emphasised again is the number of children occupying the room as compared to the classroom capacity, at least 16 square metres for 20- 25 children (NERDC, 2004) to allow free movement by the children during learning periods.
Although it is important to have adequate and suitable classrooms for the ECD children (Tshabalala & Mapolisa, 2013) point out that there is a serious classroom shortage in Zimbabwean rural schools where some classes are held outside under trees.
Inside these classrooms, most schools confirmed that furniture was still a big problem for the ECD children. Most schools had furniture for a few children, which was the main reason for taking turns to use the classrooms. Children sat on the benches or chairs when inside the classrooms or on the ground when under the trees. One of the school heads had this to say:
Our furniture comprises plastic chairs, tables and benches. This furniture can only accommodate one class of 30 children, so when they go, out they sit on the ground.
Children can only use the furniture when inside the classroom, which is only one at a time. During bad weather days when all classes get into the classroom, children scramble for the furniture, so the teachers opted to put all the furniture aside and make all children to sit on the floor (Goko School Head).
While some schools had few seats for the ECD children, most of the schools had nothing.
Children sat on the floor and when writing, they laid flat on the floor. The participants lamented over the issue of children sitting on the floor. They cited health problems, saying children were catching colds especially during the winter or rainy season. One of the TICs had this to say:
There is no furniture in the library (used as a classroom) so children sit on the floor.
When the children want to write it is difficult because they would be seated on the floor, so they sleep flat on the floor to write. Even when it is cold they sleep on the floor which it is not healthy because children catch colds (Mande School TIC).
The aforementioned data is corroborated by the EMIS data which reveals that half of the schools had nil sitting and writing facilities while the other half had few writing and sitting places for their children. The conditions under which these ECD children were operating contradict the requirements, with the expectations of the ECD classroom furniture (NERDC, 2004) stipulating that, the classroom is supposed to be furnished with child-size furniture.
Each child should have a seat, either a bench or a chair, which should regularly be tested for integrity so that they do not pose danger to the children. This is further supported by results from a study carried out in Thailand on ECD in 2004, which affirms that learning through play is facilitated by physically child-centred and emotionally safe school environments (Smith, 2012). Smith further denigrated the conditions in these classrooms, suggesting that every child deserves to learn under inviting and safe environments.
The participants indicated the availability of outdoor play centres, however they lamented on the inadequacy of the play structures in these play centres. Basically, the outdoor play materials were available and suitable but they were inadequate, so there was a need for more structures so that all children could have opportunities to use them. The structures that were available could not permit all the children to play and learn. This is what one deputy heads had to say:
We have a play centre but it’s not fully developed, however children can go there and play. The outdoor play centre is intact but needs to be completed. It still needs more structures to be added for there to be sufficient structures for all the children to play at one time, especially during break time (Mande School Deputy Head).
The responses provided by the participants revealed that most schools were operating without enough structures at their outdoor play centres. However, Arthur et al. (2008) advise that the outdoor play environment should be sufficient and planned with lots of entertainment facilities for the young children. Appositely, McMullen et al. (2005) draw attention to the view that children need to be exposed to natural environments with trees, water, sand, animals, birds, flowers to mention a few, for observation and manipulation. Extending this line of thought is Arthur et al. (2008) explaining that children develop their emotional health into the sense of individuality and autonomy as a result of their contact with the natural environment. Chikutuma and Mawere (2012) support the idea by saying that the outdoor environment provides great chances for children to learn in an experiential way. Hence, the outdoor play centres in these schools were not matching the requirements of the standard outdoor play centres.
In summarising on the issue of infrastructure, the participants revealed that schools were operating with unsuitable/inadequate infrastructure, ECD children were habituated in allocated primary classrooms, others were accommodated in church buildings which were on the school premises and the rest were learning under the trees. The outdoor play centres were not suitably constructed; most of them had few play structures that could not accommodate all the children. Furniture was neither adequate nor suitable for the ECD children, most schools had a few seats in form of plastic chairs and benches and the rest sat on the floor.