INTERVIEW DATA EXPLICATION
5.4 Financial requirements
5.4.1 Strategies for coping with financial requirements in DL
I asked how adult learners managed to cope with the financial requirements during the DL programme. Only one married female head of department from earlier
intakes that had unimpeded completion of the programme said that during her time she managed to fund her own education because, ―things were not as expensive as they are today—my salary would suffice for the fees and for the family‖ (DT8R:439).
Eleven of my interview participants had to use strategies that included:
Financial planning within the family,
Borrowing money or/ and being helped by relatives, and Engaging in income-generating projects.
A school head from earlier intakes that had unimpeded completion of the programme engaged his wife in family budgeting in order to cope with DL. He said,
―- we had to sit down with my wife--B.Ed., I need so much, school fees for the children --every month‖ (DT8ZV:441). Another school head from earlier intakes that also had unimpeded completion of the programme echoed the importance of collective financial planning within the family as he said that, ―one had to make sure that the family understands -- to be supported—financially‖ (DT3BV:399).
Financial borrowing took different forms among the interviewees. A female head of department from earlier intakes that had unimpeded completion of the programme said that, ―--during my time you would access loans from banks through ZOU‖
(DT2R:390).
A female senior teacher that delayed but completed the DL programme said that,
―-the money that was required for a semester was the whole month‘s pay-- first month all that money would go to the studies (DT8A:437).This implies that money for other use by the family had to be borrowed. A rural school head from earlier intakes that had unimpeded completion of the DL programme stressed the role played by borrowing and family relations in supporting adult learners to cope with
the programme as he said, ―My initial fee-- I had to borrow it from my uncle—
because-- finances were a problem‖ (DT8BV:440).
A widow school head from earlier intakes that also had unimpeded completion of the DL programme stressed the importance of support by the family as she said, ―I would borrow money-- to register and-- some family members would assist‖
(DT8V:440).Another widow deputy head that delayed but completed the programme had a son who was doing mechanical engineering at a technical training college. Her son required a mechanical kit in form of a tools box for practical lessons. At the same time she was supposed to pay her tuition fees for the DL programme. She could not raise the money. She sought extended family member‘s support in kind in order to cope with the demands of both programmes as she said, ―I had to borrow from my brother‘s son-- his tool box so that my son would go and do practical work while I pay ZOU‖(DT8E:439).
A female senior teacher that was still on the programme echoed the importance of family support in order to cope with DL as she said, ―-the ZOU fees, it is my spouse who actually pays for that because my salary is not enough to cover my expenses‖
(DT8C:441). A male deputy head that had unimpeded completion of the DL programme said that many adult learners relied on financial donations and assistance from relatives. He pointed out that, ―if it were not for our children--we would not be able to pay the fees-- one is-- in UK-- and the other one-- in Germany (DT8B:440).
Support from relatives who worked in the diaspora was helpful especially after the Zimbabwean economy had collapsed in 2008.
Another popular strategy used by adult learners to cope with financial requirements in DL was engaging in self-help income generating projects. A rural school head from earlier intakes that had unimpeded completion of the programme said, ―I had to embark on a poultry project in order to support myself (DT8BV:440). Another rural
teacher from earlier intakes that also had unimpeded completion of the programme said that he supplemented his salary with money, ―-from the market gardening as another source of income‖ (DT8Z:441).
Urban adult learners also engaged in small scale commercial self-help enterprises to cope with the financial requirements in DL. While a female senior teacher from later intakes that was still on the programme had to, ―--sell-- wares like sweets -- at school, chips, so that I get the fares to attend—tutorials‖ (DT8C:441) another female deputy head from earlier intakes that delayed and was still on the programme said, ―I engaged in being a vendor at times. I could sell freezits, tomatoes to raise funds‖ (DT8S:441).
These results show that seven of the interviewees relied on the support from the family to cope with the financial requirements in DL. The rest used either bank loans or income generating projects to raise funds.
The results from the DL context, socio-academic integration and financial requirements tree nodes are collated with those from the questionnaire survey in order to draw up conclusions of the study in the discussion chapter.