Close-up with Rural Learners

It is so sad that this year has come to an end. Looking at the calendar we have less than three weeks before the schools close and I`m thinking how wonderful this year has been, particularly with learners from the rural schools of the Eastern Cape.

It’s amazing to see that learners have their own interests in and outside the classroom environment. It is also very important that learners are kids that need their own freedom to play, or should I say to enjoy themselves as children while they are learning at the same time. As teachers we should learn that those children are experiencing a certain stage in life and each and every adult has passed through that stage in one way or another. My point is that adults that are closely involved in developing learners minds need to be cautious in terms of understanding children`s behaviors. I got this perspective from what I`ve recently experienced through interaction with rural learners. 

For the past seven weeks the NMI team (Phemba Mfundi) has been doing research on different aspects regarding learners’ interests in reading and writing - in and out of the classroom space. We have also had close interviews with language teachers.

The interview/questionnaire was mainly focusing on the learner`s progress since joining Phemba Mfundi, so we were interviewing the first years and second years. To tell you the truth, these young people are willing and eager to learn and they show interest in things that are happening in the world. Most of all, they are able to see that being a learner in the rural schools does not mean that they cannot achieve things that they want to achieve but it’s just the areas that their communities are situated in.

What came out of that research was the reality that: there is a big gap between rural and urban schooling; and learners from the rural schools are trying very hard to close that gap.

All I can say is those are the brilliant learners who deserve better in terms of learning facilities and accessibility to the things that will help them, their communities and the future of this country. They might come from the other side of the country, which is regarded as underdeveloped, but it is our collective duty to support those young leaders because they are inspiring and motivating.

Remember this “You invest to a child you invest to a nation”