From Fairytales to Monsters in your head – Escapism in Grahamstown

Isn’t it sad that the children who once upon a time believed in fairytales and magic had to be hit by reality and monsters in their heads? And once these children have experienced the disillusionment of life itself they are suddenly called adults, but in reality, they just want to be like Alice, trying to find a way out of their heads and into wonderland.  All they want to do is escape.

With the hustle and bustle of modern life, escapism has become more and more common in society, especially among young adults. Escapism is often a defence mechanism, allowing individuals to abandon their reality, physically or mentally, in response to the repetitive and unsatisfying actuality. According to clinical psychologist, Marizaan Koen, examples of escapism in students include watching series, browsing Instagram and Facebook, drinking excessive amounts of alcohol, using drugs, overeating and clubbing. Koens adds that although these acts seem harmless independently, they become escapism when “these activities prevent individuals from effectively dealing with their problems.” Many students adopt these practises because the activities are relaxing and Koens states that they can give students the chance to recuperate and restore their energy levels. However, she adds, “it can easily happen that students spend more and more time on these activities, to the point where it prevents them from dealing with reality.”

Think of escapism like salt or sugar, you can sprinkle it over your life to make it better, but too much will ruin the whole dish. This can cause problems with work, damage personal relationships and your productivity can also take a nosedive.

Some do drugs, others go for a run, but at the end of the day, many students are searching for a way to be completely out of touch with reality. The question is why is this issue so prevalent in the UCKAR society? There are various factors which contribute the development and maintenance of escapism, including biological, psychological, social and environmental factors. In an online survey, it came to light that approximately 24% of students say they go out because there isn’t much else to do in a small town like Grahamstown. Another 35% of students want to go out to destress and forget about reality for a bit. These were the two most given reasons for going out in Grahamstown, using this as a type of a barometer it is possible to hypothesise that students mainly go out to destress, or as a pure form of entertainment in a small town with few other possibilities for fun.

There are various ways to deal with escapism and developing healthy ways to deal with your reality. It’s easy to avoid reality, but impossible to avoid the consequences of reality. It’s important to put your hands back on the controller and stop escaping reality. This is often done by identifying what you’re trying to avoid, why and how to change it.

Some say that people build themselves a world of magic because humans have lost the magic from their childhood and now live dull, tragic lives, that people are permanently thinking about escaping, this has become the monster in your head. We escape to bring back the fairytales from our youth. Perhaps instead of trying to escape to fairytales we should dream improbable dreams, follow our hearts and create our own little version of a fairytale. Let me ask you this, what are you doing online reading this article? Are you escaping?

The Awakening: An Education Story – Claire O’Reilly

I always felt a sense of desperation to be as perfect as possible. I came from a school where it mattered to have perfect false nails, to have editorial clothing that nobody liked but knew was expensive, it mattered to have the most advanced technology, it mattered to have the most flamboyant personality… and call me a fool but I believed it did.

In my eleventh year of school, I joined this organisation called the Johannesburg Junior Council, a charity organisation that alone changed the Claire that I once was. I started being more authentic, I started being exposed to the real suffering that is prominent in our society. I give this organisation the credit for handing me the lighter to be enlightened.

You see there are moments in life where a switch inside the fuse box that is embedded inside of your- being is flipped, these moments make permanent dents and shift the direction of your line of thinking. The ‘ you’ before this awakening, is no longer the ‘you’ after that significant moment. One of the deeper switches flipped on this day:

I am so grateful we have arrived in Soweto, I can breathe. I had tried to occupy my mind with how excited I was to see my kids at the African Feeding Scheme but this bus could even make a cat feel claustrophobic. We stop. We unpack, as per usual. Today is the third time I have come here to mingle with lives that are very different from my own. We unpack the fruit and make sandwiches. My heart squeezes because I love all the children, all the little boys that tackled me down and all the little girls that circle around me to braid my very strange yellow hair.

But there is one child in particular who I get really excited to see — Masego, and today was different, because like no time before we had brought toys, skipping ropes, balls, you name it.

We set them out on dry grass to surprise them. It was now 11:58, two minutes until they came walking through that rusty steel gates of their school like they had been set free from prison.

The gate was unlocked and pushed open and they started flooding in, and there I sat waiting to see the expression on Masego’s round little face when she got to behold the toys we had brought. Finally, I can see her, in her stained purple top… and this was that moment for me.

She saw the toys. She was elated and started walking towards them, but then, she saw me. She stopped. I did not understand, she looked at me with a looked I have never seen before, her eyes glistened with purity, her body turned and she started running, not walking like before, but running and running towards me. I still said to myself “no Masego, the toys are that way”, but she continued. The others were running towards the toys but not Masego… not Masego. She ran and she jumped on me and in that moment, I felt the awakening. This child hadn’t played with a toy in a long while and yet she chose to come to me. I had never felt this emotion before, but in that moment I had the strangest wave of contentment that ran through every atom of my body. In this one simple action, I understood how empty materialism is and while she was hugging me, I finally understood what the essence of living is. She didn’t care if I had fancy things, or if I was pretty enough, she didn’t care how smart I was or that I was lighter and taller. She didn’t care! That child loved me, quite frankly an unconditional love I hadn’t seen before or after this moment. A four-year-old taught me what was really important in life and why it was important, she taught me that perfection doesn’t exist for a reason. She educated me on how you should care about other people and she told me from her inner voice what love and happiness should look like… and then she took my hand and we went to go skip.

Unseen Education: An Education Story – Sam Jarvis

“If you don’t mind taking a seat he’ll be with you in just one moment.”

However warm and welcoming receptions are one almost always ends up sitting anxiously either staring into space or half-heartedly flipping through an outdated magazine.

 A trickle of sweat ran down my forehead as I gazed around the hall. Sunlight highlighted by red curtains streamed in through the windows, deep oak floors absorbed the rays and glistened like the sea before sunset. As my eyes moved along, Persian rugs formed islands upon which sat desks and cabinets each protecting treasures within. Yet still, my eyes sailed up to a sky of books and wooden shelving that reflected the sea below. I felt out of my depth.

 I pulled my eyes away, as a door opened to the left. “Thank you Mrs Green, we look forward to your son joining us next year.”

A mother and son emerged out of the frame. By the ghostly expression on the mother’s face and the blissful ignorance on the child’s, I knew something had not quite gone right.

The thing with interviews is that questions are asked and answers must be given. Judgement is based on the answer. Interviews become problematic when the interview is for a prestigious high school and the answers are being given by a thirteen-year-old boy whose primary interest at the time is Sponge bob square pants.

Curiosity and comprehension dawned on my mother’s face so she asked. Turns out answering “building an elastic band ball” to “What is your greatest achievement in life?” doesn’t comply with the primary objective of such a school.

I packed out laughing which was followed by a pinch from my mother. To be fair the boy was one of my greatest friends and I wasn’t surprized. The experiences we had shared were unrivalled. From riding sheep to shooting passing cars with potatoes nothing was out of the question.

It was in that instance I realised the impact this individual had had on my life. Along with other friends, he was partly responsible for who I was. I understood that the people we surround ourselves with ultimately effect who we are going to be.

“He’s ready for you now”

A white bearded man greeted and asked us to sit.  Sunlight filtered through the windows bouncing lightly off the white walls and empty space before settling on a desk, cupboard and a few chairs. Almost comical in comparison to the spectacle outside. I felt the pressure fall away.

We went through the formalities; Name, primary school and started on the questions.

“So what is your greatest achievement in life?”

“Making good friends” I replied.

Intsomi: Bringing Families Back Together – Miri-Joan de Wet

The word Intsomi, meaning the telling of folk stories in Xhosa, has become a symbol of much more for certain members of the UCKAR staff. It has become synonymous with family time, community, education and much more. Through Intsomi, parents who did not have this opportunity when they were young, are given the tools to strengthen family bonds and play an active role in their children’s education.

Thandie Mgqobhele has expressed how she has become involved in her child’s education through the project. “It’s not only the teacher’s responsibility to build the children’s future,” Mgqobhele said at a press conference on Wednesday afternoon. “We, as parents, must also take responsibility. We need to work together!”

Since the start of the Intsomi program in 2015, as part of the Vice-Chancellor’s Education Initiative, this program has changed the lives of over a hundred families in the Grahamstown area. It is part of the Rhodes University Parent Engagement Program and aims to empower the learners of public schools in the area as well as their parents. The program enables parents to read age and language appropriate books, which are provided by the Rhodes University Community Engagement (RUCE) office, to their children.

The program is based on the theory that children need multiple stakeholders in their literacy development. Intsomi is the only one of its kind implemented in universities in South Africa and hopes to expand in the future. The benefits of the program stretch far beyond what was expected initially.

Parents involved in the program described, at Wednesday’s press conference, how the program has improved both the reading and writing of their children. Many also mentioned a definite improvement in the parent-child relationship and stronger family bonds that have developed. The program has not only improved the literacy education of children in Grahamstown, but has promoted the idea of reading for pleasure, enjoyment and not only for academic purposes. Children have also been able to form meaningful relationships with their peers, where they can share stories and expand their young imaginations.

It has nurtured an essential emotional connection and love for stories. For the parents involved, as well as their children, books have become the quietest and most loyal friends. The program has revealed books to be the most accessible and wisest councillors. Intsomi has proved that through reading, books can become the most patient of teachers.

IEB vs. DBE – Shaun Goosen

Perhaps one of the biggest ongoing debates within South Africa’s education landscape today is whether or not the IEB (Independent Examinations Board) syllabus that is implemented in private schools, is superior to that of the government schools’ DBE (Department of Basic Education). With private schooling so much more expensive than government schooling, the common consensus is that the IEB would naturally be of a higher standard, and better prepare South Africa’s youth for tertiary institutions. However, many have argued that there is no substantial gulf in class between the two and that it relies heavier upon particular individuals’ respective work ethics and personalities than the actual standard of the respective syllabuses themselves.

As IEB students tend to generally come from wealthier backgrounds (since they are educated at private schools), it logically follows that their learning environments, as well as the standards of teaching which they are subjected to, would be of a higher standard. A recent study claimed that teachers in government schools failed to teach 60% of their lessons by the time the academic year came to a close (Macfarlane, D et al. 2012), which had massive implications for the results of the learners. However, although the unreliability and lack of accountability shown by some of the schools that operate under the DBE umbrella are unacceptable, it is worth noting that a large percentage of these schools are located in very rural areas, which would ultimately have a huge bearing on the statistics. Ella van Geuns, a Journalism & Media Studies (JMS) student at Rhodes University, and somebody who has experienced both government and private schooling in South Africa provided a better understanding of the contrasting environments at different schools. “At IEB schools the teachers need to be more invested in the students because the work is more complex. It’s a far more interactive learning space than you’d find at a government school.”

Last year recorded some very interesting results in the way of the matriculants’ respective pass rates from both government and IEB schools. The 2016 pass rate for private schools was calculated to be 98.67%, up from 2015’s 98.30%, and calculated from “11 022 full-time and 703 part-time candidates from 237 examination venues” across Southern Africa (Staff Reporter, 2016). On the other hand, the government schools’ pass rates were said to be 72.5%, up from 70.7% the previous year, recorded from over 80 000 students that wrote (Staff Writer, 2017). One should take into account that the government’s pass rate being so low is due to numerous mitigating factors. Aside from teacher absenteeism, many students either drop out, need to travel vast distances to get to school every day (which may be too much for them to cope with on certain days) and/ or bunk classes regularly; all of which negatively impact their preparation for exams. In total; 93% of the distribution of learners in the South African education system were public (or DBE) schools, while 4% were private (or IEB) schools (Department of Basic Education, 2015).

Researching about the differences in each syllabus, and which students performed better at university proved to be extremely intriguing. Ella once again added some insight to the conversation, highlighting what she makes the biggest contrasts to be. “The IEB demands higher-order thinking: it’s parrot learning versus application; your understanding is much more in-depth and not just surface-level knowledge. You need to be able to apply your knowledge, so I guess my point would be that the IEB helps much more with generating a far deeper level of knowledge in comparison to the government, which contains much more artificial content.”

Rod Amner, a JMS lecturer at RhodesUniversity, weighed in on the debate with regards to the results of government and IEB students’ respective results and performances at university. “The IEB is obviously an international benchmark, and the standards there are more demanding – of course, the majority of them come from privileged backgrounds. IEB students are better prepared for university because of the nature of the schools that they came from.” Amner went on to stress that merely attending an IEB school won’t necessarily make for quality results; instead underlining the unique characteristics of respective individuals with regards to sound performance. “One of the things I’ve heard is that not all IEB graduates fly at university. There are so many variables involved – personality, work ethic – and if students begin to struggle with their work they battle to recover by themselves. Another point is that, while the standards may not be as high at government schools, many students feel more comfortable there (in a less results-driven environment). Students are also exposed to a greater diversity of people at government schools, which aids them in climatizing to life at university.”

The fierce debate is sure to rage on in South Africa for the foreseeable future, as divided opinions over the superiority of the IEB and DBE continue to raise questions. There doesn’t seem to be a clear answer as to which better equips students for university, as a whole host of factors can affect the outcome of a student’s results after school. While it would seem that the IEB offers a greater challenge to the student, the learning environment, the state of the students’ personal lives as well as the respective work ethics/ personalities of the students all play huge roles – none of which should be understated.

Future for Pre-Schools – Sam Jarvis

The sun shone on an old gate with a metallic lock that stood sentinel to Siyazama pre-school. Jungle gyms and sandpits covered the fading grassy playground. A productive vegetable garden sat in the corner, lush and green. A chorus of voices erupted from the L-shaped classrooms. “Nal’ibali, we want to learn we want to read”.

Siyazama is a pre-school located in extension 6 of Grahamstown East. The school has been opened since 2006 and accommodates children ages ranging from two to five. It has the capacity to accommodate 80 to 90 children per year with most of the children living within walking distance. The building itself has about four classrooms with an office (including a caged computer), kitchen and storage area. The vision of the school is to provide children with a safe environment in which to grow, one that is fenced and clean and put emphasis on productivity and efficiency. There is a vegetable garden that provides the children with nutrition and a valuable skill in gardening. However, with the funding crisis for education in South Africa ever present, how long can a school like this last?

Education within South Africa has always been a sensitive topic. Since the Apartheid era, it has always involved political motivation and failed to provide children with sufficient education. This year a total of R23 408 620 has been budgeted for schooling in South Africa. The focus of this money is to improve the schools with regards to infrastructure, the curriculum and the pass rate for matric students. Balancing and prioritising this money is a tricky business, and ensuring that each school receives a fair amount is very challenging.

One of the other aims of this money is to provide a line of quality teachers. The government budgets R 3.5 billion to prospective teachers. These are to be done in the form of bursaries through the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS). The aims of this money do not encourage early development within children, the main aim of the government is to pass as many matric students as possible. Schools such as Siyazama may not be prioritised as their input may not be deemed worthy.

“Pre-school is the most important form of education,” Says Jessica Corfield, a preschool teacher in KwaZulu-Natal South Africa. “It’s all about the foundation. Children learn how to count, and about shapes which are invaluable”. A big part of a child’s education is learning what appropriate and inappropriate behaviour is, this includes socialising. A big development in a toddler’s education is learning how to share. Often children have had a lot of attention from their parents or elder sibling, and going to pre-school helps them when it comes to sharing because there are one or two teachers in-between many children. “We focus on the lessons through play. Children learn way more if they are having fun”. This is a big part of early development within children as they learn through positive interaction.

“When children come to the pre-school they know about 500-800 words and when they leave they know about 5000” mentions Jess. The difference in between a child coming into the school and a child leaving is prominent. It really sets them up well for primary school. The development of the brain during that time is essential to a child’s growth. Studies show that children who do not receive this form of education often have learning difficulties when in later schooling.

This is not the first time that Siyazama has had an issue with funding. Grocotts Mail published an article in 2011 that highlighted the lack of pay a teacher was receiving within the school. A history of the problem of funding. The teacher indicated that she had not been paid in two months and that many pre-school teachers have been affected during this time. If the teachers are not being paid, how hopeful can one be about future funding for the school?

There is a difference in results between fee-paying and non-fee paying schools within Grahamstown. There is a juxtaposition between schooling in Grahamstown. The one-half is wealthy private schools and the other half is non-fee paying school. Fee paying schools achieve a significantly higher pass rate in the matric examination than other non-fee paying school. Amongst other things, this shows the significance of resources and the impact they have on a child’s education.

A dog walks by on the street, sniffs the fence and then continues its way along. The compound is empty of any inhabitancy. A swing rocks gently in the wind, no push. The sandpit levels out and the grass has gone. The vegetable garden is overrun, showing no produce. The children do not sing from their classrooms and the never run out to play.

Sexual Education possibly the end to Sexual Violence – Miri-Joan de Wet

“Let’s talk about sex, for now, To the people at home or in the crowd, It keeps coming up anyhow, Don’t decoy, avoid, or make void the topic, Cause that ain’t gonna stop it!” These lyrics from the 1990 Salt-N-Pepa hit have never been more apt. The hit-and-miss manner in which sexual education is addressed in South-African schools has reached its tipping-point.

Women are victims. Men are only predators. Sex is shameful and damaging. Only heterosexuality is acceptable. Gender is a black and white issue. These norms are what many learners are taking away from sexual education classes, that’s if they’re actually paying attention and not giggling about awkward images in textbooks.What masquerades as sexual education in South Africa is in actual fact not education at all. Many young South Africans are left with inadequate teaching about sexuality, gender and sex and are then vulnerable to abuse, exploitation, unwanted pregnancies or sexually transmitted diseases. 

Derika de Villiers, clinical psychologist and member of the organisation Action Breaks Silence (ABS), is of the opinion that sex education is an “interesting topic that can add value insight and empowerment to youngsters.” However, she argues that the way in which it is taught makes the subject taboo as it focuses on stereotypes, discrimination, guilt and shame often get attached to the topic. Juliet Houghton, director of Chiva Africa (a paediatric training organisation),  argues that sexual education is crucial in developing years and should ideally come from a neutral source, such as a teacher, to ensure that learners are comfortable to speak freely without fear of judgement or awkwardness. Unfortunately, the curriculum has failed to do this and young South Africans have nowhere to turn to for information except for the internet which isn’t always the most trustworthy source.

Sexual education can influence your physical, emotional, social and cognitive well-being according to de Villiers. Sex education should be about sexual health and making choices which will be beneficial and empower young South Africans with knowledge. However, in many schools the topic of sexual education is never covered while others address topics such as reproduction, pregnancy and Aids prevention, but very briefly and lack skill-based instruction. Scott Burnett, the director of loveLife, suggests that the biggest hurdle for quality sexual education is teachers from an older generation who are uncomfortable with the subject matter.

Many teenagers are uncomfortable when it comes to talking about sex because in classrooms there is a moral slant to this issue. Issues around sex, gender and sexuality are made out to be awkward instead of completely natural. These issues are often given the same treatment at home. Many parents are apprehensive around conversations about sexuality or sex because they believe that this will encourage them to have sex.  However, this does not necessarily ensure abstinence but instead, opens the playing field for unsafe sex or other dangerous situations. Thereby sex and sexuality have become something terrifying which leads to disgrace, tragedy and social rejection.

 The Alan Guttmacher Institute has identified that preaching celibacy isn’t necessarily effective because thereby students are refused crucial information necessary when they do decide to become sexually active. Teenagers lack the guidance to equip them with knowledge and skills on how to make informed decisions on when, how and under which circumstances or relationships they want to have sex. De Villiers suggest that “real issues” need to receive more attention; sexual abuse and victimisation, gender inequality and stereotypes that lead to gender-based violence, sexual orientation also needs to be addressed as well as practical matters at younger ages. De Villiers mentioned for example, “Girls need to know what to do if they don’t have hygiene pads and the consequences thereof.”

Previously the threat of unwanted pregnancies and STD’s were the main reasons given to why teenagers should receive sexual education, the benefits, however, are much more intriguing. Sexual education could result in respect and empathy crossing the boundaries of gender or sex. De Villiers suggests that there is a definite link between the lack of sexual education and sexual violence in South Africa.

South Africa’s sexual violence rates are among the highest in the world. Sexual violence refers to the use of force or manipulation to get someone to engage in an unwanted sexual activity. Research suggests that perhaps sexual education could decrease instances of sexual violence in South Africa.

De Villiers has found that, through her work with ABS, young South Africans between the ages of 9 and 15 are in dire need of sexual education. “(These youngsters) hold very strong gender stereotypes, taught by their seniors, which gives them the ‘right’ to abuse and victimise the opposite gender, based on beliefs they have internalised.” De Villiers indicated that if someone doesn’t intervene these teens will do what they are told or what they’ve experienced through exposure to violence. “This has become a generational issue that needs to break as soon as possible!”

The idea that young people shouldn’t be taught about safe sex, sexuality and gender differences because that might encourage them to start acting promiscuously, is equivalent to an argument that teaching people about airbags will make them think it’s acceptable to start crashing into things. The taboo around sexual education, guilt and shame should be squashed. Knowledge and empowerment need to take the main stage.

Education in the Mothertongue – Michelle Banda

The day broke with an atmosphere charged with sweltering heat. The dilapidated dingy mud classroom is packed with young women and men. The sweating sticks the skin while the star around which the earth orbits makes ovens on parking lots. There is an easy banter between the teacher and her fellow students. Her mouth tense, her eyes red-rimmed with suffering in her flamboyant dress as she sat enthroned like Queen Victoria. They are talking about their dreams, about jobs and potential. They smile at each other and tease with up-front confidence.

Like many public secondary schools in the Eastern Cape Province, Grahamstown public schools have continued to perform badly. Statistics has proven that in 2013, the public schools in the district performed third worst in the province in matric exams. However, in the following year, the pass rate increased from 50% in 2013 to 60% because of decline in learner numbers. The Eastern Cape has 6 063 schools across 254 cities and towns, hence having the second highest percentage of learners that did not pay school fees (81%) in 2013, according to Statistics South Africa. Reports show that the main reason provided for the decline in learner numbers by both genders was because of no money for school fees. Despite the school fees issue according to the Eastern Cape learner educator census data (2013) forgotten schools of Eastern Cape are left to rot.

Taking into account that Grahamstown is a former frontier town hence disparate education during the apartheid still, echoes in the provision of public secondary education. Therefore race remains a stark dividing line across the city’s schools. Research found that there are high poverty levels in the city which were caused by the post-1994 economic planning. This economic planning made certain geographic areas of the country more worthy of investment than others and Eastern Cape fell under the less worthy of investment areas. Meaning if you cannot pay for your schooling in Grahamstown you receive less efficient education.  Of which 73% of the Eastern Cape is a rural area where people are miners and earn barely enough for survival. One can safely say the parents cannot afford to send their children to private secondary schools and some to just send them to a public school is a struggle hence poverty circle continues.

Tolweni Senior Secondary school in rural Mount Fere being one of the schools which did not make it on any government or corporate list has more than 1 300 pupils, but 24 teachers. Students are overcrowded in the mud classrooms with inadequate furniture, text books, no electricity nor running water and bad toilets. During community engagement I took part in at Ntsika secondary school I interviewed a grade 12 pupil to find out from her opinion, what the reason was behind poor performance. The pupil, who did not want to be mentioned, informed me that they are taught all subjects in their native language (isiXhosa) of which all subject examination except the home language come in English hence they tend to fail because they do not understand the English. In the English latest Educator’s Association Professor Wright said, ‘’where South African people come face to face with their own character and willingness to work together to construct a progressive, non-racial, non-sexiest democracy that has the capabilities and skills to create a more equal and better resourced society.

Dr. Ashley Westaway the manager of Gadra poses a question whether the failure lies within the students or the system. According to Westaway at the beginning of the year, 40 grade 11 learners progressed to grade 12. This meant that they had already failed in that level; despite failing grade 11 they had still been promoted to grade 12. However, these schools are regarded as dysfunctional not just defined by what they lack, but what they serve since there is also a slow age per grade within schools in the Province. Also, the district director of education Mr. AT Fetsha recently partnered with General Motors South Africa foundation which conducts peace lessons program in life skills teaching grades 4 to 6 which has gradually improved pass rates in the district. Dr. Ashley’s foundation has become beacon of hope to pupils who failed matric and those yet to be in grade 12, as it has opened doors to quality learning so to combat the education crisis in Grahamstown. According to Professor Wright, the state of South African education system shows that it is currently failing to meet the challenge of creating a better resourced society.

Education levels in South Africa have increased from 1990’s. The matric pass rate which was as low as 40% in the late 90’s, continues to improve each year, reaching 76,2% in 2016 without progressed pupils from 74% last year (2015).

Girl’s Education in South Africa – Mbali Sibisi

According to “Dictionary.com,” education can be described as the process of gaining general knowledge, acquiring the skills of reasoning and judgement and generally getting one person or others intellectually ready for mature life. Education is thus an important factor in a person’s life. It thus becomes a big issue when people are uneducated as they are not able to develop skills deemed as necessary to survive in the world.  South Africa has a big problem with regards to people being uneducated as many people in the country are uneducated. South Africans are amongst the most illiterate in the world (BusinessTech, 2016).  According to Statistics South Africa (2016), at least 2.2 million South Africans have never set foot in a school. This shows that the country has a long way to go with regards to education, highlighting educating the female youth.

There are many reasons as to why a lot of females in South Africa are uneducated. These reasons include poverty, gender inequality in households, safety and security as well as due to the impact of HIV and AIDS on the community.   With regards to poverty, many South African adults cannot afford to take their children to school. This relates to the long cycle of poverty embedded in the history of South Africa. Due to apartheid, black South Africans are at disadvantage economically compared to the rest of the country. As black South Africans are the majority this means that a lot of black South Africans are unemployed.  This reflects on the youth, as it means that they are unable to go to school due to the expensive costs.

Ms. Ramaphosa, who works as a domestic worker for my parents had always described the struggles she faced not being able to get an education and all the things she feels that she was robbed of as she is uneducated. The highest qualification that Ms. Ramaphosa has is that of standard 5 (which is grade 7). This was due to the fact that her parents could not afford to pay for her to continue her studies.  However, during the time that she did attend school, she would contently face struggles. These struggles included having to carry a plastic bag as a school bag, not being able to do homework or study correctly due to the fact that the house she lived in had no electricity, walking just over 6 km to school and back on a daily basis and not going to school when she was on her menstrual cycle due to cramps.

Ms. Ramaphosa thus had to take care of her sick father, who had become unemployed due to a disease he got from working in the mines, during the days once she had dropped out of school. This proved to be difficult as at that age she was not equipped to handle.

Mr. Ramaphosa justly feels as if she was disadvantaged, as she does not have an education.  If she had completed her schooling career, she would not be working a job that only paid her minimum wage and the cycle of poverty in her family would be broken. “ If my parents had been able to afford for me to continue my studies, my kids would have a better life.”

The life of Ms. Ramaphosa’s can be contrasted to that of a 49-year-old woman named Janet Govender, who managed to break the cycle of poverty in her family. She successfully managed to do this, as after she finished her high school career she was able to go to the University of the North West to get a degree in social work. She was able to later further her studies to study Masters in Human Resources. She works for a company that pays her a generous salary.

The difference between the two is a stark problem in society that should not exist.  It is evident that the life of the second women is much better based on the fact that she was able to get an education, as she knows basic skills. It would be easier to take advantage of Ms. Ramaphosa, as she does not know a lot of things deemed as ‘general knowledge’ in our society.  This includes factors such as sexual education. It is imperative that we attempt to fix the education problem in South Africa through attempting to break the cycle of poverty as when women are uneducated in this country, it takes us a step back.

Although the factor of poverty is highlighted in this article, there are other key challenges to girls’ education. Other challenges include gender inequality, which correlates to culture. In many African cultures, boys are seen as superior to girls based on socialisation. In some poor families, parents will choose to send their sons to school, as they believe that the education would be of a better use for boys.  It is imperative that we try to change the mindset that many South Africans have in order to educate our girls. It will not be easy to try to change the manner in which millions of people think. This can be done by education people on the importance of education and by all the people in the country attempting to work together to end the problem.

They build us while they break – The implosion of Rhodes university – Claire O’Reilly

In the next five years, the University Currently Known As Rhodes may cease to exist. The rumours are true, this charismatic tertiary institution that myself and many others proudly belong to is currently on the brink of financial destruction. It is a contrasting mixture of what the university is doing ‘wrong’ and even what they are doing that is ethically ‘right’ yet not sustainable that will lead it to the point of implosion. Rhodes is in need of a drastic solution—lets hope a diamond can be made under pressure this time because unlike capital Rhodes has more than a sufficient amount of pressure. Pressure from its students demanding lower tuition and residence fees, pressure from its staff protesting for increased wages and pressure from the government’s lack of support and funds.

Believe it or not, this is no new predicament that Rhodes has found itself in but has been an accumulating problem for almost a decade.The main reoccurring problem for many years now would be due to the fact that Rhodes is the smallest public university in South Africa with only 7000 students. This means Rhodes receives less than a fifth of student fee’s that the University of Cape Town (UCT) receives yet Rhodes expenditure is almost a third of that of UCT which already demonstrates the significant economic margin and disadvantage Rhodes faces. Due to Rhodes size and location, it also does not receive the extent of business endowments that big universities in big cities such as WITs do.

However, these were issues that RU could still face yet the dark clouds of the economic climate have been getting even darker with the continuous decreasing rate of government subsidies towards public universities. Subsidies have dropped to a mere 39% in 2017 which is just not a sufficient amount for Rhodes to function and provide a quality higher education as said by Vice-chancellor of Rhodes, Sizwe Mabizela. The major drop in subsidies in 2015 lead all tertiary educations to increase their fee’s substantially which only leads to more problems, especially for RhodesUniversity…

Through all of that Rhodes survived, so why only now are we held together by pins and held up on crutches? From 2015 till now this purple palace has reached its most critical point in history, but why? and were the decisions made, necessarily ‘wrong’?

Throughout 2015, the students of South Africa united to fight against the escalating fee’s in tertiary education which lead to the #feesmustfall movement and demands of free education were made. Rhodes was one of the most responsive universities to the students’ call. Even in financial jeopardy, Rhodes made an ethical and humanitarian decision to firstly lower the initial outlay of tuition and residence fee’s from 50% to 10% and increased financial aid for those that needed it.  The Isivivane Fund was also launched this year (2017) which is focused on raising R300 million to help students pay for their education.

Unfortunately the reprecutions were that by June exams last year, 1616 had not paid back or paid back little of the excess money they still owed to the university, this was strenuous on the university and last year battled to function without millions of rands indebted to them. If that did not exhaust the universities funds enough, the National Student financial Aid scheme which is meant to be solely provided by the government sector was not tributing an adequate amount in grants, as promised, to underprivileged students and so Rhodes once again had to dive into savings for previous years to compensate for the remainder of the money that was needed. These decisions made, may not have been financially viable but when listening to the inspiring story of a student on the Isivivane fund (who chooses to remain anonymous) one must ask oneself, on an ethical basis, how could Rhodes University have possibly not taken these actions, when they have helped so many students. During the interview she stated “I would just simply not be here if it wasn’t for the Isivivane fund, I would not be excited for my future if I was not here”

Unfortunately the greatness that has occurred is plaqued by the truth that the continuing underfunding to the university has had a massive domino effect and Mabizela’s claim is one not to be taken lightly, the university had to “release savings of just under R10 million in the 2017 financial year and an additional R28 million of 2018’s savings in order to remain viable.

Unfortunately this was not the end of the pressures that Rhodes would endure. The most current issue hit our fragile university like a brick wall and once again Rhodes was faced with a double edged sword — just another issue that had been simmering for years , the issue of our academic staff and support staff being paid one of the lowest incomes amongst public institutions in the country. For the first three weeks of the second term of 2017, the support staff and even academic staff engaged in a go-slow after a deadlock between the unions and management during negotiations. It is truly horrific the money which the staff are expected to live off of , the problem lies that the university literally has no capital left in which they can afford to give them a major or even minor increase. Rhodes has offered the unions a 5% increase, of which the National Tertiary Education Union accepted , which will already cost the university an additional R20 million (1% increase = R4 million). However it does not stop there as the other union, National Health Eduction and Allied Workers Union (NHEAWU) who embarked on an illegal strike on Wednesday the 10th of May, will not accept anything less than a 7,5% increase and after interviewing one of the strikers from NHEAWU (whom also wanted to stay anonymous) she said “Our concern is here at Rhodes, we are doing more work but less pay, more work but we are paid peanuts. We don’t want no grade one pay, we want grade four pay” and “We do four persons work in one person, and now we must suffer for our rights”. As devastating as it is, this is no longer a case of only taking a humanitarian stance and looking out for the individuals as was previously done with students. If Rhodes accepts these terms along with all the other arising problems, along with the fact that South Africa has now reached junk status, will this fine 113 year old university just collapse or will management come up with a plan to save Rhodes and the town that cannot survive without it .