August 15 Stitching at Elna

Parents, who have sent their daughter to a public school, spoke how they feel she is developing a rich social and cultural awareness by being there. However they are sceptical about the standard of education. There are nearly 50 students in a class.

Grandparents had a contrasting experience: their granddaughter is being Home-Schooled, up to matric. Her experience of school (public) was that the standard was low, high work load [even during holidays] which seemed unnecessary and irrelevant, and a social blending of economic levels of people which was jarring. At this school economically challenged families are granted bursaries. It results in widely disparate social levels rubbing against each other. [Family of 3 living in a single room next to family of 3 living in a 5 bed roomed mansion]. There seemed to be inadequate support to deal with these stark [albeit] real social issues [maybe more in the home?]. Studying through the home school system, allows the student to work at her own pace, providing her with individual teacher supervision. She is currently at a level above usual age-level grading. The cost of home-schooling is comparable to private schooling, its main draw back is isolation from peers and lack of social development and integration, and this is cause for concern.

A Tertiary level Educator commented that education is vital! The current state of education is not fulfilling is function: Students are matriculating without basic study skills in place. They arrive at tertiary level unable to research and write. Students graduate from tertiary level are unable to apply their skills. She feels appropriate skills and application of these skills needs to reinforced and developed before graduation at a high school and tertiary level.