Elna Cavendish 9 December

A conversation with a young woman who had first-hand experience of racial prejudice and economic injustice, within the current social/politic of South Africa. She had attended a ‘model c’ school, schools funded by both state and parents, but had to leave and go to a public school. There she was able to compare and experience how social economics determine the quality of education in this country. It played out through the attitude of the teachers, the basic school infrastructures and the general lack of pro-education culture. The attitudes are that people from these areas aren’t going to amount to anything, so why develop them?!

After leaving school she attended a tertiary college. At some point she was unable to pay her fees and was asked to leave. Her attendance had been good and her academic achievement excellent. She had made inquiry about receiving financial aid, and was informed that the bursaries had been used up. She noticed that the student who had been given a bursary had dropped out. She believed that the student had been awarded the bursary on racial grounds. She persistently pursued the situation, appealing for the no longer used bursary to be awarded to her. It was finally! The point she was making is that other students with less tenacity had probably dropped out because of lack of financial support. She feels that quality education should be available to all. Selection and evaluation based on race is demoralising and undermining.