Manifestations of ‘capabilities poverty’ with learners attending informal settlement schools

A capability analysis on the implementation of the school progression policy and its impact on learner performance

“…This in effect incrementally reinforces and perpetuates learner challenges since inherent in the policy is the potential for learners to accumulate unfreedoms as they progress through the various grades based on age and the number of times they repeat a grade, rather than on academic achievement. Although poverty and other exigencies undeniably introduce challenges to school performance, unfreedoms enhanced by the SPP no doubt illustrate the complexities inherent in the nature of schooling in poor communities (Maarman, 2009).…”

“…Although some of the South African government's objectives in the domain of education, such as access have been achieved (Modisaotsile, 2012), others such as finding a balance between enrolment and performance, and between input and outcomes, especially in poor schools, remains an on-going education crisis and debate (Spaull, 2013;Pretorius, 2014). In the view of Maarman (2009), government efforts to improve education have been dampened by existing poverty imperatives, despite acknowledgements of great improvements in the South African education system (Crouch and Mabogoane, 2001;Chisholm, 2004;Van der Berg, 2006;Taylor, Fleisch and Shindler, 2008;Taylor, Van der Berg and Burger, 2012). The current impasse of Q-1 primary schools interrogates the efficacy of current policy approaches as there is evidence of persistent poor learner performance.…”

“…This prevailing view of the causes of underperformance in poor schools has resulted in numerous efforts by the government over more than 20 years to reallocate the necessary resources to meet the needs of such schools, yet, despite this, the issue of learner underperformance in poor schools has not been addressed and moreover remains a cumbersome and contentious issue. This also raises the question of how effectively the democratic dispensation has been translated into benefits for poor school communities (Maarman, 2009).…”

“…To offset the existent inequality within the educational sector, and at the same time maintain equity, quality and learner retention rates, the SPP is employed as a key tool to give learners the necessary support they require in order to achieve these objectives. The SPP is thus regarded as one of those policies or constructs that have contributed to unequal educational opportunities in South Africa (Maarman, 2009), mainly due to poor implementation and the lack of monitoring and evaluation.…”

A Discussion of a Unique Collaboration Model Between Schools

“…Financial contributions towards school funding are certainly the most important source of school financing. Because of social factors such as unemployment and poor parents, school management has to find other means to raise funds (Maarman, 2009;Du Plessis Venter, 1999). Bush and Hofstede (2003;as cited in Naidoo, 2005) pointed out that, even though township schools charge small amounts for school fees, they are still able to collect only 50% of their potential school fees, because of the high levels of unemployment and the great number of parents who qualify for exemption from school fees.…”