A snap Mail & Guardian survey of schools in and around Johannesburg on Wednesday suggested that the quality of pupils’ back-to-school experiences still depends largely on where they are located — in other words, how well resourced they are.
“We cannot compare ourselves with town schools because we are black, poor and neglected,” said 15-year-old Sandile Nyaqela, a grade-10 pupil at Kagiso Secondary School in Krugersdorp. He and a group of other pupils said they knew classes were going to be disturbed by the admissions process and, as a result, did not bother to wear uniforms. “I expect no lessons today,” said Sandile. “Because it is the norm here, every year.”
The school’s principal said: “We are not experiencing any problems, except for the learners who are late for admission. We have locked them outside because we want to organise ourselves first, and we will only allow them in after 1pm.”
By contrast, at Parktown Boys High School, “attendance is always 100% on the first day”, said deputy headmaster Brent Saunders. He was expecting “a few” extra pupils to pitch up, hoping to make it into the school at the last minute. But this is usually not possible, he said, as enrolments are filled by September of the preceding year.
One pupil said that, in cases where learners are unable to pay fees, arrangements are made for them to obtain bursaries. Saunders confirmed this, but said such cases were “minimal”.
At a school in Hillbrow, pupils began their day by moving furniture into their classrooms. By 11am they were seated and ready to begin learning. But attendance was low: Mpho Zwane, a grade-12 pupil, said his class had had about 40 pupils last year but, on Wednesday, there were only eight. “By next week the class will be full,” he said.
At Rosebank Primary, attendance was close to capacity, with a few pupils trying to register at the last minute. One grade-seven pupil said: “Last year we learnt [on the first day], but the year before we didn’t. Today we are probably just going to cover books.”
A teacher at the school said the first day’s activities consisted of “handing out the timetable, discussing conduct and homework policy and giving out stationery”. Another said a few new pupils might arrive over the next 10 days.
None of the pupils at Barnato Park High School who were hoping to register on the first day had secured a place — the school was already full.
In Soweto, the picture was mixed. Teachers were busy taking pupils through their paces at Thabang Primary and the principal was happy with the way things were proceeding so far. As at most of the schools the M&G visited, many parents were trying to register their children on the first day.
But Soweto’s DSJ Primary School radiated orderliness and very few parents tried to register their children on Wednesday. The principal said this was because the school had completed its registrations process late last year. All teachers were in their classrooms, learning was clearly taking place and the women who manage the feeding scheme were preparing meals.