HEAD TEACHERS: SOME OVCS CHAOTIC, REBELLIOUS

EZULWINI - Head teachers say some OVCs cause chaos and make the learning environment unfavourable in schools.

According to the head teachers, some of the orphaned and vulnerable children (OVCs) were rebellious against teachers and had become unteachable. So serious is the situation that the schools administrators have asked for the establishment of a children’s court to deal with wayward pupils in learning institutions. These issues were discussed by over 1 000 head teachers during their meeting with Minister of Education and Training Owen Nxumalo, at Somnjalose High School Hall yesterday.  Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) Thuli Dladla, whose office is the custodian of vulnerable children, also attended the meeting.  The ministry and its stakeholders met the head teachers in order to get first-hand information pertaining to issues affecting the operations of schools across the country.  The engagements were centred on the OVC grants, free primary education (FPE), Schools Feeding Scheme and Grade 0, which were deemed as the cause of frustration in schools around the country.

Uncooperative

Most head teachers shared the same sentiments that, inasmuch as they were willing to give full support to OVCs, they found themselves losing interest because some of them were uncooperative in class. Siphasha Dlamini, who was the first to take the floor, said some OVCs caused chaos in schools, making the learning environment unfavourable. Dlamini said the issue was deeper than one could imagine, as it emanated from anger issues the children grew up with.  She said some of the children still held the anger that they were not taken care of by their relatives and guardians.

“Some OVCs are unmanageable, as they bring anger issues to school. They do not cooperate in class; instead, they cause chaos when called to order. We find it better to chuck them out of the classroom and remain with cooperative pupils, than allowing one or two to disrupt lessons,” she said. Dlamini then suggested that the DPM find a way to make a follow up on OVCs, so that they could be manageable in schools. She said one way could be initiating social workers’ visits at least twice a week to schools, to be able to deal with the issues as and when the need arose. “Children’s courts could be another solution to deal with wayward pupils who cause chaos in schools,” she said. Dlamini also decried the selection criteria for beneficiaries of the OVC grants. She said some deserving children missed out on the grants as a result of not partaking in customary activities, such as kuhlehla at the royal kraals. The head teacher said some deserving pupils were deprived of the grants for certain fees owed to their respective royal kraals.

“May the Deputy Prime Minister’s Office find a way to ensure transparency concerning the selection of OVCs in communities. Some benefit from the grant, while their parents are gainfully employed.”

Reiterated

Dlamini was echoed by Shewula High School Head teacher Bonginkhosi Mabila, who reiterated that OVCs were not taken care of at family level. Mabila said it was for that reason that OVCs created many problems in schools. He said the availability of social workers for monitoring purposes in schools could help save the situation.  Mabila said it would be unfair for head teachers to use force on misbehaving OVCs in schools. He decried the selection criteria, stating that some pupils were competing with the needy, yet their parents were gainfully employed. Some head teachers mentioned civil servants, as their colleagues raised the concern.

In response to the head teachers’ concerns, the DPM acknowledged the headache caused by some pupils in schools and blamed it on the lack of monitoring from parents at the family level.  She said some parents were too busy to look after their children. She said the lack of monitoring by parents resulted in the children being overwhelmed by peer pressure.
“Some children tend to be bossy in schools, because they lack parenting at the family level. Their attitude draws negative attention to teachers, resulting in them being viewed as wayward,” she said. Dladla said the visit by social workers in schools could play a vital role in bringing the pupils to order.  She said her office would try to avail social workers as and when the need arose, even though they were short-staffed.

Career

Dladla said another solution could be strengthening career guidance with people who had love for children, so that they could be able to mentor them. The DPM did not respond to the suggestion of a children’s court for wayward pupils. Coming to the selection criteria of OVCs in the country, Dladla said there was a lot to be fixed. She said her office and its stakeholders were working on a policy that would ensure transparency concerning the selection of beneficiaries of the grants. She said the new policy would incorporate head teachers and independent members of the communities, to ensure that deserving children were not left out of the grants.  Dladla said leaving deserving pupils out of the OVC grants was a sin that those who were responsible would meet in hell. She urged the head teachers to join hands in building a future for the children and the country.

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