This is an experiential piece about a trip to Kutliso Daniels Secondary School, Makhanda on the 25th of April 2023, it is an analysis of a personal experience had with grade 12 pupils. The paper summarizes an interview conducted with five pupils from Kutliso who spoke about their experiences with using the SD cards that were given to them by the Vulindlela project. This is a reflection piece that shows the effectiveness of service learning in educational journalism but the focal point is to show what can be done to assist the class of 2023, and as a journalist, I tell the story from my point of view together with the recipients' point of view.
The questions that the pupils asked were focused on the provision of SD cards at Kutliso Daniels Secondary School, their experiences with using them, and how the provision of study materials could be improved in schools. Each interviewee was talking based on the topic at hand they were happy to express what they think and feel about the material that they are getting to help them more with their school work.
Imagine going to a school with not enough study material for each learner to use for them to pass. Having to share textbooks, 3 or 4 in a book, and you cannot take it home because the other sharing mates will suffer. Having to write notes from the chalkboard every day, and copying everything written by the teacher in the few minutes that they teach because they will be erased when another teacher wants to use the board. Imagine going to a school with no computer lab to access online materials so that you can do research for your assignments, and computers at a local library do not work. Preparing for exams is stressful no imagine even stressing about material that is not enough to study even though the teachers are trying their best.
Hearing the learners talking about not having enough study material made me think that there is so much that the community can do, and they should start by stopping to neglect the fact that these learners are in real need of help. We keep on talking about how struggling learners who are from public schools but we do not talk about how to help them fight for their future. The issue of textbooks not being enough for everyone has been heard, and talked about for quite some time but what is the community doing about this? Initiatives like Vulindlela are trying their best to help the children get the material that they need so the SD cards are a way of helping them study with enough material so that they can pass.
"I do not have a cellphone to put in the memory card, and I only get to use it on the weekends when my mother is home, I borrow her phone for an hour or so because my mom does not want me to keep her phone for a long time," said interviewee 5.
"To access the material on the SD card I have to borrow a phone from my big sister who sometimes does not want to give me, and I do not have any other device where I can insert it, and study using the material loaded," said interviewee 1.
Giving out the SD cards is a brilliant idea but the problem is that a lot of the pupils do not have access to smartphones so that means a child will only keep the card, and not use it when they are at home unless they borrow one from someone else.
"I am grateful for what the project has done for us, giving us the SD cards will help us catch up with our school work, and gain more knowledge. I love the fact that these cards have past question papers, I will be able to revise and make sure that I am on the right track, said interviewee 2. As much as others complain about not having devices to put the cards into, others are happy that there are people out there offering them help, and they do acknowledge that people are trying their best to help them so that their situation can change.
"The SD cards are helpful, I have started using mine, and I understand life sciences more because the videos make me visualize the content that we are given, and I can see the diagrams properly, said interviewee 3.
"The cards contain information that is helpful, and I am glad that I am one of the learners that got an opportunity to have one," said interviewee 4.
The grade 12 learners believe that the provision of study materials can be improved by having access to the computer lab in their school, where they can go and do their school work. “It would be nice to have working computers at our school where we can go there after school to do our school work, and access more information. We are aware that there are computers at the local library but they are few, and we sometimes get there while there are people already using them,” said interviewee 4. The government should revisit the provision of study materials for learners because they are suffering, and some of them depend on the material that they get at school to study.
"Our school does not even have printing papers for us, we only depend on the teachers that are teaching us to give us notes, and it would be better for us to have printed information even if it's just notes, that could be helpful," said interviewee 1. It would be better for the government or people in the community to donate money so that the learners could get printed material just to avoid the matter of sharing textbooks.
The trip to Kutliso Daniels Secondary School reminded me of the year 2020 when I was doing matric at a public school like the one mentioned. I am one of the learners who got an SD card from the Vulindlela project. In 2019, the Minister of Basic Education Angie Motshega announced that her department will be issuing out devices that will help with learning for leaners which were tablets to study. The tablet was a way of making learning for learners easier, and they would be able to access study material on that device. I was fortunate enough to get one in 2020, and that is where I used the SD card that was provided to me during the covid-19 era.
The SD cards were really helpful to me because if it was not for them, I would not have been where I am today, and those devices were loaded with a lot of helpful study material like past question papers, videos of people explaining concepts from different subjects, and many other things. At that time, it was easy for me to use those cards using the tablet so I had the necessary equipment to put them in.
The experience that I got with these pupils was a reminder to me that regardless of not having enough material I was able to pass my matric, it reminded me of my hard work and dedication because there was no teacher in front of me for about three months but I had to push myself with the material that I had. Attending a school with not enough material can affect a person because you end up losing motivation. After all, many things are lacking.
Through initiatives like Vulindlela, there could be hope for a better future so as the people of Makhanda let us help our brothers and sisters so that they can get a better future. Vulindlela should be a way of showing people that they can do more for other people, just because your sister is not going through something does not mean you do not have to help. Offer a helping hand where you can. Donate money so that more textbooks could be bought, and their school labs could be fixed so that they can use them to study. Let us make a change!
* Photos by Luviwe Mngcambe