School and Parent Teacher Meetings

[pic]

ASSIGNMENT 2

EDRHODG

1. The most critical problem in our local schools is alcohol and drug abuse and high level of pregnancy rate and children who become orphans at early age due to HIV/AIDS epidemic, these children end up becoming the head of the house hold and that makes it difficult for them to focus on their school work. Parent involvement and the community involvement can be first step in trying to solve these problem. Community forum need to be formed in order to come up with the solution as to what need to be done to overcome this problem.

The most critical problem we have nationally that I have identified is lack of resources, and the shortage of qualified teachers, some schools do not have even science lab or computer lab. In this case government need to come out with the best strategy on how to resolve the problem of staff shortage and lack of resources, what can be done is to introduce mobile computer and science lab for a time being while he still looking for more funding to help built more science and computer labs.

2. I have identified this problem because they are the cause of poor standard of education because a child that is on drugs do thing that will cause them to forget that they were suppose to go to school they loose focus and pregnancy will lead to child not contracting in class because she will lose most her time because she has to attend prenatal classes

The curriculum: some teachers are placed to teacher subjects that are not their specialties, you cannot take an accounting teacher in a science class to teacher something she does not know or not familiar with.

Resources: some school subjects are more practical than others, for instances; schools in some townships do not have science labs, so that the students could practice chemistry. Some schools do not have even one computer or even text books.

Management capacity: the principle as head of the school is manager, meaning he or she has to manage the school operation, teachers failing to come to work on time, drunk or not producing work or positive results should be looked into.

Teacher qualification: this goes in two ways first being teachers (as mentioned above) sometimes have to teach subjects their not qualified for and secondly, recently shown on SABC News, some working teachers were found teaching with NO qualifications at all.

Teacher training: they should be trained to identify problems such as children with learning disabilities, abuse (physical or mental to name a few), and poverty stricken (children who work for miles to school without breakfast or a packed lunch) cannot concentrate in class.

Teacher status: a line should be drawn between teachers and students relationship, teachers cannot be social with students. A teacher should be professional regarding his status as educator and not a student’s friend. Teacher morals: teachers should not be social with students and having relationships with their learners, or drinking with learners. The teacher’s social life should not mix with his or her personal life. Some teachers sit in taverns and drink with their students, not necessarily in the same circle but a teacher should discipline a child for underage drinking and he or she should not be seen in such places.

Discipline in schools: it starts with the principle disciplining his or her staff to set well mannered explains for the students, then teachers could discipline students by setting guidelines and rules in and out of the classroom to maintain order.

Parental involvement: it is easy to say parents should be involve, but some work odd hours, but there should be Parent Teacher meetings to talk about the students progress, not to call a parent just because a child is misbehaving.

Language: I think it is important to teach in an international language such as English from the Foundation Phase, as it will help students to learn English at an early age, which will benefit them in the long run. Mother tongue can be taught in the mother tongue class.

Poverty: there are children that go to school, walking for miles even crossing dangerous rivers, in hot or cold weathers, with no shoes or jerseys, with no packed lunch, in classroom with broken windows (in winter). We expect that child to sit and concentrate in class