Abstract
D.Litt. et Phil.
This study focuses on disadvantaged learners and educators in primary schools in Eldorado Park. It focuses, from a critical-linguistic perspective, on the injustice through language that occurs in some communities in South Africa that affects both learners and educators. The research is confined to the primary schools of Eldorado Park to elucidate the specific problems related to the disadvantage that is experienced by the community.
Integration is a reality in most South African schools. Implementation of the integration and transformation in schools is the responsibility of the education authorities, but in practice especially that of the educators who are directly involved with the education of every learner irrespective of the language- or cultural background. Educators need help and assistance with this. Presently educators in many areas of our country are struggling on their own to address hindering factors in integrated classrooms, with very little assistance from the authorities.
The scenario in some schools in Eldorado Park is described and some hindering factors identified and discussed. The role of language in education will be looked at through a descriptive study. The researcher will also look at lessons to be learnt from existing research. The implications of how some officials employed by the Department of Education interpret and implement education policies, cannot be separated from this.
Eldorado Park is a former “Coloured township” in the south west of Johannesburg, a product of the former government’s apartheid policy, more specifically the Group Areas Act. The area, including Klipspruit-West, has eighteen primary schools with approximately 18 000 learners enroled in the primary schools. Some of the schools are parallel medium schools with English or Afrikaans as the medium of instruction and first additional language. Many schools are changing, or have done so already, to English medium schools.
Learners from almost all language and cultural backgrounds have been admitted to schools in the area. Learners from the informal settlements next to Eldorado Park, have flocked to the schools over the past years. These learners usually have English as their medium of instruction with Afrikaans as their first addisional language at school. English is not the home language of many learners, but their second-, third- or even fourth language.
Findings and recommendations from this research could help to address the special needs of integrated classrooms and to improve conditions for both learners and educators.