Eastern Cape, KZN and Limpopo schools gave 750 unemployed people work — and they did a great job

The employment of 750 unemployed youth as education assistants at 188 rural schools in three provinces contributed to a reduction in stress and burnout among teachers.

This was one of the significant findings to emerge from research that looked at the Rural Education Assistants Project (REAP) which was piloted in primary schools in Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Limpopo.

The REAP, aimed at improving the quality of education in rural schools, encouraged employed youth in education and skills training initiatives to help them find permanent employment.

The programme, which also focused on improving livelihoods, hired youth who had matric as a minimum qualification and offered them stipends to encourage them to study further.

The education assistants (EAs) were hired to reduce the administrative duties of grade 1 to 4 teachers. This included marking class registers, managing discipline and helping prepare teaching aids for lessons so teachers could focus on teaching and learning.

The eager youngsters were also involved in establishing and running homework, reading, creative arts and maths clubs, as well as organising extracurricular activities.

According to the 76-page study published on the department of basic education’s website last month, researchers wanted to find out how the use of EAs improved the quality of education in rural schools.

Data for the in-depth investigation was collected from 18 of the 188 schools.

One of the issues raised by teachers and principals was that the training for the EAs needed to be strengthened.

A principal said the EAs need to be trained on how to talk to children, adding: “Don’t be harsh with the children.”

A teacher said: “Some of them are still behaving as if they are in high school. They need to learn they are not equal to the pupils.”

Besides classwork, they were also involved in organising soccer and netball matches as well as getting pupils to participate in chess, indigenous games, music and debates.

But the research revealed the EAs played an important role in the organisation and management of classrooms during the delivery of lessons.

An educator commented that they kept pupils busy.

The researchers said they saw EAs “occasionally directing the attention of pupils towards the teacher”.

According to the report, “the researchers also observed EAs working with smaller groups when the educator had given a reading or written task and guiding them in completing the task”.

“EAs also focused on pupils who were struggling or lagging behind and assisted by explaining the concepts to the pupil.”

In the mornings and afternoons, EAs conducted extra classes and reading clubs, allowing pupils to practise reading, writing and maths.

“EAs thus played a crucial role in providing additional tuition and helping pupils gain confidence and improve many aspects of their work.”

Besides classwork, they were also involved in organising soccer and netball matches, as well as getting pupils to participate in chess, indigenous games, music and debates.

The report stated that across the schools in which the data was collected, “principals and teachers overwhelmingly acknowledged the roles of EAs in extracurricular activities, especially when teachers did not have the time to organise them”.

Additional functions assigned to EAs included accompanying pupils to the toilets, working in the school food gardens and monitoring late-coming and absenteeism.

“These additional activities were significant to the overall functionality of the schools yet often overlooked,” the report stated.

Many educators expressed gratitude for the work done by the EAs.

A teacher said: “This project has reduced my workload tremendously, and I would like to recommend that it be extended to other grades because we’ve got a lot of work and the department is not employing more teachers.”

A teacher said the pass-rate percentage in maths has increased and pupils can count and calculate because of the role played by the EAs.

One of the EAs told researchers during a focus group interview: “I look forward to coming to school every day. I used to sit and wonder for the whole day what will become of my life, but now I feel mentally stable and strong. I now have a purpose in life.”

The report said about 38% of them used the stipend to register for qualifications of their choice.

“Significantly, the majority of those studying had registered to become primary school teachers.”

Basil Manuel, executive director of the National Professional Teachers’ Organisation of SA (Naptosa), said teacher assistants played an important role, “particularly in the lower grades where you can pay more attention to weaker children, especially in larger classes”.

He said when pupils were involved in reading, for example, “somebody has got to listen to the reading to correct and assist”.

“If you have that extra pair of hands, particularly in the foundation and intermediate phases [grade R to 7], it would ensure children start understanding maths and reading better.”

Said Manuel: “They are making a difference and can make an even bigger difference. However, we also want these assistants to be trained.”

Basic education department spokesperson Elijah Mhlanga said the pilot project “has provided much-needed insight on possible interventions that can be put in place to address some of the challenges experienced by the youth in rural areas”.