Screwed part 2

NSFAS update

I am hoping that some of you read my last post and agree with me that there are some serious injustices going on here.  I wanted to give you an update.

This past week the government announced it would officially NOT provide student loans to 70% of our Top Learners.  These Top Learners represent the top 1% of learners coming through the Township Education System.  They are the best of the best.  They represent the best chance for their families and communities to break out of the cycle of poverty.  All of them qualified to study at University - in fact - they were all accepted.  And now, inexplicably, the government has told 70% of them there is no money. It is an abomination and national disgrace.  

Our pleas for assistance had fallen on deaf ears until Mater Dei Catholic Church, led by Fr. Jerry Browne, decided enough was enough.  His sermon was planned, but as he said, the Holy Spirit intervened.  The Gospel this week was Matthew 5: 13-16- Salt of the Earth, Light of the World.  If you aren’t familiar with this passage, it is one which calls us to be a person who enhances this world, as salt enhances food and light enhances darkness.  Fr. Jerry felt compelled to through out his notecards and mid-sermon, established the Salt of the Earth, Light of the World Fund and raised over R168,000 in one day. It was an incredible act of generosity and love. The goal however is R200,000 which would allow all of the Top Learners to register and begin their classes this week. The Salt of the Earth, Light of the World Fund offers hope to our learners and their families hope.  More than that, it has shown our learners and their families that we care and will not sit by idly while their lives are oppressed.

This was by far the most powerful Mass that I have ever sat through.  This is an issue that was unknown to the majority of the affluent PE community, for various reasons.  Being told that we have 24 hours to raise this lump sum, and change lives forever was both intimidating and empowering. 

I am still disgusted that the government makes promises and just doesn’t deliver, and even more outraged that education doesn’t seem to be a priority here in the Eastern Cape.  The Salt of the Earth, Light of the World Fund has paid for their registration, but we still need NSFAS to agree to loan them the tuition money.  With our learners in class, we now have 3 months to convince government & the University to overturn this grave injustice and do the right thing.  We challenge everyone to speak to political leaders, NSFAS, and NMMU Management (particularly the VC's office).

Our Top Learners have started university this week, but overturning the government ruling will create another stressful 3 months.  I hope that those called to be the salt of the earth, and the light of the world will join forces!

My new role

As Masinyusane expands, and seeks to improve each of the existing programs, my roles have continually been revolving.  This, itself, has been a good lesson for me.  Yes this year has been trying for me emotionally, and yes, I have learned about privilege, and necessity. I have gotten pretty good at bonding with teenagers, and even perfected the compassionate hug.  But what has really been difficult for me is embracing the ambiguity of South Africa.  And how dumb does that sound! 

I have learned that in a relationship, workplace, friend, and other, I need communication and I really need a plan.  I need a balance of spontaneity and stability.  I’m not good at being told the plan is A, when B happens.  AND boy is that a struggle here.  Plan B and C and even F are constantly fluctuating, and I am still busy with making a list of all the pros and cons of situation A.  Anyway, I guess that is what happens in the real world: you learn what you need to make sure your needs are met.  Somehow I think I’m doing so it a much more exciting way than some entry level paper pushing job.

On to the exciting stuff.  My new role at Masinyusane!  I am now Danika: Computer Lab extraordinaire!  I have been given my own classroom!  And not just any classroom, I have 12 computers!  Now that sounds like small potatoes by US education standards, but these kids have never, ever touched a computer before!  Just think about that! 

Jim always quotes one of the Masinyusane success stories.  An unnamed student a few years back who overcame particularly harsh home situation, paved his own way to university.  He excelled in Physics and high level maths, and all kinds of engineering classes, but failed intro to computers.  All because he was embarrassed that he didn’t know how to use one! We can stop that!!!

I crafted this whole plan about all the things we would get them proficient in!  I would teach them to type; they would be versed in Microsoft programs; we would make resumes; we would learn about the wonders of Google.  So I started my first day, amped as ever, and my mind was blown!  Half of them couldn’t figure out the mouse!  That tricky little bugger wouldn’t work.  I thought I was starting at with the basics, but once again, I completely misjudged the advantage I had on them!  White privilege, huh? And man it must be frustrating for these 17 year old guys, hands as big as garbage lids, to have this old, awkward little think in your hand, trying to figure out just how to coordinate your little hand movements to the swiveling on the screen.

And on top of that, 2 of my 9 classes have more than 40 students in them.  That’s a 4:1 student to computer ratio, in a small, stuffy class room for only 30 minute class periods.  This is such a hands on task, and 4 people crammed at some Windows 1997 PC is just very difficult.  It is going to be difficult to ensure that each learner is grasping the different tasks, but it is going to be even more difficult to ensure that each learner is mastering each of the tasks.

So at the moment, we are just dinking around with the different functions of a computer.  How to open a program.  How to draw in paint.  What the keyboard does.  So on and so on.   But we also have this super-duper boring program that I remember learning to type on in 4^th grade.  I make them use UltraKey to learn where to put their figures for the first 15 minutes, and the rest of the time (only another 15 minutes) they can spend playing in paint or Word. Some are highly moody, and frustrated.  (Kind of like me some days) but man, have I have been absolutely blown away by how fast some of them are picking this stuff up!  One of my boys, Madoda, who I had in the lab last year too, is now typing 62 words per minute!! Just after a year.  And a student called Philip who just started last week, is typing at 12 words per minute!  I have a feeling that these boys are going big, big places!