How teachers manage absenteeism of orphaned learners in primary schools

Abstract

The study was based on the increasing number of orphaned learners and child headed families in our schools and our community. Some of the orphaned learners are unable to attend school regularly. A review of literature reveals that parent or other care givers are held responsible for learners` school attendance and in the case of orphaned there is no parent figure to ensure that learners attend school. The purpose of the study was to explore how teachers manage the absenteeism of orphaned learners in selected primary schools in Limpopo Province. The research approach used in this study was qualitative. I choose qualitative methods because as a researcher, I intended to gain holistic overview of how teachers manage absenteeism of orphaned learners at school. As a researcher I anticipated that teachers shared with me the challenges they experienced when learners are absent from school. I chose qualitative research approach because of its interactive nature. Research design chosen for the study was multiple case study involving three schools within one circuit in Limpopo province. Purposive sampling was used. The participants selected for the study were teachers who are responsible for orphaned learners, Life Orientation teachers and class teachers. A total number of ten (10) teachers were selected from the three schools. The school principals in the respective schools were involved in identifying the participants. Data were collected by using interviews and doing document analysis. The interviews were semi structured with pre-set questions. Learner attendance policy and attendance registers were analysed. The research findings showed that childheaded families are less likely to attend school than non-orphans. The recommendations in the study are made in terms of the findings and within the context of this study.