Ubuntu and pastoral care of vulnerable primary school learners in Soshanguve township

Abstract

Unlike other learners, vulnerable learners are faced with psycho-social factors that impede their quality of life. The purpose of this study is to generate knowledge on Ubuntu-based pastoral care as educators provide for vulnerable learners. In doing so, the research responded to the question of how primary school educators manage the pastoral care needs of vulnerable learners within Ubuntu theoretical framework. The researcher in this study explores how educators practice pastoral care using Ubuntu as bedrock. The sample consisted of 20 educators (principals, deputy principals, SBST coordinators and class teachers) from five Soshanguve township primary schools in the Tshwane North District Office, Gauteng province, South Africa. Data collection was conducted through one-on-one semi-structured interviews with the aim of eliciting the experiences and practices of educators in performing the role of pastoral care. Document analysis was used to corroborate data collected through interviews. The findings of this study revealed that most educators are eager to support vulnerable children, although they are not well trained to perform pastoral care role. Educators rely on their self-gained knowledge and skills when providing pastoral care to vulnerable learners. The Departmental legislation (Norms and Standards for Educators of 2000) stipulates the pastoral role as one of the seven roles of an educator, yet educators seem not to be adequately trained, and the Department has not provided educators with the necessary guidance and resources to provide pastoral care. The participants in this study understand pastoral care to be interrelated with Ubuntu, which is perceived as an inherent force that drives educators to perform the pastoral care role. This has led to different educators responding differently to pastoral care support based on their beliefs, interests, and self-gained knowledge and experience. Educators also have different views to performing the role considering their workload and working conditions. As a result, not all educators perform the pastoral care role and those who perform the role do so out of Ubuntu. Such educators are self-motivated and have compassion, care, and love for the vulnerable learners. The main finding of this study is that educators seem to perform pastoral role out of free will, Ubuntu and humanity rather than policy compliance. This study recommends that due to the fact that a school is an extension of the community, pastoral care for vulnerable learners should be treated as a societal issue and it requires a structured, collaborative, and comprehensive approach to deal with it. Therefore, the contribution of this study is an implementation model for the provision of pastoral care to vulnerable learners with Ubuntu as a springboard. This study was only limited to the views and experiences of educators in providing pastoral care to vulnerable learners. Future studies may explore the views and experiences of vulnerable learners as the recipients of pastoral care.