School stationery makes learning stationary
In what become a metier of sorts for me now; I started a school stationery drive in mid-December 2019 on a whim. A stranger approached me with a stationery list, and asked if I had any old stationery laying around. I never really carry pens and pencils etc., at best I have one pen halfway dried up. I took the list, and her number and said I will call her.
I put the list online and within minutes got private messages about assisting. I was able to purchase all the stationery on the list, and get the 10-year-old a pair of school shoes as he was wearing sneakers to school. I then found out he attends a mission school on the Cape Flats, and that most of the students come from informal settlements in Philippi and Crossroads. Money and jobs are scarce in South Africa. Working class people rely on formal employment, government grants and skarreling (hustling). It is not ideal, but it puts food on the table, and ensures survival.
My issue of contention with these school stationery lists is that it is not something that amounts to a hundred rand per child. I frequent shops where I can get a deal or a bargain, and I did an impromptu cost comparison. If I had bought the most expensive brand names, per the very minimal list it would amount to R398 per child. Since I live in the real world and am in close proximity of cost saving retailers like Shoprite, Pep and Osmans I narrowed it down to R150 per child.
Now R150 may not seem like a lot, but it can buy electricity for the week, paraffin if there is no electrical connection, veg and some offal. A family of about 8 can be sustained with R150. School stationery is a luxury for many people, hence the lady asking me for old stationery. It got me thinking about how no one can learn on an empty stomach. So what if you are fed and ready for school, and no pen to write with? School stationery prices hamper learning in South Africa. Most of the populace are working class people, and there should be a concerted effort by government to provide this along with at least two meals a day to learners. Pens, paper, pencils, erasers, flip files, glue stick, colour paper and sharpeners should not be a barrier to learning. Yet it actually makes getting an education stationary if you are poor.