My issues with Schooling and the schooling system in this country...

Over the last few weeks I have seen numerous postings by irate mothers angry about not being able to get their children into a school of their choosing or into any school for that matter due to the schools not having enough place to accommodate the growing numbers that are needed.

Loghan is 10 this year so I have had a number of years in the schooling system and they have made me realise that not only is our government shite at prioritising and giving our country what it needs in terms of infrastructure, schools, sanitation among many other things but our schooling system itself is just terrible and has dropped to an all time low when compared to past ways etc.

If you look at our schools currently and the amount of schools we have, there are just not enough to accommodate the numbers of children that need to go into them every year, no new schools are being built and the numbers are increasing at lightening speed.

So children are forced into classes of almost 40 kids with ONE teacher... have you tried to teach or even speak to 40 kids at once and keep everything orderly and calm? I played 'babysitter" to my sons class last year whilst they were doing a 3 nightly production, they asked for mom volunteers and we were given shifts between two moms per class and let me tell you it is near impossible to keep that amount of kids quiet and orderly, teachers are saints!!!

So like I was saying you are pushing 40 kids into a tiny classroom with 1 teacher, the work load has increased significantly and even though the pass rate for high school level has dropped to a disgusting level of 20 percent... just let that sink in for a minute will you 20 percent and with that the kids can go on to study things that really should demand at least a proper pass rate... can you imagine having a doctor who only passed with 20 percent... 

Anyway so the work load and pressure has increased leaving no time for one on one attention for the kids which is very much needed, the kids are being pushed through even when they fail because the department does not want the kids to stay back or fail, which is unacceptable if a child fails by a marginal amount the decision should be in the parents hands as it can be very detrimental for a child later on in life.

Kids are being forced onto meds they do not need to accommodate this classroom environment and I say this with having a special needs child on medication myself, not all the kids need meds and please explain to me why children as young as grade 3 are needing anti anxiety meds to cope with the ever mounting pressure, then of course they get to highschool and no worries you just fall alseep and do what you want because 20 percent is all you need to pass.

Completely and utterly flawed!!!!

I have spoken to and been through many many teachers in the last few years and I feel just as bad for them as I do the kids because there are so many amazing teachers who just cannot be who they need to be and provide the kids with the teaching and attention they need due to all the constant admin/ paperwork and amount of children and now the growing numbers of special needs kids as well which the schooling system is just not able to cope with.

The government refuses to pay for and allocate more teachers the school has to make up for the costs of extra teachers with escalating school fees and everything that is needed to help keep the schools in good condition is often reliant on fundraising and yet more money from the parents and teachers own pockets.

And yet schooling in this country is compulsory and gods forbid you go the homeschooling route because the department of education has a fit, I corresponded with a lady last year from the department who was probably the most unhelpful person I have ever dealt with and it was very clear from the correspondence that the department frowns very heavily on a parent taking their child's education into their own hands... and yet they offer no solutions or better options.

For us it was a remedial school, both of which in our surrounding area have 2 year waiting lists as well as growing class number so that will not work for Loghan and many other special needs kids as well, then there is private school and of course every parent can afford that right, and our last option was tutor or homeschooling, which is what we opted for, I am extremely happy with this decision and as time goes on I becoming ever more inclined to put my other two in a tutor school as well, the subject options are broader, you have a choice of curriculum's including international ones, your child will get the individual attention that they need in a much much smaller group, there are no uniforms and in a tutor or cottage school your child still gets socialisation with other children, and there are many homeschooling communities as well that put together extra activities and outings for the kids.

Its not getting any better and it won't until our government starts giving a two cent about the people in this country and our future generations, I for one whilst I understand the growing frustration and anger would rather find an alternative to having my child in a class of what may very well be 50 or so in the future, its scary because for some people there really is no option and so many children will just end up with no schooling because their parents dont have another choice and its wrong and unacceptable.