parents and principals as partners in creating a culture of learning

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teachers, attitude problems on the part of teachers, parents, principals and pupils,
financial and provisioning problems and the failure on the part of parents and
principals in assuming accountability for creating a culture of learning.
A large number of schools in South Africa are characterised by an apparent
absence of a culture of learning. With more than ninety percent of pupils in the
former black departments of education having failed at least once during their
school career or having left school indicate$ that these schools certainly lack a
culture of learning. These schools, however, are characterised by a desperate lack
of resources and qualified teachers. Political factors, especially the role played by
pupils and educators in dismantling apartheid, also played a major role in
undermining the creation of a culture of learning in South Africa. Schools have
failed in their purpose. Schools have become places that are unattractive and
where pupils are sometimes treated as objects and where creativity is suppressed,
where pupils do not feel at home and do not want to spend time. Society as a
whole is facing a crisis. In today's society, schools alone cannot meet the
children's needs. Problems affecting children and families today include drug
abuse, crime, violence, broken homes, poverty, alcoholism of parents, physical
abuse and family murders. Perhaps the most under-utilised resource in the
schooling of South Africa's children is the family (parents). There is a lack of
parent involvement in the education of their children.
The family forms the foundation on which the culture of learning in the school
must be built. However, as a result of various problems, the families of a large
number of pupils are not able to adequately support the pupil in preparing for the
demands of formal schooling. Factors in the family refer to the child's living
environment and includes socio-economic status, literacy of parents and family
composition. The child's eventual achievements and the educational level he
reaches, correspond very highly with the family environment. The majority of
school-going children in South Africa are from lower socio-economic homes