Making Schooling a Sustainable Development Project: A Case of Rural Secondary Schools in Limpopo Province

Abstract

This paper explores how schooling could be made a sustainable development project for rural secondary
school learners whose drop-out rate is alarmingly high. The paper resulted from diverse discourses some of
which regard current rural secondary school learners to be facing a bleak future considering how they
prematurely exit the secondary schooling system in large numbers. This paper is conceptual and empirical in
nature within the qualitative research paradigm. The research question guiding this paper is: what shall it take
to transform the current public secondary school system to remain captivating and absorbing for rural
learners never to be tempted to drop-out? Interviewing technique and documents review were employed to
collect data. Out of the population of 16 secondary schools in one of the circuits in the Sekhukhune district
in Limpopo Province, South Africa, three rural secondary schools were conveniently sampled. In each of the
school, a science education specialist or head of department, a teacher serving in the School Governing Body
and a Chairperson of the Representative Council of Learners, became research participants. Findings revealed
that firstly, schooling could facilitate upward socioeconomic mobility of learners. Secondly, enduring
schooling could be a key to escaping rural poverty. Thirdly, schooling could reduce inequalities. Fourthly,
schooling could foster tolerance and peaceful societies. Fifthly, schooling could generate gender equity.
Lastly, without schooling non-proficiency rates by learners could remain disturbingly high. The researcher
recommends for the addressing of the gap between the rural under-connected, under-developed and the
highly digitalised secondary schools to ascertain that no single learner is left behind as regards the sustainable
development project through schooling. Furthermore, for the thriving of sustainable development project,
governments need to be encouraged to prioritise schooling of all rural learners in policy and practice.