Parents' perceptions about the health and well-being of farm schools

Abstract

Various research reports and articles in the popular press have highlighted the obstacles and negative conditions that learners experience at some farm schools in South Africa. These obstacles and conditions are not conducive to the health and well-being of farm schools and violate farm school learners' rights to receive a high quality of education. The aim of this research was to establish how parents of farm school learners perceive the health and well-being of farm schools. A literature study and a qualitative investigation were undertaken to achieve the aim of the research. The literature study focused on the health and well-being of schools with specific reference to farm schools. In the qualitative part of the research, focus group interviews were conducted with 38 parents of learners who attend farm schools in the Mopani District of the Department of Education in the Limpopo Province. The qualitative data analysis revealed the following findings: • Parents who participated in the research have negative perceptions of the health and well-being of the farm schools that their children attend. • Their negative perceptions can be ascribed to various health-related problems/issues that prevail at these schools. Based on the research findings, various recommendations were made with a view to improve the health and well-being of these farm schools.