Proband 1 Interview

Thank you very much for taking the time for the interview! How old are you?

18 turning 19 this year

Which grade are you in?

I was in matric (grade 12) last year.

What is the name of your hometown?

Bloemfontein

And do you live in town, out of town or in the country now?

Yes, I currently live there, but I’ll be leaving town for university (in Stellenbosch) soon.

So you live in “Bloemfontein – city”? Or outside?

I think I might have misunderstood the question. I live in town.

No problem. What is your parents profession?

My dad is a professor in creative writing at the Potchefstroom university and my mom owns and manages a coffee shop.

How high is (for you was) the school fee per month?

Well, I got a bursary for my matric year, so I didn’t pay my school fees, but I think they were round about R12000 for the year. So more or less R1500 per month. Excluding holidays of course.

Wow, congratulations! Was your school only opened for Whites or Blacks during the Apartheid – era?

Sorry, the connection seems to be a bit faulty. My school was only open to whites during the Apartheid.

Ok and how is the percentage of black and white pupils at your (former) school now?

If I had to estimate, I’d say about 20% of the students at my school were non-whites (black, coloured, Indian etc.)

What about the teachers? How is the percentage of Blacks and Whites?

There’s only one teacher out of about 30 who is not white. He is Indian.

Did you feel comfortable and secure in your school?

Yes, I felt quite at home.

Was your ethnic identity respected? Or did you feel discriminated sometimes?

My ethnic identity was very much respected. I experienced no discrimination, but then again, I did share my ethnicity with the vast majority of my classmates.

What is your mother tongue?

Afrikaans.

What was the language of instruction?

Afrikaans (although my school also offers English-medium instruction)

Regarding South Africa all in all: Do you think it exists equality of educational opportunity for black and white children?

No, not at all. Black and coloured children, who are mostly poor, have much fewer and worse opportunities in education.

Is poverty among these ethnic groups the problem? Or what do you think is the main reason?

I think poverty it the major problem, although governmental negligence is also a huge factor. Both the former (Apartheid) regime and the current government are guilty for neglecting people, mostly non-white, who depend government-funded education.

So you think there is not enough financial support for non-white people?

In a nutshell, yes. Teachers at black school are underpaid and are poorly trained, underprivileged pupls can’t afford textbooks, etc.

Thank you very much! It was a pleasure talking to you!

Thank you!