Prominance S. Khumalo
The happy clapper Churches are renowned by cross over nights.(Churches that repeatedly sing on chorus while clapping and lifting up their arms)
The phrase “Crossover” was coined due to the popularity of all night church services that some worshipers started hosting on every 31st of December into 1st of January, the new year.
It is during these all night services that miracles such as weight loss, miracle babies, cellphone number guessing were performed.
There is a crossover, full of reality, that occurs every year and goes unnoticed because it happens during festive season, it is that of school children.
This crossover mostly affects parents of these school going children as they battle what is called the January disease. Remember parents would have spent much of their salaries over the festive period and immediately, comes the burden of rent, school fees, uniforms and other related bills.
All children crossover from one grade to the next.
At primary Grade Ones will be going to Grade Two, Grade Twos to Grade Three and Grade sevens will be crossing over to a new dimension
altogether, they will be going to Form One, most probably to a new school.
Even at secondary level there are similar changes, form Ones will be going to form Two, form twos to Form Three and so forth.
This crossover mostly affects parents who would be coming from spending money during the festives and will be faced with huge back to school bills.
With the new curriculum cementing its self in the trenches of our educational system, parents have to fork out over US$100 in purchasing new sets of textbooks for their children . Gone are the days when schools would provide textbooks for their students.
Pirated textbooks, which are found mostly in photocopying shops would cost about US$50.
For new entrants at a school there is cost of uniforms which are purchased at an arm and a leg. Schools usually demand full set of the uniform.
These headache crossovers affect parents around the 3rd of January each year as they will be running around trying to piece together needs of their children so that they are not turned away from school.
“Ngiyakholisa labantwana lapha begada eLunar Park kodwa abazi uvalo olungitshayayo ngoba izinto zabo zeskolo azikahlangani” said Ntombizodwa Dlamini a parent.
She was amongst the parents that thronged the Lunar Park with their children to have fun and different amusements once the rides that were put up at corner Mashotsha Ndlovu Ave and Corner Joshua Nkomo Street since the festive season began.
Its a different story for a grade one school going child. Her mother who preferred to call herself NaLulu, along side Gogo kaLulu said
“To avoid suffering the effects one has to plan thina uJanuary disease kasibambi sihlekelile saqala ukulungiselela ngo October” said Lu’s mother and grandmother.
….January disease does not affect us, I started planning for school in October, I am organised..
As mentioned above some will be moving from a lower grade into a higher grade, and they will be facing new teachers with new environment. There will be new comers into a school, the most interesting ones are ECD pupils.
The new environment for children in Early Childhood Development stage is frightening to the youngsters for the first time in their lives they will be in an environment without their mothers and fathers. You can almost pitty the teachers who will have to face the wailing and sobbing through out the day.
“Angifuni ukusala!, angifuni kusala!”
“Ngifuna umama…!!”
“I don’t want to remain here,……I want my mum”
A student from a College located in the City who is crossing over to Form Four said this is a do or die year for her.
“I will be writing exams in a few months time and coming from a poor background I cannot disappoint my parents I just have to pass so this is a do or die for me. Ukudlala konke kuphelile. ” said Shyleen Shokoushe who will be crossing over from Form Three to Form Four
She went on to say that once she finishes writing her ‘O’ Level examinations she will embark on a nurse aid course and hopefully if her ‘O’ Level results are favourable she will join the great track to the diaspora.
While Shyleen is focused on her future they are some who are careless about education.
Quized why he does not feel for his parents who go out of their way to pay school fees Jekzozo responded,
“Jeki mina vele angila ndaba whether babhadalile ischool fees kumbe ababhadalanga kuyafana kimi. Worse nxa benga bhadalanga ngiyatshona ngibhoda.” said 15 year old who preferred to be called Jekzozo.
I don’t give a damn if my parents paid my school fees or not, if they don’t I will spent the days loitering around.
Asked why then he let his parents suffer with paying his school fees Jekzozo responded,
“Angithi bayangi foster mina okwami yiku groover lengudu.”
My parents force me to go to school, I prefer drinking and clubbing.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!