Thursday, 23 October 2008

South African girl fights for education

When one looks at the children playing in the courtyard of Chapel St Primary School in Cape Town, it is hard to believe the dire situations in which some of them live.

Most of the children are unable to pay their school fees, which are about $35 a year, because their parents are unemployed.

For many of the 500 pupils at the school, which has the magnificent Table Mountain as its background, the two slices of bread handed out to them daily by the Peninsula School Feeding Scheme, a non-governmental organisation, is the only meal they will get for the day.

The situation of eight-year-old Mishka Khan, who sleeps in the open behind a petrol filling station with her parents David and Nisa, is a case in point.

But in spite of her desperate situation, Mishka is smartly dressed in her blue school uniform and has her hair neatly tied in two pigtails.

She is enthusiastic about school, especially when it offers the chance to play with her classmates.

Neat

"I also like reading," she says.

Mishka's parents eke out a living through collecting old newspapers and whatever scrap they can lay their hands on to sell.

Mishka Khan the South African Schoolgirl who is making a name for herself
Mishka's parents are trying to give their daughter a good start in life
Even though their circumstances allow them to get a subsidy, the school's head teacher, Jamiel Alexander, says Mishka's parents are determined to pay for their child's education.

"This is the first time I actually met parents like this who are living under such desperate conditions yet they do whatever they can for their child's education," the principal says.

"Mishka is among the neatest children at school.

"It is that concern for her education that sees them paying their way. Pride prevents them from seeking an exemption from paying school fees and that is why I have such great admiration for these people."

Although she does not have the comforts which many other children of her age enjoy, like sleeping in a warm bed, watching television and playing with a lots of toys, Mishka's teacher, Zulpha Isaacs, says the eight-year-old has adapted well to school and is popular among her classmates.

"She gets on well with everybody in the class," the teacher says. "I tell my pupils it doesn't matter where you come from.

"You have to befriend everybody irrespective of colour, creed or your home circumstances."

And given her dire circumstances, Mishka has made great progress.

"I'm amazed because her living conditions have not impacted at all on her learning," says Zulpha Isaacs. "She's been bright and sparkling every day.

"She's one of the best readers in class."

Ambitions

Nisa is obviously very proud of her daughter. Fighting back tears, she says Mishka has great talents and she wants to help her daughter nurture that.

"She memorises well and loves reading," says Nisa. "She also gets along well with smaller children and is often asked to look after other people's babies.

"I only want the best for her. Perhaps one day she could go to university to continue her education."

The story of Mishka Khan is but one of many in Cape Town and indeed the whole of South Africa.

But with parents who are determined to see their child get an education amid a tremendous struggle to secure a decent living, she could yet one day realise her aim of becoming a doctor. source: BBC News