We have a Plan: Voices from the Peripheral to Address Poor Academic Performance in the Vhembe East District of South Africa

This empirical paper engages voices from the periphery to address poor academic performance in Vhembe East district, Limpopo province, South Africa. This study was prompted by the absence of stakeholders’ voices in monitoring and support of school learners, which lead to poor academic performance. The bricolage theory as developed by Lévi- Strauss (1966) was used as lens for this study. Bricolage emphasises the use of available materials and resources in a creative and adaptive way to solve problems. A qualitative approach was employed to investigate how the voices from peripheral communities can address the poor academic performance of matric learners in the Vhembe East district through monitoring and support. Participatory action research was used to engage four principals and four departmental heads to collaboratively develop practical solutions. The findings reveal that marginalised stakeholders have untapped knowledge and skills, which, when harnessed, can bring about profound change to address the academic challenges through a tailored monitoring and support model. This study recommends empowering local, marginalised communities, so that they have a voice in the education of their children, and calls on government to improve stakeholders’ engagement in rural schools. This study contributes to the scholarship by foregrounding the voices of marginalised stakeholders in rural education demonstrating their potential to create relevant solutions for academic improvement. Keywords: Marginalised, Periphery, Matric performance, Participatory action research, Community involvement, Stakeholder collaboration