Examining the Effects of Under-schooling on Learner Underachievement: The Case Study of Selected Secondary Schools in the Limpopo Province, South Africa

This paper examined the origin of under-schooling which is known to be triggering learner underachievement in myriad secondary schools in Limpopo Province, South Africa. The paper was motivated by diverse discourses around learner underachievement, most of which are mainly based on the perspectives of School Governing Bodies (SGBs) and the Representative Council of Learners (RCL). The paper is conceptual and empirical in nature within the qualitative research paradigm. Narrative enquiry and interviewing techniques were employed to generate data. Out of the population of 15 secondary schools in one of the circuits in Vhembe district in Limpopo Province, South Africa, six were conveniently sampled. In each of the six sampled secondary schools, only representatives of the teacher components in the School Governing Bodies and Chairpersons of the Representative Council of Learners became research participants. Findings revealed that firstly, under-schooling starts with poor learner attendance rates for their lessons. Secondly, under-schooling is detrimental to learners’ academic achievement. Thirdly, under-schooling is detrimental to the educational outcomes of learners. Fourthly, it is mostly created by learners from socio-economically disadvantaged families. Fifthly, under-schooling is aggravated by unmanaged learner truancy. Sixthly, under-schooling has the potential of leading to a high learner dropout rate. Lastly, under-schooling is aggravated by offering few hours of instruction by teachers. The researcher recommends equitable schooling to curb learner under-achievement in the secondary schooling sector. This findings of this paper add to the body of knowledge and literature as regards an unusual perspective of only teachers serving in the School Governing Body and the Representative Council of Learners (RCL) to underachievement of secondary school learners.