EDUCATING RURAL SOUTH AFRICAN WORKERS IN THE EASTERN CAPE: IMPLICATIONS, PROBLEMS AND PROSPECTS

Around 20-24% of South African rural workers in the Eastern Cape are illiterate and unfamiliar with modern and more productive methods of practicing their occupations. Given the challenges that are associated with rural workers, it is important to determine the problems and the prospects they experience, and the ways of providing them with training and skills acquisition. The researcher used empowerment theory as the point of departure for a theoretical framework, and a qualitative explorative study was followed to gather and analyse the data. Data were collected by means of focus group discussions, analysed ethical issues were not left out. The findings from the study revealed that the education which the rural worker would require would contain both formal and informal education. The significance of the findings is to develop the creative ability of the rural worker, to ultimately assist him through the process in creating necessary skills and knowledge for maximum production in their work and standard of living. It is also an articulation of the diversified programmes, which could allow many rural workers to become more productive and fulfilled in their endeavour.