Tommy is 10 years old. He attends a school 8 km from home. He lives in a two-room house
that he shares with his mother, his 85-year-old sick grandfather and eight other children.
His mother is blind and cannot find a job. Because no one in the house earns an income
Tommy is often hungry. He and the other older children in the household take turns to
stay home from school and care for the grandfather. His schoolwork suffers because he
is not able to attend school every day. He must also fetch water from a river that is 1km
from home every morning before school and is often late for school. When he is at school,
he often finds it difficult to concentrate because he is usually hungry and he worries about
his grandfather a lot. He is also sad because his father left home to look for work and
never returned.
When he gets home after a long day at school, he works in the neighbours' garden and then
sells the vegetables to earn some money to buy food for the family.
The teacher does not know why Tommy comes to school late and why he is absent so often.
She shouts at him for not doing his homework and for his poor performance at school.
Tommy gets nervous when the teacher shouts at him, so he sits at the back of the class
so that she won't notice him. But Tommy is partially sighted and can't see the board from
the back of the class. No one knows about Tommy's eyesight as his eyes have never been
tested.
His academic performance gets worse and worse.
1.1 Discuss 5 challenges that Tommy encountered in accessing quality education that prevent him
from achieving his potential. Provide specific reasons mentioned in the passage to support your
answer.
[4x5-20]
7
INC3701/103/2024
1.2 Explain the impact of Tommy's family situation on his academic performance. How does his
responsibility for household tasks and caring for his grandfather affect his ability to focus on
schoolwork?
[4]
1.3 Highlight three (3) potential solutions or support mechanisms that could improve Tommy's
academic situation. What actions could the school, teacher, or community take to address Tommy's
challenges and create a more conducive learning environment for him?
[6]
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