Abstract:

Parental labour migration reportedly initiates an abatement in psychosocial well-being and educational proficiency of left-behind learners in child headed households. On this premise, this study sought to address this concern by exploring the contributions of overlapping and interacting social contexts in mediating resilience that allow left-behind learners to tolerate and absorb the changes brought about by parental absence. The study adopted a qualitative format wherein 14 learners heading households and 10 community members were drawn as part of data collection. The participants were drawn from two secondary schools located in Zimbabwe and South Africa. Data were collected through focus group discussions held with the participants at the respective schools. The thematic approach was used in data analysis. The study revealed that, following parental labour migration, other institutions such as the school, church, extended family and peer groups become salient social domains from which learners disadvantaged by parental absence could draw support. Community participants revealed that such institutions building on the culture of Ubuntu and have potential to supplant the migrating parents. The social milieu would thus, provide the required emotional, physical and collective social support that would allow the left behind learners to adjust to their ever changing living conditions. This study recommends developing a close network from the social contexts that would build on the virtual support from the migrating parents. This social environment is key, albeit, by default, in the development of schemes for support, protection and empowerment of the left-behind learners. Such support is even more critical in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic that has crippled some of the migrating parents’ means of support as travel restrictions have curtailed parents’ return visits to their left-behind learners.

Keywords:

Resilience, perceptions, high school, child headed households, migrating parent, Covid-19.