Sederberg Primer
Today (Tuesday) is a day I have looked forward to with much anticipation. Today I visited the first of several schools in the area.
Sederberg Primer is a very large school within the town of Clanwilliam. It is what we would refer to as an elementary school, teaching Grades 1 – 9 and it is 100% coloured and black students. It was a fascinating day!
I arrived, as arranged, at 8:30 in the morning and met with the principal. He was an extremely interesting man, 41 years in the education system and passionate about raising the standards and opportunities for coloured and black children.
Before I go on I should say that the things that I will write about here are not to be construed in any way as judgements but rather observations of the similarities and differences between education in Canada and South Africa. These are amazing people who are doing excellent work within the system they are given.
Sederberg Primer is a “no fee” school. That means it is akin to our “Public” system schools. Anyone, black, coloured or white, are free to go there and receive free education. There is no charge for them to attend school. The reality, however, is that no whites attend this school, preferring instead to attend the user pay system of schools. (More about them later as tomorrow I will spend the day in one of them.)
The schools in South Africa are funded based on a five-tier rating of the socio-economic make up of their school population. Sederberg is a “Quintile 2” school which means that its school population is very poor. Almost all of the children there come from
single parent families with absentee fathers. Those fathers that are in the home are often extremely violent and abusive as alcoholism is a very big problem here. Almost all of their parents are unemployed and living on state subsidy. When asked if the social system caused problems in the school, the answer was vehemently “yes.” In South Africa family life is still hugely patriarchal. According to the principal, the absence of a father in the home leaves children without the father figure who is representative of discipline and respect. This, of course, carries over into the classoom.
Having said all of this, parents are very respectful of the education process itself. Parent involvement in education is generally supportive although the principal was quick to point out that he was born and raised in Clanwilliam, he is active in the community and is the church organist, and so personally is respected in the community which helps.
Because of their “low” rating, this school receives excellent funding by South African standards. All of the student’s books and supplies are supplied for them as well as them receiving two meals per day at the school. When asked if he felt the school was adequately funded, the principal responded that, yes, he felt they were very well funded indeed. It is interesting to note that they do not have a library but are very proud of the fact that they are in the process of establishing one. They have just ordered $10,000 worth of books and it is hoped that the library will be up and running by the beginning of the next school year. They do not have computer technology in the classrooms but they do have a computer lab and the children receive periods of instruction there.
The physical building, while aging, was extremely well kept. It was spotlessly clean … and I mean spotless! The floors were shining, there was fresh paint everywhere and obvious pride was evident in the care and upkeep of this building.
Over 1,100 students attend this school, which hardly seems big enough to accomodate nearly that many … and it isn’t. There are 34 teachers here. Do the math. Even if all teachers were in front of students 100% of the time, that means an average pupil to teacher ratio of 33:1. In the Grade 7 class there are 58 students; in the Grade 8 class, 60. That, coupled with the fact that the classrooms are extremely small (for you Blyth PS folks, about the size of our stage) means that they are packed in with barely enough room for the teacher to circulate throughout the class, let alone give them all individual attention.
A discussion of the teaching profession revealed that while teaching is somewhat respected as a profession, the principal felt that they are underpaid. He shared with me that a teacher here makes 14,000 rand ($2,000) per month. Not knowing the standard of living here I must defer to his experience in this matter and believe that it is not particularly high.
From what I could gather (remember that while English is spoken here, it is broken and heavily accented so subject to interpretation) I believe there is a common curriculum throughout South Africa and … there is standardized testing for Grades 3, 6 and 9. (Sound familiar.) Students attend school until grade 12 when they sit for their “Matric”, their High School Diploma.
I was then treated to a tour of the school by the principal. We visited several classrooms and after our discussions about the ramifications of social situations, discipline and lack of respect, I expected to see children behaving much as we would in Canada. Imagine my surprise when, as we entered the classroom, rows of meticulously groomed children, all dressed in school uniforms, sitting attentively in desks, all rose from their seats without direction and addressed the principal in unison with, “Goeie more, Meneer.” (Good morning, sir, with Meneer being a salutation of deep respect reserved for those men held in high regard.) After I was introduced to the class, each class without exception, greeted me with “Goeie more, teacher.” Clearly, their definition of lack of respect and discipline problems is much narrower than ours!
These children were absolutely enchanting! A little shy and reserved initially, the minute you interact with them they absolutely beamed. As soon as the first child receives some attention they all clamour round not wanting to be left out, but always with gentleness and respect. They are very physical children, wanting to touch you on the shoulder or arm, their eyes searching your face trying to see your inner person. I was totally enraptured with them and could easily have bundled them all up in my arms.
Unfortunately, the sad reality for many of these children is that they are doomed to repeat the cycle which they were born into. This is not unique to South Africa as we see the same thing with children in North America, but it is perhaps more poignant here as the standard of living on the social assistance programs is so unimaginably low. With rampant unemployment and little opportunity, it is hard to be hopeful for them. Nevertheless, the staff here are remarkably passionate. They are deeply committed people who genuinely care about these children and who are determined to make a difference in their lives.
Despite my reservations about their future, I am again deeply moved by the joy with which these people live their lives. They are wonderfully open, carefree and loving people who, through no fault of their own, have been born into an impoverished situation. It is truly heartbreaking. The more time one spends here the more one realizes what a complex problem this is. There is no easy fix, no one-size-fits-all solution. In fact, at first glance, I think this is the biggest obstacle they face. There are so many different people here, so many cultures, so many ways of life, so many languages. To bring them all together into a common system means overcoming huge obstacles but this is a remarkably resilient country and so I have to believe that they will figure it out as they go along.
Unfortunately, I would be remiss if I did not mention here that the area of South Africa that I am in is generally regarded as the safest and most tolerant. It is my understanding that the eastern parts of South Africa are very different, still struggling with violence, racism and intolerence. I am told the schools there face even greater challenges and it is easy to imagine why.
What an amazing day! I have a whole new appreciation for the state of privilege we enjoy in Canada and above all, the promise of a future that we are able to offer our children. Something far too easily taken for granted.
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Morag