Alicedale’s Hendrik Kanise Combined School is still recovering from the department of their Maths and Physical Science teacher who took up a post at Grahamstown’s Nathaniel Nyaluza Secondary School earlier this month.
Alicedale’s Hendrik Kanise Combined School is still recovering from the department of their Maths and Physical Science teacher who took up a post at Grahamstown’s Nathaniel Nyaluza Secondary School earlier this month.
After the school held a protest outside the Department of Education office in Grahamstown, Njongo Mvambi was appointed as a temporary teacher.
“There is pressure of course but it is a must for them to do well and other teachers also help out and it is easy to identify learners’ needs in class,” said Mvambi.
Despite last year’s nationwide decline in the matric pass rate, the school has managed to produce great matric results, achieving a 91% pass rate.
Seen as a minority
According to principal Louw Balie, the school has long been marginalised by Makana
Municipality and the provincial Department of Education.
“There is terrible neglect and we get no help from the department, they have promised us a library but we have received nothing on paper.”
The school believes that the learners, who come from underprivileged households, cannot really afford to pay R100 a year in school fees as there are other more pressing needs such as food and clothing that need attention.
“The area is poor and learners mainly stay with their grandmas… some are heads of households, while some depend on charity from others but we are a normal functioning school just in a situation that isn’t normal,” declared Balie.
Scraping through
The school functions without a library, internet access and transport and only has a single overhead projector and a computer lab made possible by the Telkom Foundation.
“How do you keep learners motivated if they are hungry and have to come to a dilapidated school every day?” asked Balie.
Hendrik Kanise is categorised as a Quintile 4 school, which is considered as ‘rich’ and therefore not in need of support although this situated in a previously and currently disadvantaged area.
Deputy of the Student Governing Body, Sicelo Cakana said that the learners always struggle to get assistance with bursaries for tertiary studies which creates an increase in the unemployment rate.
Grade 11 learner Thulani Goceni says that Makana Municipality is not supportive towards their education.
“The municipality issues out bursary forms which we never get access to,” said Goceni.
Grade 12 learner and secretary of the Representative Council for Learners (RCL), Andiswa Mzizi, said “Most of us are not well-prepared but we are confident and we are coping even though some of us are poor.”
