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Learn about the partnership between Herne Hill School and Khanya Primary School in Cape Town, South Africa. Explore the history, initiatives, and impact of this alliance in supporting a disadvantaged community.
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Khanya School The evolving story behind Herne Hill School’s “adopted” sister school
Introduction • At the end of 2005, Herne Hill School formed an allegiance with Khanya Primary School, a state school in Cape Town • Our aim has been to form long lasting links which: • Support this desperately poor school • Provide benefits to our children such as making them more appreciative of the material comfort they enjoy and aware of the world they live in • This presentation aims to: • Introduce Khanya Primary School • Explain the history of our relationship with them, including some of the most important support initiatives made possible through superb efforts and help by our parent association the Friends of Herne Hill School (FHHS or ‘the Friends’)
Khanya Primary School is a public state school in Cape Town, South Africa Cape Town
It started in 2004 as a split-off from an overcrowded school in Samora Machel, Philippi Xhosa is the native language in the area
The nearest available facility was in a remote and isolated youth reformatory
As a result, all children had to come to school by school bus (about 30 min. ride)
Grades Age Children Adults Class sizes Khanya in Nov. 2005 1 - 7 6 - 13+ 983 learners 24 educators 0 assistants 5 support staff 40 - 90 Since Khanya quickly grew to nearly 1’000 “learners”…
… the facilities became vastly overcrowded, with frequently 60+ children per classroom
In Jan. 2006, Khanya was moved to the better facilities of a school in the coloured and much wealthier area of Mitchell’s Plain Buckingham Primary School was relocated because it had only about 350 learners and was using only one of the school’s two wings
In 2015, Khanya will finally be able to move into its own premises in the community where the children live Security at the new school premises should also be improved as they are located next to a police academy
… as about two-thirds of their parents are unemployed and therefore very poor
An entire family lives in such a dwelling, usually without heating
Only a small fraction of children live in solid brick houses such as these
By contrast, the school is a safe haven where the children proudly wear their uniforms…
The children work hard and take school seriously Typical day for this 7-grader • Get up at 5:30 a.m. • Eat breakfast, wash, brush teeth, put on school uniform • Walk to bus stop at 6:40 a.m. • Bus leaves at 7:10 a.m. and gets to school at 7:40 a.m. • School from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. • Take bus back home, change, eat, wash dishes • Homework • Watch TV and play with friends
From Grade 1 through Grade 3, teaching is essentially in Xhosa with form teachers
From Grade 4, teaching is essentially in English and by subject
Grades Age Children Adults Class sizes Khanya Grades 1 - 7 6 - 13+ 1’400 learners 29 educators 5 assistants 5 support staff 40 - 55 Herne Hill Nursery – Year 2 3 – 7 260 pupils 20+ teachers 20+ assistants 5 support staff 16 - 24 Today, Khanya has about 1’400 learners for 30 educators – about five times more than Herne Hill for similar staff numbers
A major improvement since 2007 has been the provision of a hot rice and beans lunch by the Department of Education This was initially only available for the neediest children
After lunch, they wash their plate and spoon and keep them in the classroom
Another important improvement was the establishment of a modern computer lab by the Dept. of Education in 2009 It is fitted with alarm, air conditioning and 28 work stations enabling entire classes to be accommodated (through double seating per workstation)
Herne Hill School’s link with Khanya started in fall 2005 with the help of School-Aid • Origin of our relationship with Khanya Primary School • Regular requests from parent • association FHHS to make school • in 3rd world charity of the year • Definition of criteria (age range, • size, ethos, location, etc.) and • briefing thereof to School-Aid • School-Aid visit in Africa identifies • Khanya as ideal candidate in June 2005 • FHHS adopt Khanya as charity of the year and launch of • relationship through visit by Dominik in Nov. 2005 www.school-aid.org Supporting schools in emerging countries
From the outset, we felt that Herne Hill children would also greatly benefit from this link • Awareness of their own relative material wealth and thankfulness for what they have • Realisation that material wealth is not all that matters • The Khanya children can be just as talented and happy in spite of their poverty • Friendships and human bonds are also very important • An additional way to experience our “loving, caring” ethos and the satisfaction that comes from helping and giving • Important element of becoming “responsible citizens of our world community”, together with ecological awareness, appreciating nature, etc. • Learning about Africa and the wider world • Appreciation of the importance of education and how seriously the Khanya children take it
Our material support started with donations of used books and stationary, which have been shipped through School-Aid
This enabled library corners in every Khanya classroom These books also formed the initial content of the new school library, which was established with our help
We also sent curriculum books, which the educators appreciated greatly
In 2006 and 2007, the Friends equipped the newly founded Reception classes, for which there were no resources whatsoever, with furniture…
The Friends also contributed for several months to the first Reception teacher’s salary until it could be included in Khanya’s budget Unfortunately, the Department closed the Reception classes at Khanya after a couple of years as it could no longer justify busing Reception children. However, Khanya should again have Reception classes once they are at their new site.
Another example of support by the Friends included buying a science kit in 2006 and replenishing it in 2009
As a result, the dedicated science teacher had resources besides blackboard and chalk
The month-long visit in June 2009 by Linda Mahote (Khanya’s Deputy Principal at the time) further strengthened our link Linda on her last day at Herne Hill singing and dancing with Mrs Beales, Mrs Telford, Mrs Irby and Mr Carles
In 2010, Khanya suffered major break-ins from drug addicted vandals, which caused a temporary halt in our ability to send material goods and funds as their security could no longer be assured The vandalisation was compounded by issues surrounding the previous Principal, who has since resigned and been indicted
With the graduating class of Dec. 2007, we launched our own bursary scheme to annually support six gifted and deserving learners through secondary school • Bursary scheme outline • Six learners are chosen annually from the three Grade 7 classes based on: • Academic performance and potential • Financial need • Good natured and giving personality • The chosen bursaries all move on to local state schools, so, there are no school fees and transport costs to pay – only the uniform, excursions and stationery; this amounts to about £80 per bursary per year • This is provided for all six years of secondary school as long as the bursaries continue to achieve good grades and stay in touch with Khanya School; the Friends have generously set aside funds to provide this support
The scheme is working well and is meeting our objectives • The scheme has apparently had a major motivational boost for many learners throughout the school – not just in Grade 7 • When setting up the scheme, it was our hope that some of the bursaries would eventually go to university and be able to make a difference in their community, thereby “closing the loop” of our support from the first school year through the entire education cycle • These hopes continue to become reality as Sibongile Fatyi, a bursary from the first group which graduated in 2007, was accepted at University of Cape Town to study Applied Biology from February 2013 with a full scholarship covering fees and accommodation; the Friends are generously continuing to sponsor her by paying for weekend transport back home and pocket money, and the school provided her with a laptop Sibongile with Linda Mahote
To conclude, we are proud to be associated with these friendly, …
