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SOUTH AFRICAJohn Rose, WorldShare’s Chief Executive, has recently returned from one of our periodic ministry visits, and so we bring you his observations of Grace Christian School, founded by our partners, Hope for Africa Missions.
The days I spent at Grace School were the core of my visit to South Africa.
In addition to Bishop Hendrick Mahlangu (Director of Hope for Africa Missions), I met Mrs Muriel Ntuli, the head-teacher, most teachers and other members of staff, and several members of the school Board. Grace is very well run. As they have to relate to the South African Ministry of Education, and it’s various functionaries, they also have to relate to the parents, (the majority of whom pay fees), they obviously have to be very professional. Grace School has a strong
Christian ethos, more openly expressed than would be allowed in the UK, but that does not diminish their determination to give the children in their care a high-quality
education.
Grace continues to achieve very highly in assessments and competitions set by regional and national government, and in sporting prowess. We visited some government
schools in the Siyabuswa area and it is obvious Grace is well ahead of them.
I have no doubt that Grace comes very high up in the list of schools in the townships, and in terms of care for the children is unlikely to be surpassed in any part of the country. There will be many schools in predominantly-white areas which are better resourced and have better facilities. I think it will take at least two more generations for that to change.
Hendrick, Muriel and I spent time reflecting on Grace’s journey since it opened in 2003. The growth and development has been truly amazing. Muriel said that the fear of the unknown, which they had at the beginning has been turned by experience into confi-dence in God.
There are presently 500 children at Grace, from Kindergarten to Grade 12 (final year of schooling). The first children who have spent all their school lives at Grace will graduate at the end of this year. Since Grace adopted the policy from the beginning of accepting children one year at a time, starting from the bottom, this will be their first full-year graduation, (although some have left earlier as individuals).
The authorities, the Board and parents have said they expect the graduating pupils to do very well in the national examinations. This belief is fostered by their academic
If the results are as good as expected, this will be a source of rejoicing but will be a cause of a further problem. Hendrick and Muriel expect the drive to the school to be blocked by parents wanting to enrol their children, as soon as good results are announced. The applications will be far in excess of the school’s present capacity. Grace is already taking children from 400 km away, and lots from 100 km to 300 km away. A few travel over 100 km each way, every day, but most of these children are boarders. Grace is perceived as the premier
Christian private school in Mpumalanga province, and further afield. New teaching facilities will be needed, and new boarding space.
I had not visited Grace for six years, when there were just two teaching blocks (with a third under construction), a small and
inadequate dormitory building, and negligible kitchens and offices. There are now six teaching blocks on the main site, many more improved dormitories, kitchens, toilets, an office and staff room block, a well-equipped playground, etc. Very recently Grace has been able to rent another facility, (a school which didn’t work, about 1 km away) and has the first three years of pupils there—giving them a more protected environment, and the older ones more room. The scale of change has been mind-blowing.
All the children are clean and well-behaved, polite and smiling. Grace is a very happy place. Most parents pay fees. The fees are carefully set by the Board to be adequate for the school’s needs, and challenging to parents, but not to put off families of limited means. There is a bursary fund for needy cases or families who go through temporary difficulty. However, getting parents to pay—fully and on time—is a major task. Alfred Mashiale and Vimba Tadfunmanei have their hands full with this.
Parents of children who board pay R20 per day for this (plus school fees), which is not enough, but the most that the parents can afford. Whilst obviously preserving the financial stability of the school, Hendrick is concerned that they don’t price themselves out of the reach of the parents who really need them. The aim is NOT to only serve parents who could afford to send their children to any private school.
Each set of fees also helps to provide a place for an AIDS orphan or some other child who has no means of support. Most of our sponsorships are directed to these children. There are over 50 of them now.
Initially, all the orphans were accommodated within the school. But this was found to be unhelpful—it identified them clearly to the other children and to visitors, and also they were becoming steadily institutionalised. The majority of the orphans are now accommo-dated by extended family or foster-parents in the community, (and HFAM provides some financial assistance for this). So the 56 children boarding at the school are a mixture of a few orphans but mostly paying pupils from a distance.
The school never uses the term ‘orphans’. Instead they use ‘sponsored children’ to mean the orphans and also others who are receiving a regular bursary from the school. Certainly the children we met didn’t seem to feel stigmatised at all.
The dormitories we saw were clean and well cared for. They are much more crowded than would be acceptable in England, but not exceptionally so by the life-experience of these children and their families. It is worth remembering that, having seen these dormitories, parents are prepared to pay to have their children accommodated there, so they can’t be that bad! Many of the cupboards and other equipment we provided is still in use, and there are more personal possessions about than has been noted in previous visits, including cell phones and even occasional iPod.
There is also now a programme for the orphans to have visits to shops and other outside activities, although many of them also have this with the families who are caring for them.
Hendrick has plans for the school to grow by another 500 children. They have a huge amount of land left, and the next plan is for 2 storey blocks. One of these would contain a new equipped science lab, which is a great need. There would need to be more
dormitory space. A further project is for a properly-equipped sports field. They would need our help with the capital expenditure, but can take care of most running costs. As part of our regular programme of quality measurement, I had been asked by our ChildAid staff to look into the whole issue of assessment at the school. For each subject for each year group, they have a curriculum booklet from the government, and also a booklet of guidance on how assessment should be made. These are followed carefully and there is internal scrutiny to make sure teachers are complying. ALL the teaching staff are properly qualified, and there is considerable competition for teaching places at Grace, so the school can pick the best. A big problem is that other private schools, and State schools, are prepared to offer premium wage rates to those who have taught at Grace, and so there is a steady drain of staff each year, though no trouble replacing them.
Beyond this internal scrutiny, there are regular assessments by national and regional inspectors. The last national assessment was by a white person, and Muriel was afraid they would not do well. They were, however, given a glowing report and the inspector has also offered some other resources to help Grace. In short, we can say with assurance that Grace provides a high-quality education. To reiterate therefore: Grace uses the same National Curriculum as other schools in South Africa, even those in predominantly-white areas; is subject to the same
inspection, and consistently achieves high marks. Throughout my visit I looked particularly at the way the school is organised. The time-tabling is directed by national guidelines. But there are posters around the walls, indicating who is responsible for what. A team of teachers is responsible for each year, with a Head of Year and deputy, and other teachers allocated particular
responsibilities towards that year. The large staffroom was very well organised with separate areas for storage, books and materials. In reception is a room, protected by a metal gate in which a full range of school records are kept in well-organised and marked folders and boxes. When I
asked to see particular information, it was provided accurately and rapidly.
Muriel now has a very efficient Deputy Principal. Muriel still, how-ever, works very long hours—6am to 9pm is not uncommon for her. At the age of 68, she is still as strong and enthusiastic as ever. She is jolly, approachable, visibly someone who likes children and is liked by them— but has a commanding authority when needed. The Board, staff (and I suspect the children), call her the equivalent of ’Gran’, most
affectionately.
One of the most interesting time in my days there was meeting the prayer team. This is a group of ladies (two of them pastors) who give as much time to the school as possible just to pray together for all that is going on. They are also available to pray with individual teachers or pupils and to counsel. One of them is a registered nurse, who can also provide first-aid services when needed.
trains them practically to teach, and this is a major commitment for Muriel and the senior staff. The staff are very highly regarded and one of the big problems is that government schools are always looking to recruit staff from Grace. Government schools pay around 75% more and offer pensions and medical insurance, so many are lured away. Increasing teacher salaries is an important issue. Keeping the staff is clearly their biggest challenge.
Hendrick knew that this visit was soon after my 60th birthday and he and Muriel had arranged a whole school party to celebrate. I was very impressed by the participation of the children, their patience through several presentations and speeches, and their singing and dramatic skills. One teacher had written a truly epic poem for me. The staff had also baked and iced a
prodigious birthday cake, which provided all 500 of us with more calories than we needed the whole week!
This was a very happy and positive visit. I was impressed with the high quality of the education provided, and the desire for continual improvement. Grace is also always looking for ways to contribute to local government schools, and also how to help education in Zimbabwe.
John Rose, Chief Executive June 2011
