Mgcawezulu – 06 August 2014

I was able to meet the school the day before which meant that the customary stop in Cofimvaba was avoided. I was able to be at the school gate by 08:15 after an early and frosty start from a B&B in Queenstown as I have become very accustomed to finding my way around this area. One thing I have learnt is that when in Rome do as the Romans. I have noticed that the local drive slowly in very well defined tracks to avoid punctures and I trust that this observation will prevent any further mishaps.

The school was a far cry from all the other venues that I had been to. Mgcawezulu is a brand new school having been revamped and opened in January 2014. The official opening is scheduled for later this year. Everything was well laid out with a very modern and colourful pre-school on the school grounds. I am always overcome by the smiles on the faces and the waves from the small children as they skip their way down to classrooms eager to face the day.

It was decided that the Grades 8 and 9 would be combined into one session followed by a combined 6 and 7 demonstration as a shortened session with not as much detail if there were time constraints. 5 teachers sat in on the lesson and were so engrossed with the content that they often blurted out the answers forgetting that I was asking the learners. This enthusiasm was also encapsulated in the teachers wanting to complete the questionnaires as well. I have come to realise that the teachers are also benefiting from the sessions from a science content perspective as well as fundamental pedagogics.

Sadly the school had not had any electrical connections since the beginning of the year claiming that there were issues relating to the electricity provider in the region. The main office had a paraffin heater being used for the dual purposes of heating the room as well as water for tea/coffee. This must certainly be a major challenge in the delivery of meaningful education. Added to this was the issue of furniture and missing screws. Learners must spend their days shuffling frames for benches, wooden slates and other forms of furniture between classes all day as there was certainly not enough for all “bums on seats”.

My impressions were that this was a good school and that the learners have been taught well. They were responsive and gave positive answers when required. Again I came back to the recurring theme of the fact that there is talent out there.

At the end of the session I was leaving the school grounds and had to have one of the learners unlock the front gate. A young man who I had identified as having potential gave me a big friendly smile as I offered him some sweats from my tin in return for him opening the gates for me. He was about to take just one but I could see in his eyes that he longed for more. When I said he could have more his hand opened and he was pleased with his rewards. I spoke to him briefly and it turned out that his brother is a qualified engineer and he is also planning on going the same route. I commended him for his efforts and wished him well.

The journey home took me towards Cathcart where I took a road less travelled. Turning right at the last hill before Cathcart the dirt road led to Whittlesea (between Queenstown and the Nico Malan pass on the R67). The sight was well worth the effort from the top of a short pass before the town. With all the stops and casual driving I arrived in PE over 6 hours later, tired but happy on a job well done.