Statement by André Gaum, Western Cape Education Minister

It was my pleasure to visit Sonderend Primary School in Manenberg today (Thursday, 13 February 2003) with the national Minister of Education, Professor Kader Asmal.

Sonderend Primary provides a beacon of hope for us all, as we grapple with the problems of poverty, crime and gangsterism in our poorer communities.

The school and the local community have shown that by working together, they can break through to a better future.

Sonderend Primary is an active participant in the Safe Schools Programme of the Western Cape Education Department (WCED).

Professor Asmal and I visited the school this morning to learn more about how the programme works, and what the school and the local community have done to provide a safe, nurturing environment needed for effective teaching and learning.

We discussed the school’s recipe for success with school and community leaders, met the staff, toured the school’s facilities, and watched a demonstration of conflict resolution presented by school children in a role-playing exercise.

The school, in Sonderend Road, Manenberg, accommodates about 630 learners, and employs 18 teachers.

Sonderend Primary opened in 1970 to cater for the children of parents forcibly removed from District Six to the Cape Flats. The prefabricated school buildings were intended to be temporary, but are still in use after 32 years.

Arsonists set fire to the administration block in 1976, and again in 1985, and five classrooms were burnt down in 1992.

The schools playing fields have long been the battlefield of local gangsters, and the school itself has a long history of being subjected to vandalism and theft.

After 1994, Sonderend decided to break through the cycle of crime and violence that was undermining education at the school, and approached the local community and gang leaders to arrange a peace agreement, in the best interests of the children of Sonderend.

The school and well-wishers approached all churches and local businesses to ask for their assistance in upgrading the school buildings and playgrounds. Teachers and parents organised activities to raise funds to secure the school and its resources.

The WCED’s Safe Schools Programme joined the initiative by fencing an open field at the school, which gangs were using as a battleground during school hours.

Safe Schools secured windows with wire mesh guards, installed a monitored burglar alarm system, and arranged for an armed response security protection.

Thanks to the sense of ownership of the school by the local community, and the security systems, incidents of vandalism and theft at the school have declined dramatically. Over the past four years, the school has not reported any cases of burglary or vandalism.

The school is now assisting other schools in securing their teaching and learning environments.

Sonderend Primary is a member of the Manenberg Safety Cluster, and is helping to build the capacity of other Safe Schools in the cluster.

The Safe Schools Programme adopts three approaches to ensuring safe school environments, by focussing on the physical environment, using security systems; the social environment, by mobilising community support and influencing learner behaviour; and by developing policies, procedures and Safe School structures.

Sonderend Primary is a fine example of all these approaches at work.

In addition to the security system, the school is providing alternatives to gangsterism by offering all the sporting codes, in addition to art, karate and Love Life games. Other activities include chess, table tennis and softball.

The school takes learners on leadership camps every year to develop life orientation and social skills, and regularly hosts drug, alcohol and HIV/AIDS awareness programmes, with the support of the Saartjie Baartman Centre.

Sonderend has worked closely with parents on various projects. Parents have painted the school and are helping with garden maintenance and access control.

Sonderend’s beautiful school garden is a showpiece that is now also contributing to the outreach of the school – by encouraging parents to start their own gardens using seeds from the garden. The garden provides a resource for nature studies in the classroom.

The school is an enthusiastic participant in the WCED’s Reading Schools campaign, which is helping to improve learner performance and the general self-esteem of learners.

Sonderend Primary has shown that it is possible to dream dreams and to deliver results. The Sonderend example has also shown that local community support is absolutely essential for success.

The seeds planted at Sonderend are bearing fruit, and will continue to bring new life to the local community in Manenberg. The school’s example provides hope for us all.