School demonstrates the power of possibility thinking
14 April 2021
Kannemeyer Primary School in Grassy Park will be celebrating their 60th anniversary this year and the school adopted “solutions focused thinking” as their annual theme.
Principal Ridwan Samodien said when the school opened its doors six decades ago under the administration of the House of Representatives, even the lids of the cisterns in the bathrooms at that time had the words "skool vir kleurling kinders" engraved on it.
“Our school was started with inferior resources, to perpetuate a second-class education,” he said.
Samodien said that the school has since been classified as a Quintile 5 school which still leaves them at a disadvantage today, as the Norms and Standards funding allocation for Quintile 5 did not meet their required needs. He said that despite this, the school community had shown great courage and tenacity and refused to own an inferior education tag.
“Over the years we have forged partnerships to attract greater resources into our school.”
Samodien used the solutions focused thinking mindset to approach Ian Ryan, Principal of Rondebosch Boys' Preparatory School to seek partnerships and solutions to the school’s vexing challenge of providing IT in classes as they embarked on preparing learners for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR).
Ryan tabled the request at Rondebosch Boys’ Governing Body meeting and shortly thereafter he personally delivered two fully equipped and operational Smart boards.
Samodien said the boards will be used in the Grade 6 classrooms. “Words are inadequate to express our heartfelt appreciation and gratitude to Ian and the community of Rondebosch Boys for reaching out to us in our 60th anniversary year with this kind gift.”
“We are a school steeped in ‘possibility thinking’, being the founding school of the Partners for Possibility flagship programme of Symphonia SA, and hope that more such wonderful opportunities, via collaboration with other well-resourced schools, will find its way to our beloved Kannemeyer and in turn bless all of our learners.”