| 1998 SAEP Projects |  |
| 1998 SAEP Projects | |
Jacob L. Lief
Read the newspaper articles about this project
The complexities surrounding education reform lie at the root of sustainable community development. Riddled with a plethora of obstacles, the schools of South Africa’s townships must accept that a shortage of funds is a reality that pervades all facets of the education system. It is futile for community leaders merely to highlight the precarious economic situation as the main obstruction to educational endeavours. It is time to tap the community's greatest resource – its people. The importance of volunteer service must be stressed at an early age so as to allow for the emergence of a social conscience amongst South Africa’s youth.
Background. Emfundweni Primary and Nzondelelo High-School are located in the Port Elizabeth township of Zwide, a community plagued by an 86% unemployment rate. The schools are involved in a constant struggle to find ways to compensate for the lack of funding. Emfundweni borders a shanty town, and its dilapidated buildings blend into the contours of the surrounding destitution. Pencils and stationary are a luxury to the students who sit, some with out desks, in classes of 40 to 54 pupils per teacher.Though the passing rates of the Standard 3, 4, and 5 classes are extremely high at 98 percent, 96 percent, and percent respectively, one must take a closer examination of the situation. To move on to the next level a student must receive a aggregate score of just 40% in four or more subjects. As one moves through the schooling process, the very low standards remain the same.
Nzondelelo was praised for graduating 58.5% of their students in 1997. However, an in-depth analysis exposes many harsh realities of the current state of South Africa’s education system. To pass Standard 10, a student must receive a mark of at least 40% in 6 subjects. Of the 909 exams issued to standard 10 students at Nzondelelo High-School, only 11 grades were above 60%, and it must be noted that 8 of those exams were for Xhosa.Emfundweni Principal Patrick Noudekane put the situation in perspective: "lack of funds is nothing new, we have endured a much harder struggle for longer than I can remember. It is our job and we will continue to try and put out qualified students."
In light of South Africa’s declaration that this is to be the Year of Science and Technology, the schools of Zwide must explore all the educational resources within the community.
Description of The Project. The goal of the Emfundweni & Nzondelelo Math and Science Project is to provide Standard 5, 6, and 7 students from Emfundweni Primary with after-school tutoring in the subjects of Math and Science. In an effort to motivate and inspire the Primary students, the program uses Standard 10 students from Nzondelelo high-school as the tutors. The hope is that this alternative pedagogical strategy will instil a new confidence in the high-school students, moulding and developing them into community leaders.
In essence, the tutors not only help convey basic Math and Science theories, but will also act as role models for the younger students.
Progress to Date. The project, which began on June 2, is off to a very promising start. Thanks to the dedicated involvement of the teachers, the project has adopted a truly pragmatic approach in its commitment to provide the schools with additional educational opportunities. The project uses fifteen Standard 10 students from Nzondelelo high-school, all of whom completed a one week training workshop, as the tutors. Three days a week, from 2:00 PM to 4:00PM, the tutors work with their Primary pupils in a small group atmosphere (two students per tutor).
The learning environment has allowed the tutors to accurately evaluate their pupils and subsequently design individualised lessons that focus on problem areas. Every Thursday the tutors meet to discuss the successes and problems of the past week, handing in progress reports for their students and creating lessons for the upcoming week.
The success of the project to date is exemplified in the devotion of the students involved: understanding the benefits of the programme, the students as a group have decided that the tutoring will continue over the winter holiday.
Newspaper articles about the project:
Teaching project run by neglected pupils
Eastern Province Herald
by Guy Rogers
30/06/98
An innovative educational project has taken off in Zwide, where it is providing
long-neglected pupils with personal tuition.
Cheap and simple in its approach and with possible national significance, it so impressed
Mayor Nceba Faku when it was presented to him yesterday that he offered on the spot to
donate some of his own funds towards buying stationery.
The project was initiated by visiting US intern Jake Lief, who has been seconded to the
local Southern Africa Environmental Project.
Presenting the project to Mr Faku yesterday, Mr Lief said he had initially spent time
talking to educators in Zwide and was repeatedly struck by the problem that there were no
funds available.
"What we do have, though, is a human resource, and that's what this project depends
on." The project uses 15 matric pupils from Nzondelelo High School to tutor pupils
from Stds 5, 6 and 7 from Emfundweni Primary School in the subjects of math and science.
All the tutors have completed a one-week training workshop.
The tutorials take place after hours, three days a week, with one tutor for every two
students, and have been running since the beginning of this month.
The small group atmosphere had allowed the tutors to evaluate their pupils and design
individualised lessons focusing on problem areas, he said.
Educational standards were not compromised, despite the tutors' youth and lack of
experience, he argued. "The syllabus is still fairly basic," he said.
American helps schools help themselves
Weekend Post
by Heidi Clark
August 1, 1998
As under-funded Eastern Cape schools flounder under the burden of overcrowded classrooms and lock of staff, two schools in Port Elizabeth's Zwide township ban found an effective way to help themselves that is breathtakingly simple and doesn't cost a cent.
The SA Environmental Project (SAEP) has helped to initiate a programme whereby matric pupils from Ndzondelelo High School tutor maths and science to pupils m Grades Five to Seven at the neighbouring Emfundweni Primary School.
The programme was started by American Jake Lief, 21, who was working as an intern With SAEP. Mr. Lief said the idea occurred to him as he is living near the schools with Grade Seven science teacher Gwaxula Banks who teaches at Emfundweni.
Distressed by overcrowded classrooms and lack of individual attention paid to pupils, he formulated a programme to help solve learning problems and proposed it to SAEP deputy director Boyce Papu.
Neither school has electricity or running water and when Mr Lief first suggested the programme, the parrot cry was: "We can't do anything, we have no money."
"I replied by saying 'Look around, you have people, the greatest resource.'" Since then, the programme has been running remarkably smoothly.
"At first I was nervous about teaching. I thought that as a pupil I would not he able to do it, but by the end of the week I was much more confident," said top Nzondelelo maths and science pupil Msindisi Ciyane.
Tutoring began with each matric student being allocated two pupils from Emfundweni. The pupils interact for six hours every week, providing the individual attention lacking at school.
Matric pupil Mzolisi Mei described how he noticed the younger pupils had soon relaxed and had begun to ask questions freely.
Teaching has inspired many of the tutors to new heights. An example is matric pupil Vuyisa Ngxonono, who went in search of metal piping and wires in the rubbish dumps near Zwide to demonstrate how electricity works.