Background

Westridge High school – Mitchell’s Plain, WP

Westridge High School is situated in Mitchell’s Plain in the Western Cape. It has recently celebrated its 30th birthday. There are 1 000 learners at the school. General social problems in the area include poverty, gangsterism and drug abuse, especially the use of Tic.

The major challenges this school faces include the lack of funds – the school is a fee-paying institution, but only manages to collect a small portion of the fees from parents. Some of the children display severe behavioural problems such as absenteeism and drug abuse. There is also the problem of teenage pregnancy.

School property is often vandalised and teachers feel discouraged because of the many non-academic issues they have to deal with. Sport facilities are lacking at the school because they have been allowed to deteriorate.

THE ISSUES:

In the worksheet below we will focus on two main issues:  generating funds and dealing with behavioural problems.

1. Many of the learners come from areas outside of the location of the school and are poor. Their parents are often single parents and/or unemployed.
2. The school has been graded as a Quintile 5 school despite the poverty of many of its learners.
3. The school receives fees from about one-third of its learners.
4. Vandalism results in the school having to spend funds on repairs.
5. Some of the learners display anti-social behavioural problems

Complete the worksheet

Complete the form on-line

Download the printable version

BACKGROUND:

Lehlabile Secondary School is situated in GaMaria Village in Mpumulanga. The pupils are drawn from many different ethnic groups including Bapedi, Batswana, Tsonga and Ndebele.

There are four major challenges faced at the school. Firstly, transport is a problem as many of the learners come from a neighbouring village in Limpopo, which is about 6km away. This means the school has to negotiate with both the Mpumalanga and Limpopo education authorities when accessing funds for transport. The parents have attempted to solve this problem by hiring a bus and a driver, but the bus driver does not get the learners to school on time.
Secondly, teenage pregnancy is a problem. The school currently has 10 pregnant learners.  The third problem is that between May and July there is increased absenteeism because the senior boys go to initiation school. This means they miss up to a month of their matric year.  The other major issue is that parental control over the learners is not exercised adequately because many of the learners are more educated than their parents and the parents are intimidated by this.

THE ISSUES:

In this worksheet we will focus on four main issues: dealing with transport challenges, teenage pregnancy, accommodating cultural traditions with minimum disruption to schooling and finding role models for the learners to motivate them.

1. Transport is a problem as many learners come from a neighbouring village. Parents have hired a bus and driver but this does not seem to be successful as the driver does not get the learners to school on time.
2. Funding for transport needs to be negotiated with two departments of education as the school draws learners from Mpumalanga and Limpopo.
3. The teenage pregnancy rate is high.
4. Every year in winter, about 20% of the senior learners are absent from school because they attend initiation schools. There have been attempts to discuss the problem with the elders, but to date the impact is still enormous.
5. There is a lack of motivation among learners. This could be due to the lack of parental influence. This is because, firstly, parents work in the city and are absent from home; those who don’t work are less educated than their children and are intimidated by the children as a result. Lastly there are few role models for these learners to inspire them to achieve.

SOME POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS:

Audrey Mothupi, director: group human resources and corporate affairs at Liberty Life, suggested some possible solutions to the challenges faced by the staff and parents of Lehlabile Secondary School. She pointed out that when faced by challenges it was important to classify them as either controllable or external and therefore uncontrollable. The former are the challenges one should start trying to overcome. If the challenges are external, one needs to think of way of engaging with other stakeholders to overcome the problems.

Complete the worksheet

Complete the form on-line

Download the printable version

BACKGROUND:

Isiphephelo High School in Kwabonambi in KwaZulu Natal originated ten years ago because of political turmoil in the area. Children had not been going to school because of the political violence and so the community started this school to accommodate these learners. This school is situated about 30 kms north of Richard’s Bay and lies next to a forest.

Security is a huge issue with the principal afraid to come to school after being hijacked last year and threatened again this year. The school is regularly broken into, a lot of doors to classrooms are missing, windows are broken and a large safe is used to lock anything away not bolted down. The school attempted to hold extra classes after school to assist the matrics, but these classes became a problem because of security for learners going home.  Both learners and educators are regularly accosted by thugs in the area when entering or leaving the school and the police in the area seem unable to do anything to help them. There also seems to be schism amongst the educators themselves with Mrs Gumede struggling for support. Academic results are correspondingly awful.

THE ISSUES:

 In this worksheet we will focus on the issue of school security:

1. Security is problematic. Some learners come to school with weapons.
2. There are problems in accessing funding for security.

SOME POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS:

 Zeona Motshabi, Chief Corporate Officer of Cell C, held a brainstorming session with the heads of departments and the principal and together they came up with possible solutions.

1. Brainstorming is a valuable tool in coming up with creative solutions to problems. It allows people to think creatively and bounce ideas off each other.  Some principles of brainstorming are:
   • The group should not be too large 5-6 people at most
   • There should be a facilitator to control free flow of information and to ensure that certain people do not dominate
   • Ideas should be allowed to be expressed with no criticism or reasons being given why they will not work
   • The practicality of possible solutions can be suggested later
   • The idea is to come up with as many possible solutions as one can

Complete the worksheet

Complete the form on-line

Download the printable version

THEME: IMPROVING SCHOOL FACILITIES

BACKGROUND:

MafuSenior Secondary School

The major problem at this school is the condition of the school buildings. The renovation of the new administration building has not been completed. It was due to be finished in June 2006. There are two pit toilets, which serve the entire school of 588 learners and 33 educators. A slab has been thrown to build new toilets but building has come to a standstill since the contractor left. The school is very dusty and in need of a greening project. There are lots of trees but no grass. Water rushes through the school grounds during heavy rains and washes away the earth around the classrooms. There also seems to be a problem with locking the gate, the principal locks the gate to keep learners in at breaks, but both learners and educators want to go home at lunch time to eat. The school has a field but no sporting facilities.

THE ISSUES:

In this worksheet we will focus two main issues:  improving the school buildings and environment and getting co-operation and buy-in from parents and the community.

1. A relatively simple building renovation has been standing incomplete for two years.
2. There are no windows in the building and in winter it is freezing.
3. The toilet facilities need to be improved.
4. The school grounds need grass and plants.
5. There is no sports field.

SOME POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS:

Tina Eboka, group executive for corporate affairs and head of human resources at Standard Bank, visited the school and spoke to Mr Tsheshene, the principal, and Mrs Masombuku, the chairman of the school governing body.

Complete the worksheet

Complete the form on-line

Download the printable version

THEME: BECOMING A FLAGSHIP SCHOOL

BACKGROUND:

Siphamandla Senior Secondary School- Khayelitsha

Siphamandla is situated in Khayelitsha in the Western Cape. The majority of the learners come from surrounding informal settlements and very poor households. This is a non fee-paying school.

The major challenge is poor pass rates in Maths and Science. Discipline is also a huge challenge and they face an uphill struggle to prepare for matric exams. They have a reputaion of doing well in sport. They have rugby, soccer, netball and cycling teams. They are keen to try to make sport a leading aspect of school life but again they face challenges with lack of facilities, poor motivation and lack of available expertise.

THE ISSUES:

The school is faced with many challenging issues but Zola Yeye chose to focus on two of them:

1. The poor Maths and Science results
2. Encouraging sports development

SOME POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS:

The principal of the school, Mr Mbengo, has been proactive in using contacts in the community to assist him in the running of his school.  He has used the following organisations:

1. PPSA
2. SHAWCO in conjunction with UCT
3. Rape Crisis
4. University of the Western Cape

Complete the worksheet

Complete the form on-line

Download the printable version

THEME: FACILITIES AND FUNDS

Negotiating and asking for funding

BACKGROUND

Mahareng Senior Secondary School, Boipatong, Gauteng

This school’s main challenge is its lack of space and facilities. The school shares a set of school buildings with another school and both schools have too many learners for the available space. The principals of the two schools do not seem to be talking to each other.  Mahareng Senior Secondary school is supposed to be moving into new school premises, but this does not appear to be happening. There are no proper offices, staff room, library or computer facilities. Classes are large, with up to 70 learners in a class. There is no space even for a teacher’s desk.  Funding is problematic and less than 20 percent of learners pay fees. There are no sporting facilities. Academic results are terrible, with an extremely low matric pass rate. There is also much frustration in dealing with the local education authorities, whom the school accuses of misunderstanding school issues and being unable to deal with them.

THE ISSUES

The school is faced with many challenging issues, but Prakash Desai chose to focus on two of them:

1. Shared facilities: how to make it work
2. Finances: tapping into surrounding companies’ wealth

SOME POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS

1. The school is forced to share facilities with another school. This has created problems because Mahareng Senior Secondary School has got the lesser share. The principal needs to negotiate with the head of the other school to create a better situation.

Negotiation is defined by the Cambridge Advanced Learner’s dictionary as:  “to have formal discussions with someone in order to reach an agreement”.

When negotiating, it is important to try to create a win-win situation, where everyone involved feels they are getting a good deal.

Prakash Desai says one should come to the negotiating table with an offer of something and then ask the other party what they will bring in return. In this case, Mahareng Senior Secondary school will be able to offer a set of matric learning materials donated by Avusa.

Complete the worksheet

Complete the form on-line

Download the printable version

THEME: USING YOUR RESOURCES FULLY.

BACKGROUND:

Matthew Goniwe High School, Khayelitsha, WP

Principal – Lulu Mabusela
Suzanne Ackerman, transformation director at Pick ‘n Pay, visited the school.

Matthew Goniwe High School is situated in Khayelitsha in the Western Cape and has excellent resources. They have huge, well-appointed staff offices, a brand new hall they have never used and a large library fully stocked with brand new computers and video facilities. They also have two science laboratories, another fully stocked computer room and spacious classrooms.

The principal complained that there was no full-time librarian and qualified laboratory assistants because the teachers could not be expected to run these facilities on their own. The school also deals with problems inherent to the surrounding community, including poverty, HIV/Aids and drug and alcohol abuse. This is a non fee-paying school. There is a tuck shop, but it is not well run and sporting facilities are lacking. Safety issues seem to be a problem as thugs apparently jump over the fence and school attendance is affected in the afternoons. The biggest problem seems to be a lack of motivation in both learners and educators.

THE ISSUES:

In this worksheet we will focus on the following issues:

1. The lack of librarian and science laboratory assistants.
2. The use of the tuck shop.
3. The under-utilisation of resources.
4. Lack of motivation among staff and learners.
5. The “Four legs of the table” principle.

Complete the worksheet

Complete the form on-line

Download the printable version

THEME: MARKETING YOUR SCHOOL.

BACKGROUND:

Mbusowabathethwa High School KwaZulu-Natal

The principal of Mbusowabathethwa High School is Mr Mthethwa and the school was visited by GG Alcock, director of Minanawe Marketing. Of the 732 learners at the school, 400 have the surname Mthethwa.

The school has very little in the way of facilities, and especially needs a library and computers. There is also a need for a steady water supply – the school often has no drinking water for days, sometimes weeks. There are rain water tanks and many of the learners bring water in buckets to school. Funding is needed to address these challenges.
There is also a problem with the Grade 8 learners who come from the nearby secondary school. Many of them display anti-social behaviour, sometimes even getting into trouble with the police.

The school is situated where Shaka grew up, so there are a number of cultural happenings nearby.

THE ISSUES:

In this worksheet we will focus on the following issues:

1. Creating a legend around your school.
2. Marketing your school to possible funders.
3. Motivating learners.

SOME POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS:

GG Alcock, director of Minanawe Marketing, explained that when approaching organisations and businesses for funding one needs to have something that will set your school apart from the others also asking for funding. He quoted a Zulu saying, which roughly translated means: “A child needs to cry to be heard and helped.” In appealing for funding you need to ask yourself: “Why this school?” and come up with ideas that will make your school stand out from the crowd. One way of doing this is to create a story around the school that will either put tears in readers’ eyes or make them laugh. This school has the legend of Shaka to relate to their school.

Complete the worksheet

Complete the form on-line

Download the printable version

THEME: GENERATING FUNDS AND GETTING PRACTICAL ASSISTANCE FOR AN AGRICULTURAL SCHOOL

BACKGROUND:

Setumo High School – Mafeking, North West Province

The principal is Mrs Motshegwa. The school was visited by Yvonne Johnston, the chief executive of the International Marketing Council of South Africa.

There seem to be two main problems at the school: the first is a lack of funds.  The school needs to generate money. Secondly, the school is an agricultural school, but the learners receive no practical instruction in agriculture. There is a field but no means to use it. There are difficulties with water, fencing and the lack of seedlings and animals.

THE ISSUES:

In this worksheet we will focus on the following issues:

1. Engaging the community in getting agricultural produce.
2. Creating funds for your school.
3. Motivating learners.
4. Greening the soccer field.

The school has land available for agriculture, but there are problems:

1. The land is not fenced. It was fenced previously but the fence was stolen.
2. The borehole is far away. Piping from the borehole has been stolen.
3. The school needs agricultural equipment such as ploughs and irrigation systems.
4. There are no animals and learners want to concentrate on crops.

POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS:

Yvonne Johnston suggests speaking to the local agricultural co-operatives and asking them for help. There are many farmers in South Africa who are keen to share their expertise. There are almost 1 000 primary agricultural co-operatives and agribusinesses throughout the country, and 15 central co-operatives.

Complete the worksheet

Complete the form on-line

Download the printable version

THEME: WRITING AND IMPLEMENTING  A MISSION STATEMENT AND A BUSINESS PLAN.

BACKGROUND:

Qedilizwe Senior Secondary School – Everton North, Gauteng

The principal is Mr Tshabala and the school was visited by Mr Danny Jordaan,
Chief Executive Officer of the 2010 FIFA World Cup Organising Committee South Africa.

The first challenge facing this school is the lack of sporting facilities. The most popular sports at the school are soccer, netball and volleyball. There is open ground on the side of the school that can be developed but the school doesn’t own it. Secondly, the library has too few books. The school draws its pupils from a very poor area and so, although the fees are R100.00 for the year, many of the pupils do not pay this because of financial constraints. The school has a poorly stocked library and inadequate computer facilities.

THE ISSUES:

In this worksheet we will focus on the following issues:

1. Writing a mission statement
2. Preparing a business plan

POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS:

This school has a mission statement which reads: “We parents, educators and learners of Qedilizwe Secondary School see ourselves imparting quality education by maintaining the culture of learning to the highest level of education standards, where there will be tolerance amongst all stakeholders and to enhance positive citizenship.”

Complete the worksheet

Download the printable version