Yesterday we drove from the leafy suburbs of Lynwood out to Mamelodi. It is situated on the north eastern outskirts of Pretoria and is a former black township with a population of about one million people. It was established in 1953 as a mere 16 houses built for  people removed from other areas according to the Group Areas Act. Many people live in small brick built houses but there are also huge informal settlements or squatter camps where people have built their own shacks made out of corrugated iron or plastic sheets. As more people move from the rural areas to the cities, these informal settlements are growing month by month.

Since free elections in 1994, much has been done to lift the aspirations and opportunities in the area, but the decades of poverty and oppression mean it will take a long time to overcome the issues, now compounded  as more people continue to settle in the area in search of work in the wider Tshwane area. There is a huge  amount of new development in the area both in terms of transport links and new commercial and retail premises. There is systematic improvement in housing and domestic services. But above all there is an energy about the place no better exemplified than by Bajabulile  Primary School.

We are aiming to support the school and sponsor the building of a Science Centre. When you talk to the students, so many aspire to careers in science and technology and although they see and understand  how education is critical to their future prosperity, there are few resources available to help them in this area. This centre will be a unique opportunity for them and the wider community. The starting point is to raise 250 000 Rand (about £14 000). We have raised the first £12000 and the parents are working on the rest.

We had our first meeting with Peter Moabeloe the principal, his treasurer Pagiel Msiza and officials from the Department. It was a great meeting and we now not only have a project plan, but a commitment from all parties to make this a success.

This is a large school with a new pre-primary phase. Peter, the principal has created a great can-do culture and it is clear that he is held in respect and affection by staff, parents and students. But the classes are large and resources very poor in comparison to schools in the UK and USA. The majority of students come from the informal settlement and as such have very little  chance to help financially. The treasurer explained that at parents’ meetings they are only too willing to help and do what they can, but are not in a situation where a donation is possible. Instead they consistently volunteer to help in the school.

This is one of the big inequalities still in education in South Africa. If yours is a school in a wealthy area they can pay the obligatory school fees and contribute much more to the school. In areas like this, not only can they only ask small fees, so many find it difficult even to find that money. So schools in wealthy areas like Pretoria Boys High, and Afrikaans Boys, have the most fantastic facilities and small classes and great teachers. Whereas many of the township schools like Bajabulile have large classes of 40+. Good education is not just about resources, class sizes do not have the impact that you might think, but once you get into the 40 + area the opportunity for progressive and personalized education  becomes almost impossible.

This has to be a project that is sustainable, and so we have formed an advisory group to the project team to support that. This project was borne out of their aspiration and not out of a goodwill idea from abroad. This is critical; it has to be owned but the community and then supported. There are too many classrooms full of dusty and out of date computers that someone thought would be a good thing to do.

So what now. Well the project is on the move and we will establish the plans and timings to get things moving and completed this year. To make this have an even greater impact it would be good if someone out there could;

(i) help with the design of the centre

(ii) Link our students and teachers with those in Mamelodi so we can work on some joint projects and ideas and share their cultures and ideas

(iii) Obviously more cash for resources, be they digital or texts or equipment – 20 i pads would be brilliant for instance, as would basic Science equipment. But they need to be new and relevant to education here.

(iv) Science and Maths teachers who would give of their time and expertise to spend a couple of weeks of their holiday time

This is not just a one-way process. It’s been nearly 14 years that I have been visiting Pretoria  and working here with schools and teachers. They have so enriched me, my career, and the schools in the UK and Sweden by their aspiration, culture and vitality. I once said to a young teacher who was with me on an exchange, ” What have you gained and learned from this experience? Clearly they have such few resources and training”. He said, ” I have rediscovered why I came into teaching. It reminds me of the impact you can have as a teacher”