Blake Tyra's South Africa Study Abroad Blog: Walmer High School, Ben Sinuka Primary School, and Masinyusane

Sunday, March 15th, 2015

1:00pm South African Standard Time

Weather 79° F Partly Cloudy

What an eye-opening day I had on Wednesday: I hooked up with the spring break group and went with them to visit some local schools in Port Elizabeth. The schools we visited were “free schools”, meaning the government funded them. In South Africa, the education system is not well-managed. If you have money you go to a private school and receive a far better education than that of a public school. By the end of the day I was filled with a mixture of emotions after seeing how appreciative the children are of their education here and the sub-par environment they must attain it from.

Our first stop was the Walmer High School in Walmer Township. Our group was greeted by the principal who was eager to have us visiting and provided us with a background of the school. Since the school is a free school, they can only pay for a certain number of teachers no matter how many students are enrolled. This makes for 50+ children in a classroom and a general lack of resources. One thing that the school is lucky to have is their library. A few years ago, a group of volunteers from the United States came and spent a year on building a library for Walmer High from the ground up. They also did book drives to attain material to stock the library with. The principal explained that the only books the school initially had were dated back in the 60’s during the apartheid. Those books were no longer acceptable since the abolition of the apartheid in the 90’s, so he was grateful for all the volunteers that helped make the functioning library a reality. I was quite impressed with the library—compared to the other buildings at the school. There are now even 20 laptops that have been donated and can be used by the students in the library. 20 is hardly enough considering there are 1400 students currently attending Walmer High School, but they are doing the best they can with the resources they have.

After visiting the library, we had the opportunity to sit in on a class that was in session. I was placed in the front row of a math class filled with students learning about tariffs on imported goods. The classroom had no light bulbs in the fixtures and relied on only natural light. The teacher was very upbeat and really enjoyed his job as he excitedly drew tables of the different tariff rates on the chalkboard. The students, all in uniforms, were actively paying attention the entire time; it was evident that they appreciated their education, regardless of the circumstances. After observing the classroom, we were treated to a performance by the school choir. Their choir has no director and relies on the older students to start and lead the songs. As you will see in the video below, the students put their heart and soul into each song they sang. Some even began to cry as they sang because of how moved they were by the music they were making together. I will never forget the awed energy of our group as we watched these students who are living in poverty sing and appreciate all that has been given to them. For the last song, they invited us onto the stage to sing and dance with them. At first we were all nervous and had no clue what to do, but the students taught us the basic foot work and body movement and within 5 minutes we were all dancing along as the choir belted out a harmonious, upbeat melody. After the performance we got a chance to socialize with the choir students. They came up and gave us hugs and were appreciative that we came to listen to them, really, we were the lucky ones to experience their wonderful music. It was truly a blessing.

After the Walmer High School, we met up with Jim McKeown, the director of Masinyusane, which is a nonprofit organization working here in South Africa. Masinyusane is all about improving the education system in South Africa from grade one through university because the government is not able to provide for all the students. HIV and AIDS wiped out a large percentage of the previous generation, ridding far too many students of their parents. Forced to take care of themselves and any remaining family members, these kids do all they can to survive. In the primary schools, Masinyusane is working on renovating a dozen schools in the Port Elizabeth townships. Because of the budget shortage for hiring teachers, there are volunteers who come in and work one-on-one with the students to help them create a more individualized learning path. There is so much that can be done at these schools and Masinyusane is just the beginning of that process. Improving their education will help students start off on the right foot, effectively preparing them for high school and university.

Masinyusane also works with students through their Top Learners Program. South Africa’s education system is based entirely on test scores; community service and work experience doesn't matter when applying to get into a university. Here, only 2% of high school students achieve test scores that qualify them for government-given grants and loans. Additionally, only about half of this 2% actually receives financial aid, but Masinyusane is working to improve that as well: Its Top Learner Program is about using the donations the organization receives to send the other half of the 2% to university. It also provides many other resources for these students, such as assistance during the university admission process during student’s final year of high school, rides to and from school from far out townships, and volunteers to help tutor any struggling students who got a sub-par education at the free schools. Jim talked about Masinyusane is working on purchasing a house near campus for the students to live in during the school year. Since the students must take a transport van to and from school, they are disconnected from all campus activities; when they arrive on campus they go to class and after class they go home. Having a place near campus to stay would give the students an opportunity to engage in campus activities and have a full and connected college experience. The goal of the Top Learners Program is to give these students a university education that will empower them with the tools they need to come back to their townships and begin the process of ending the poverty here in South Africa.

After meeting with Jim, he took us to one of the primary schools Masinyusane is partners with. Upon stepping out of the van at Ben Sinuka Primary School, we were all swarmed by waves of smiling children. They were hugging us and in much need for the attention we were giving them. I pulled out my camera to take a selfie with them and they got so excited to be in pictures that I would get buried in a pile of energetic children, all trying to be in the picture. I swear I was smiling from the moment I got out of the van until I left. I have never experienced so much love as I did playing with the children at that school. The pictures and videos below show how much fun we had together, but no film or pixelated images (there were many) can compare to the experience itself.

While touring the school, Dr. Macari, one of my professors from last semester, asked why the students wear uniforms when they can barely afford to put food on the table. Jim explained that it is a school requirement and, for those students who cannot afford a uniform, Masinyusane will cover the cost. Jim also talked about how the schools are still waiting on textbooks that the government is supposed to provide. I knew prior to coming here that the education system in South Africa was not adequate, but it was disconcerting to me to see this broken system firsthand.

This past November, I helped put together a silent auction fundraiser to raise money for Masinyusane as a part of an international service project. The Honors Program started this bi-annual auction last semester, making us understand the concept of Masinyusane and inform others of its impact and importance. I thought I knew my facts when I explained Masinyusane to silent auction-goers—I practically had everything memorized! But now, after having this experience myself, I can talk about issues like the poverty and broken education system I have personally seen, as well as how Masinyusane has already helped in trying to carry out solutions.

Having the opportunity to meet Jim McKeown and see all that he is doing was a true privilege. I am excited to continue participating in projects that are beneficial to Masinyusane when I get back to SCSU, and I'm convinced that they will be a big part of my life throughout my 4 years in college—and hopefully, beyond.

Feel free to check out the Masinyusane website below to learn more about the organization and the work they are doing here in South Africa:

http://www.masinyusane.org/