3. METHODOLOGY
3.5. THE SCHOOL
The research site is a secondary school in the Northern suburbs of Pietermaritzburg, Kwa Zulu - Natal. The learner enrolment for the year 2010 was 1 389. Staffing was as follows:
MALE FEMALE TOTAL
STATE PAID TEACHERS
22 20 42
SGB PAID TEACHERS 1 6 7
TOTAL 23 26 49
Table 1: STAFFING 2010
The management of the school constitutes: the principal, 2 deputy principals and 5 heads of department. The principal fills the post in an acting capacity.
There are many primary schools in the surrounding vicinity, making this high school much sought after for admission. Most learners come from the middle to upper income group and are able to comfortably afford the school fee of R1 750 per annum. Those who cannot are granted fee concessions based on an assessment of the parents’ monthly income.
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The school started out as a House of Delegates school which served only ‘Indian’ children during the apartheid era but subsequent to that the learner demographics has changed.
Although it maintains a majority of Indian learners, its learner population includes other race groups and nationalities.
The ethos of the school reflects a strong commitment by all stakeholders. The school’s governing body works closely with the school. There are a number of sub committees that work towards the smooth running of the school. These core committees include: discipline, finance, maintenance, sport, admission and fund raising. These committees are made up of both School Governing Body (SGB) members and staff. Learner representation is invited to meetings if and when deemed necessary.
The school subscribes to a strict code of conduct for both teachers and learners. The
functionality of the school is governed by mutually agreed ethics. One of these is punctuality for both teachers and learners. Another is a respect for the culture of learning. There is constant supervision and support for teachers to ensure that meaningful interaction happens in the class.
One of the key issues the school is grappling with is discipline. Discipline problems include:
uniform default, late coming, homework not done, and smoking, among other minor misdemeanors. The school uses a policy of demerits and detention to deal with such cases.
Staff workshops facilitated by the schools’ management and liaisons with the school’s guidance counsellor are strategies employed to help staff deal with these issues.
The fund raising and maintenance committees have worked hard to upgrade the schools infrastructure. Apart from routine maintenance, the school was able to set up a fully
functional media centre with internet access for learners and staff. All classrooms are fitted with air conditioners and security at the school is ensured by monitored cameras and 24 hour security guards.
Another valuable resource is the school hall which often doubles up as an examination centre. It can accommodate approximately 200 learners in an examination. It is also used for parent meetings, workshops, career talks etc.
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The school enjoys Section 21 status. This means that the school provides its own funding.
The school provides learners with stationery packs and textbooks on loan at the start of each year.
Each learning area has its own set of computers for educators to use for their administration purposes. Most of the computers are networked and teachers are compelled to keep
electronic record of all documentation.
While the school’s sporting facilities are poor, learners have defied the odds and excelled in many codes of sport. The schools volley ball team recently won a national tournament in Cape Town. Teachers attend coaching clinics to help learners in the necessary codes.
Learners are also exposed to many co curricular activities. These are made up of Olympiads like Harmony Gold (Mathematics) and Amesa (Mathematics); Hip 2 be square (Science Foundation founded by Mark Shuttleworth to promote Mathematics and Science)– two learners from the school were chosen as part of this group this year; The Natal Witness school’s quiz; The Nelson Mandela speech contest – a learner was selected as runner up this year.
Apart from the academic emphasis learners are provided with opportunities to focus on social awareness and responsibilities. They are urged to get involved in community projects like fund raising for CANSA,HOSPICE, SPCA; providing meals or food hampers for the less fortunate; supporting the winter warmth drives and some even stage mini concerts and prepare gift packs for LSEN schools. At school each class is given the opportunity to provide lunch for the indigent learners in the school. In this way indigent learners are catered for daily.
In the last two years the schools top achievers in grade 11 were awarded the opportunity to be exchange students in the United States by the People to People project. This proved to be an amazing experience for learners and certainly an incentive to strive for excellence.
The community supports the school well. Small businesses in the area always rally together in supporting the school on its various fund raising drives. In this way many of the
endeavours have exceeded the schools’ expectations.
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The school’s aspirations are often exemplified in the National Senior Certificate Examination (NSC) where it has earned a reputation for being the top achieving high school in the area.