Samantha SawrukAugust 9, 2007 by Samantha Sawruk
Nkandla: A Time of Inspiration and New Perspectives
Nkandla is a deeply rural district located two hours from the industrialized city of Richards Bay. After completing three weeks of teaching in our Richards Bay schools I was excited to experience a new school, new staff and new challenges. I anxiously awaited the move, uncertain of the situation I would encounter and the lessons I would learn.
The Nkandla school district contains over 100 primary and secondary schools. The district covers a large land area and is located in a mountainous region. There is no public transportation system besides taxis and many of the roads are unpaved. Most of the students walk to school (some up to six or seven kilometers) and they often attend the school closest to their home because of the walking. There are schools that can only be reached by foot because of the mountains and lack of paved roadways. As a result the students and staff can drive or take a taxi to a certain point and then must walk. During my stay in Nkandla I was able to walk to school because it was so close to our chalets. It was interesting to be able to walk to school just like so many of my students do every day. The walk took nearly thirty minutes because of the mountain I had to climb along the way.
The schools of Nkandla provide education and support to students in grades R through 12. Schools range in size from 35 learners to over 1000 in others. In addition to mainstream education, the district is also home to Vuleka School for the Deaf. The district is divided into several different wards, each containing thirty or more schools. Jackson Hadebe (PO Box 12234, Empangeni 3880, South Africa) is a ward superintendent for thirty schools in the area. He has held the position for the last four years and in that time has instituted a great deal of changes in the schools. For example, he has worked to add a grade twelve to Vuleka School for the Deaf. He has begun helping teachers to reflect on their techniques by video recording their teaching and workshops on different teaching techniques. Throughout our stay in South Africa, Jackson has offered support and insights into the education system of this evolving country. He speaks openly about the system, its strengths and weaknesses. When asked what his future goals were for his ward of schools he commented on “continued improvement of teaching techniques, remodeling several school buildings and eventually adding working computers for students to work with”. It is through such discussions that I have been able to take a closer, more critical look into the educational system of South Africa and the impacts of the system on individual schools, teachers and students.
While in Nkandla I was placed at Manyala Primary. Manyala is a small school, with just over three hundred students ranging from grade R to grade 7. The school employs nine teachers including Mr. Ndimande, the principal. The school is considered a bottom twenty school in the district. This means it receives funding from the government to cover school fees and expenses for students. Mr. Ndimande explained to me that only two years ago every school in the Nkandla district was asked to complete a school evaluation form. The form asked questions regarding school finances, school resources and the ability of students to pay school fees. Mr. Ndimande told me that because so many of his students were unable to afford school fees, the school was classified as a bottom twenty and as a result the government now covers all costs of running the school. The schools of Nkandla are broken down into groups depending on their financial capabilities. Each group receives a different amount of support from local companies and the government. I asked Mr. Ndimande how it was previously addressed if students were unable to pay school fees. He told me that prior to last year, if a student couldn’t pay, their families would provide a service for the school such as landscaping, cooking or maintenance. It was interesting to hear about the different ways schools accommodate students and their specific financial needs. Mr. Ndimande told me the new system was a more effective way to run many of the schools in Nkandla, especially because so many of the families in the area live in poverty and find it difficult to afford school expenses. Mr. Ndimande told me, “It is only because of this new system that many of these students can afford to come to learn”. It was obvious through our conversation that Mr. Ndimande cares for his school and students. The compassion he demonstrated through our conversation demonstrates his dedication to Manyala Primary.
Manyala employs nine educators and I had a chance to visit each classroom and observe each teacher’s interactions with their students. I was surprised when I noticed many classrooms had desks arranged in groups for students to work together. After watching an English lesson for a few minutes I noticed students are encouraged to work together and actively participate during instruction time. The classrooms are always full of noise and when I listen closely I can hear students repeating and explaining information to one another. One of my colleagues at Manyala Primary said, “If your classroom is quiet you aren’t doing your job. Teaching is about allowing students to make noise, noise is good because it means students are learning.” This quote demonstrates how valuable learner-centered instruction is to Manyala Primary and so many other schools in the Nkandla district.
While in Nkandla I also had the opportunity to teach several lessons to grades 4 through 7. One of my favorite teaching experiences was with grade 4 during arts and culture. The lesson began when Mr. Ndimande introduced me and then asked students to share their favorite part of their culture with me. I watched in amazement as nine students stood up and quickly gathered at the front of the room. Without a prompt from the teacher they began a traditional Zulu song and dance. It was incredible to watch these students eagerly perform in front of their peers. Their faces gleamed with pride and as the song continued students from around the room also stood up and began dancing and singing. For me, this was an unforgettable teaching moment. My students acted as the teacher and I as a learner. It was incredible to see such confidence and pride in the students. It was from this moment that I knew the students of Manyala would teach me far more than I could ever teach them.
During a conversation with Jackson he mentioned the difficulty that arises in trying to find educated and qualified teachers to work in Nkandla. He explained that very often teachers are hired and shortly after request to be transferred to different districts. They are transferred and once again schools are left without teachers. Many teachers see Nkandla as a way to get hired into the school system so they can be transferred to a more desirable area. As a result underqualified teachers are being hired to teach. Jackson gave the example of hiring grade 12 graduates to teach as they attend university. While this is not the most desirable situation it is not uncommon in Nkandla. During this conversation with Jackson I recalled different conversations with several Manyala educators. I was interested to learn several of the teachers of Manyala were born and raised in Nkandla. They have taught at Manyala for over fifteen years and continue to adapt and critique their teaching techniques. These same teachers spoke to me of their desires to complete an honors degree from a local university. They recognized the importance of continuing their own education for the benefit of the school and students. They are eager to try new lessons and learn new skills to teach to students. For example, one teacher is taking courses on computers and technology so he will be able to teach his students to use computers in the near future. I asked about school computers and his response was, “We have fifteen computers. I know we don’t have electricity or a facility for them yet, but when we do I will be ready to teach”. I was so impressed with his enthusiasm for teaching, that while Manyala struggles to find resources and finances, its teachers remain strong-willed and passionate about education. I found this to be inspirational as a beginning teacher. Manyala Primary embodies many of the challenges that so many U.S. teachers have, including lack of funding and resources. Despite daily struggles, these educators continue on their mission to teach and inspire students.
From my four days in Nkandla I have gained a new perspective on teaching. I have learned about the many different hardships these schools face. Most schools in the area struggle with issues of limited resources, no running water or electricity, limited teaching staffs and insufficient funding. Despite the adversity facing these schools they have inspired me with their dedication towards education. The perseverance demonstrated by the Nkandla schools has instilled in me a new sense of hope to become the best educator I can possibly be. Above all else I have come to recognize that the challenges of teaching serve as a means to create truly great educators.
We're staying at the Amatshenezimpisi Municipal Chalets--in the mountains of Nkandla. School visits each day--we are in 17 different schools. This next entry is from Julia, who was at the Vuleka School.
Nkandla Visit: Vuleka School for the Deaf
By Julia Magdzinski
After spending three weeks teaching in the Richards Bay area, the idea of leaving the city to work in the rural Nkandla district was both exciting and somewhat daunting for many of the people in our group. For one, we would be leaving the comfort of our host families, whom we had all gotten to know (and love) during our stay. In addition, most of us were not used to working alone in the schools, as we would be in Nkandla. These factors, along with a few minor living arrangement setbacks, definitely contributed to a collective uncertainty about what the week might bring!
Since I am a Deaf Education major at Michigan State, Jackson Hadebe, the superintendent of the Nkandla circuit, had arranged a placement for me at Vuleka School for the Deaf. Although I work with deaf students in the United States, I was, in all honesty, incredibly nervous about my first day at Vuleka. The deputy principal of the school, Sbusiso Zwane (Sbu for short), picked me up right on time at 7:30 on Monday morning and off I went to a school that I knew next to nothing about. I knew that the language barrier between the students and myself would probably be a major obstacle—in the United States, we use American Sign Language, while the students at Vuleka use South African Sign Language (SASL). Fortunately, Sbu gave me a wonderful tour of the school upon my arrival and eased many of my fears about communicating with the students. It didn’t take long for me to realize that the students at Vuleka were so excited about my visit that they could not have cared less about my limited SASL skills.
The school, which employs more than 90 staff members, including 38 full-time teachers, is a residential school with a population of 320 deaf and hard-of-hearing students in grades R-12. Due to the high teacher-to-student ratio, the class sizes at Vuleka are relatively small, typically ranging from 7 to 15 students per teacher. Interestingly, the majority of the teachers at the school are not trained in deaf education. The field is in dire need of qualified teachers, but the resources to train new educators in deaf education are simply not available in such a rural area. As a result, all but three of the teachers at Vuleka began teaching at the school with little or no knowledge of how to use South African Sign Language. This is rather unfortunate, as every one of the students at the school uses SASL to communicate.
When I inquired about the lack of teacher training and it’s effect on teacher-student communication, Sbu informed me that the teachers are hired in as general education teachers and that they are expected to simply “pick up” a sufficient amount of SASL within a few months. As someone who is familiar with the difficult process of learning sign language, I can attest to the fact that this is much harder than it sounds! I was curious about how much sign language is truly considered “sufficient” enough to for one to teach deaf students, but I knew that the teachers at Vuleka try their best with the resources that are available to them; therefore, I did not push the issue too much.
Even though my visit to Nkandla was short, I could immediately tell that the teachers at Vuleka operate with an extremely high level of intense dedication and a true passion for teaching. This was so refreshing to see, especially because special needs children in South Africa are not always treated with the same patience and understanding that their peers receive in the mainstream schools. Unfortunately, the educational system in South Africa has not yet reached a point where it can fully and effectively implement the idea of inclusive education for all students. I personally found this incredibly frustrating, because I know how much potential these children have and that they deserve every opportunity to succeed in life. In the United States, the government grants deaf individuals access to whatever resources are necessary in order for one to obtain higher education. This is not the case in South Africa.
Although I absolutely loved my visit to Vuleka, I found it rather upsetting to learn that most of the older students at the school felt as if they had very few options for the future. Even though all of the students at Vuleka function at normal levels cognitively, their hearing losses usually prevent them from being able to continue their education at the university level and reach their career goals. From what I was told, there is only one university in all of Kwazulu-Natal that caters to deaf students, and even that is on a somewhat restricted basis. There simply are not enough qualified sign language interpreters and other necessary resources to assist the deaf students in obtaining college degrees. After spending a significant amount of time with the Grade 12 students at Vuleka, my concern for their situation began to grow.
Fortunately, I was able to speak with Jackson about this situation, and he assured me that he is aware of the problems that have arisen at Vuleka School. Jackson had to fight for the recent addition of Grades 11 and 12, so the issue of academic guidance and finding university options is a new one for Vuleka. In fact, this is the first year that the school has even had a Grade 12. Despite my worries about the future of my new Grade 12 friends, I know that they are in good hands with Jackson. He is currently in negotiations with the University of Pretoria, in hopes that university officials will agree to admit some of the Grade 12 students next year. My fingers are crossed!
I will definitely be checking up on the progress that will hopefully be made, as I feel as if I grew very close to the students at Vuleka in a rather short period of time. Even though the teachers kept telling me how much they had learned from me, I know that I am the one who will be taking an amazing experience back to Michigan. If everything goes as planned, my students this year will be participating in a pen pal program with a Grade 4 class at Vuleka, and I know that they will learn as much from the students as I did during my stay in Nkandla.
