Day 3 focused on education in South Africa, from the school system as a whole to community-based programs serving young children, youth, and adults.
On the bus ride, Darryl shared several things about South African schools and history. Students wear uniforms, which he said many South Africans value because uniforms help create a sense of equality. He also shared that he waited in line for four hours during South Africa’s first democratic election.
Our first visit was with the Catholic Institute of Education, where Mduduzi Qwabe spoke to us about the South African school system and the work of Catholic schools. We learned about the structure of schooling, public and independent schools, early childhood development, literacy challenges, restorative practices, and the Three-Stream Model, which includes academic, vocational, and occupational pathways.
One statistic that stood out was that 81% of Grade 4 students could not read for meaning in any language. We also heard about the “Thrive by Five” assessment, which showed that many young children were not thriving cognitively or physically by age five. Those numbers helped frame the rest of the day because both of our next visits focused heavily on early childhood education and community support.
Our next stop was New Schools of Hope in the Zama Zama informal settlement. The organization began as a Bible study group concerned about education and grew into a program that now serves children through multiple schools. Their work focuses on early childhood education, play-based learning, teacher development, nutrition, health care, sanitation, and community partnerships.
We learned that many of the children speak multiple home languages, and English is not always their first language. The school uses integrated, play-based learning, with new themes each week or every two weeks for the youngest children. One idea shared with us was that “talents are equally distributed, but opportunities are not.”
After learning about the program, we visited the children. We observed praise and worship, met some of the youngest children, and then spent time with the older children. Stations were set up for face painting and nail painting, and it was a simple but meaningful way to interact with them.
After lunch at Wonderboom Junction, we visited PEN in Pretoria. PEN stands for Participate, Envision, Navigate. The organization works with young children, youth, and adults experiencing homelessness. Their programs include Early Childhood Development support centers, youth programming, tutoring, meals, life skills, work readiness, and support for adults working toward stability.
We learned that PEN supports 8 Early Childhood Development centers, 227 daycares, 1,098 staff members, and more than 11,000 children. Their model focuses on helping people build long-term independence rather than only meeting immediate needs.
At PEN, we went into a large hall where students were gathered for a lesson. Darryl told us that seeing the students in that space was symbolic because when he was young, a hall like that would likely have been used for white students under very different circumstances. The lesson reviewed goal setting, child protection, bullying prevention, conflict resolution, and how to treat others.
After the lesson, the older students performed a dance. Then students with birthdays during Term 2 were recognized. Everyone sang, the students stood around three cakes, made a wish, and blew out the candles together. Before we left, one of the staff members proudly showed me their student art gallery.
As we were leaving, the children waved goodbye, and each of us was given a bar of handmade soap.
Our last stop was the Nelson Mandela Memorial at the Union Buildings in Pretoria. Many people were there taking photos, including graduation photos. One young woman named Felicia had just graduated from studying to become a teacher. When she found out we were teachers from the United States, she wanted a picture with us, and we wished her good luck as she begins her teaching career.
We also had a brief conversation with a man near the statue. He asked where we were from, and when we told him we were a group of teachers from the United States, he said, “But the World Cup is there! Why are you here?” We told him we were here to learn about South African culture and education. He smiled and seemed pleased with that answer.
Day 3 gave us a lot to think about. We learned about the structure of education in South Africa, but we also saw how schools and community programs are connected to much larger issues: poverty, language, safety, health care, employment, history, and belonging.
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