Social Infrastructure

Education Overview

Updated: April 2006

Objectives

Education is an important focus of the ARP, which seeks to:

• End conditions of physical degradation in schools in Alexandra and create centres of education excellence.

• Encourage schools to become centres of community life within Alexandra.

• Develop the professional quality of the teaching force within the schools in Alexandra.

• Ensure the success of active learning through outcomes based education.

• Build Basic Literacy among adults and youth.

• Create a vibrant Further Education and Training programme to equip youth and adults to meet the social and economic needs of the 21st century.

• Urgently and purposefully address the HIV/Aids emergency within schools.

• Establish dynamic reception year education in all primary schools, coordinated within a community network of Early Child Development provision.

Details follow below

Secondary School Development

• Dedensification of existing secondary schools to ensure that each school has less than 1000 learners per school.

• Provision of physical infrastructure and amenities to existing schools, including playgrounds, sports facilities, recreational rooms, security infrastructure, computer/media centre, library, OBE Centre – Bridging Class, auditorium/ theatre, community room/ABET Centre, garden, art room, tuck shop, covered walkways etc.

• Conversion of two secondary schools into comprehensive schools with functional technical and vocational training programmes. One school accessible to physically challenged learners.

• New schools built in terms of a needs and land assessment.

Primary School Development

• Dedensification of the existing twelve primary schools in Alexandra to ensure that each school caters for approximately 700 pupils.

• Provision of physical infrastructure and amenities to existing schools, including playgrounds, sports facilities, recreational rooms, security infrastructure, computer/media centre, library, OBE Centre – Bridging Class, auditorium/theatre, community room/ABET Centre / ECD Centre, garden, art room, tuck shop, covered walkways, etc.

• Development of new schools on the basis of a land and needs survey.

• Development of one primary school to be totally accessible to physically challenged learners.

• Development and integration of ECD (Early Childhood Development) Reception Year classes within Alexandra primary schools.

Further Education and Training

• Establishment of physics, biology, and chemistry laboratories at all secondary schools in Alexandra.

• Establishment of Information Technology, Media and Literacy Centres – Computer and media centres in schools in Alexandra so as to facilitate learner skills in Information Technology, media and literacy.

• Upgrading of 3 secondary schools as comprehensive Further Education and Training institutions, with facilities (workshops, laboratories) suitable for the new curriculum.

• Development of a focused learning programme for Alexandra secondary school whereby each school specialises in a specific area.

• Development of 2 technical college facilities with infrastructure suitable for the new Further Education Training curricula (workshops, laboratories) with staff capactitation through on site training and mentorship.

• Establishment of an ‘Institute for Art and Culture’ to drive arts and culture development at a Further Education and Training level and to recruit and train creative community members as ‘artists in residence’ within schools.

• Development of a sustainable School Library System in Alexandra’s schools, supported by a library support service located at the Multipurpose Teaching and Learning Centre. Two educators per school trained as school librarians.

Community Multipurpose Teaching and Learning Centre of Excellence

Development of a multipurpose teaching and learning centre as a support structure for Alexandra schools and teachers, providing the following:

• A centralised facility to facilitate training, seminars, informal discussion, and curriculum development and reproduction.

• A facility providing support and infrastructure for educators to develop their own curriculum including replication, poster making, a computer lab etc.

• A model computer centre to provide support and development to school based computer and media centres, including literacy lab facilities.

• A central facility providing support in the sciences, including laboratories, resource materials, and teacher and learner development activities.

• A central reference library of curricula, teacher development, and other learning and teaching reference materials.

• A central ABET training centre and reference site for school-based satellite ABET centres, as well as a space for community meeting and mobilisation.

• A central Early Child Development centre, providing a direct service and support for community based services and school-based reception year classrooms.

• A unit dedicated to supporting job seekers including career counselling, mentorship, job search and job creation support, and youth service and learnership programmes.

• An arts and culture programme.

• A central office for the co-ordination of youth sports programmes in the Greater Alexandra area.

Mentally and physically challenged learners

• Upgrading the physical infrastructure of Nokothula, which is a school for both the mentally and physically challenged learners in Alexandra.

• Training educators at the school and upgrade the resources and learning materials.

• Focus on integrating learners back into public schools through the bridging class programmes where possible.

Management Development and Capacity Building

• Developing highly skilled and creative leadership within the schools of Alexandra including principals, Heads of Departments etc.

• Facilitating the development of practical management systems at the school level.

• Increasing direct contact and hands on monitoring and support to increase basic operations and working systems in Alexandra’s schools.

• Developing and offering a range of extra-curricular and co-curricular programming at all schools in Alexandra.

• Training of educators as leaders of extra- and co-curricular activities.

• Community members with interests and skills identified and encouraged to participate and lead extra- and co-curricular activities.

Senior Secondary Intervention Project

A sustainable programme of senior secondary support services to increase the Matric pass and distinction rate among Alexandra learners, with particular emphasis on mathematics and the sciences. Such support  includes:

• Saturday and Holiday Schools

• A mentorship programme of Alexandra educators.

Vibrant Adult Basic Education and Training Sector in Schools and Community

Developing a sustainable development plan for an integrated ABET programme in Alexandra based on the existing programme currently in place. Activities include:

• Developing a central ABET training centre to support school-based satellite centres within the Multipurpose Teaching and Learning Centre

• Developing school-based satellite centres for ABET and community mobilisation.

HIV / Aids

This project focuses on addressing the challenge of HIV/AIDS through the schools. Activities include:

• Designing, training, and supporting an in-depth peer counselling project at all secondary schools involving 20 student leaders and volunteers at each school.

• Training approximately 2 educators per school per year as well trained HIV/Aids Counsellors.

• Train educators on the use of life skills curriculum in the classroom.

• Undertake a range of interventions to motivate schools to begin planning and implementing mechanisms to provide support to learners and educators with Aids.