How the community helped a dysfunctional school in Soweto
Before Mduduzi Maphindikazi Mathe became the principal of Bhukulani Secondary School in Soweto, the school was on the verge of closure. It was a crime hot spot and its buildings had been vandalised. But Mathe turned things around.
Although he has now retired as principal, his successors are still continuing with his successful strategy.
“I enjoyed the best support from all staff members, parents and the community around the school. That is how we were able to turn around a comprehensively dysfunctional school,” Mathe said.
“We had to put on our overalls and begin refurbishing and renovating an almost completely dilapidated school,” Mathe said about his time at the institution.
Mathe also credits teamwork enabled by community organisations and individuals, including the Southern African Student Volunteers, the Wits Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation, Professor Mary Metcalfe, the School Governing Body (then known as the Parent Teacher Association) and the Zondi community and staff for the
school’s remarkable turnaround.
Now principal Martin Sadiki is continuing where Mathe left off.
The new year has presented Sadiki with new challenges, most importantly to maintain the school’s top marks and mentality of excellence among staff and learners.
Sadiki said his school was almost turned into a police station in an effort to fight the rampant crime that often also played itself out on the school grounds, but he and Mathe have managed to bring the situation under control.
The school is now protected by the Community Policing Forum, extra security guards have been employed and an alarm system and CCTV cameras have been set up.
Sadiki said they also made sure that the school nutrition programme was run well to ensure that learners were not hungry.
“I had to assess what we needed the most. Results. I emphasise results,” Sadiki said. However, he also admits that they had an overall dip in performance during the Covid-19 period, which can be attributed to the disruptions necessitated by lockdowns.
But although they are working to overcome this, Sadiki added, they haven’t wavered from their requirement that learners need a top achiever attitude coupled with good manners to join their school.
Bhukulani Secondary School obtained an 84.1% matric pass rate in 2023.