Graduates improve rural schools
Impact felt in and outside classroom
An initiative by TeachSA is placing graduates in schools to address the shortage of mathematics, science and language teachers.
The programme has seen marked improvements in participating rural schools. Gabisile Gasa, who teaches English and life orientation at Umthawelanga Senior Secondary School in the rural town of Maclear in the Eastern Cape, said her pupils have started using a previously abandoned library.
Gasa said when she arrived at the school there were varying challenges which, with the help of pupils, she has addressed.
“When I arrived there was a library that was not used as well as an office space. I worked with various learners from my grade 10 English class to clean the library. “Learners from different grades are now able to use the library,” Gasa said.
The bachelor of psychology graduate with a postgraduate certificate in education said among the successes she has seen since joining the programme two years ago was the development of a debating society.
“I’m also using the office space to run a mentorship programme with learners to assist them in dealing with various challenges they might be facing at school or home, as well as career-related orientation,” Gasa said.
“I have realised that learners need someone who will show them empathy, be nonjudgemental and willing to work with them. “There have been instances where learners who were engaged in gangsterism had the opportunity to see there is more to life after various mentorship programmes and support,” she added. Another graduate who is making a positive impact is Bongane Mohale from Diepsloot, Johannesburg. The Master’s of Arts student is in his third year as a member of TeachSA. Mohale, who teaches English at the school, said he had a positive impact at Ntswane Secondary School in Hammanskraal, where he was previously based.