A collaboration spanning two continents
THEIR cultures may differ and “6 000 miles” is the distance between them, but that hasn’t prevented a Chatsworth school from forging a strong bond with a UK counterpart.
Close interactions and raised cultural awareness between teachers and pupils from Summerfield Primary in Bayview and Leeds’ Gledhow Primary has been a feature of their 14 year relationship.
The partnership between the schools,which is an initiative of the British Council, reached a new high this week. The schools launched an educational book, borne out of their collaborative efforts at Summerfield.
The book, Project 27: Nelson Mandela in the Classroom, was the brainchild of Vinoo Nydoo, a Summerfield teacher and Gledhow’s Sarah Black is the editor.
Providing insight into the life and times of Mandela for pupils from both school’s was the purpose.
Some of Mandela’s famous words and pictures is a large part of the content, and children from both sides also pitched in with poems, essays and artworks, all related to the icon.
The catch phrase “Simunye Siyakhula” – we are one, we are growing – which can be found on the book’s cover and is the name given to the partnership, best describes the relationship between the schools.
Black believed the book would be a “lasting legacy of their partnership”.
Since 2003, both schools observed “partnership weeks” to celebrate the other’s diversity and a song written by a former Gledhow pupil is an offshoot of their interactions.
At the launch, Paul Project 27: Nelson Mandela in the Classroom. Naidoo, Summerfield’s principal, acknowledged the efforts of his staff to sustain the partnership, in spite of challenges.
He used the Mandela saying, “A nation that cares for their children, cares for its future”, to describe the importance of their relationship with Gledhow.
Bala Kamal, Summerfield’s former principal and one of the main drivers of the school’s Leeds link, regarded the book as a “fantastic achievement”.
Michael Walker and Elvina Jefferey, teachers at Gledhow, travelled from Leeds for a taste of life at Summerfield and Chatsworth.
Walker said: “The staff at Gledhow and I hold this partnership in high esteem and the book is a reminder of what we can achieve when we work together. Many copies have already been purchased at home.”
Former Umkhonto We Sizwe (MK) commander, Lieutenant General Raymond Lalla, who served in the country’s secret service and is presently an executive with SARS was the keynote speaker.
He acknowledged the important role teachers played in education.
Lalla, raised in Merebank, said his teachers had stirred his desire to fight for freedom and exile, similar to former Bayview MK operatives Lenny Naidu, David Maduray, Richard Vallihu and Jude Francis.
Department of Education official Lenny Naicker described Summerfield as a “melting pot of cultures”.
“The department is unable to meet all the needs of the school, therefore we appreciate the relationship between the schools.”– Herald Reporter