The sky’s the limit with care and support
JEFFREYS Bay Comprehensive High School is one of 17 schools in the Sarah Baartman Education District circuit chosen to pilot the Care and Support for Teaching and Learning (CSTL) Programme.
The programme is ably coordinated by life orientation teacher Janet Dennis who has been with the school since inception in 2015.
“It is a great honour and pleasure for me to be part of this historic school which brings pupils from diverse backgrounds together. It serves as a good example of a school providing a platform for nation-building,” Dennis said.
CSTL is a South African Development Community (SADC)-initiated programme adopted by the Department of Basic Education.
This 10-pillar holistic programme provides a framework for the initiation, coordination and expansion of a range of care and support policies implemented in schools, such as the National School Nutrition Programme, the HIV/Aids Life Skills Education Programme and the School Safety Programme.
In Jeffreys Bay Comprehensive High School, the delivery of the integrated package of services has been going from strength to strength with the aim ultimately to improve education outcomes.
The school’s nutrition programme is boosted by a lush vegetable garden which was established with the aid of Vlakteplaas Quarry and is being maintained by Pauline Plaatjies and Grade 8 pupils.
The vegetables are not only used in the school’s kitchen to provide one nutritious meal a day for pupils, but are also sold at a reduced price to the surrounding Ocean View community.
With music being one of the pillars of the programme, the school has also seen the establishment of a 60-pupil choir at the beginning of this year.
Under the guidance of teachers Xoliswa Mapoloba and sisters Nondumiso and Nosiphiwo Magadla, the choir has already competed on provincial level in Umtata.
Kouga Jazz Ensemble co-founder Daniel Hutchinson has also been roped in to teach choir members how to play various instruments to enhance their performance and musical skills.
Sister departments of the DoE, which include health and social development among others, as well as the SAPS, also play a pivotal role in the programme, visiting the school to provide dental check-ups, sanitary pads, the services of social workers and safety awareness.