Stonelaw pupils cherish visit to Ikusasalethu High School
“The pupils believe education is the key to success and are driven to do well and succeed”
From January 20 to February 4 of this year we – four students and three teachers from Stonelaw High School – took part in our annual trip to South Africa to visit our partnership school, Ikusasalethu High School.
The aim of the trip was to visit Ikusasalethu and strengthen the bond between our schools to maintain the partnership for years to come.
During our time in South Africa we went to Ikusasalethu High every weekday.
On our first day we were welcomed to the school during an assembly where we stood up on stage and were introduced to everyone.
From that first experience of Ikusasalethu it was easy to see just how warm and welcoming everybody was and that we would feel right at home.
We were given timetables for classes and were pleased to see that we would be taking many of the same subjects that we do in Stonelaw High School.
It was interesting to get to take part in lessons and see the similarities and differences between the Scottish and South African courses for each subject.
In addition to learning how to do things in a different way, we were also taught new things in the subjects we already do.
One of our favourite classes was arts and culture where they learn traditional Zulu songs and dances amongst other things.
They included us in their dancing groups and we had the opportunity to perform with them and also teach some Scottish ceilidh dances.
Most classrooms that we visited were very cramped with at least 70 pupils in each class in the lower half of the school. However, in the grades 11 and 12 the number of students within each class was only around 20 to 30.
In every class we attended the learners were so friendly, kind and genuine, some even making space for us to sit next to them so there would be three of us sitting at one table.
It was great to go to the same classes more than once because we got the chance to get to chat to the same people and form proper friendships.
The learners and teachers couldn’t have been better hosts and friends to us as they made us feel welcome and involved within the school community.
After the first few days we didn’t feel like visitors any more, we felt like a part of the school.
Like the pupils at Stonelaw High School, the learners and teachers at Ikusasalethu High School really value the partnership we have.
At lunch, pupils would often come and sit with us in the school’s media centre, the room where Ikusasalethu’s Partnership members meet similarly to our meetings in Scotland.
It is clear that the pupils are happy to support the partnership, as well as the Fairtrade group.
Many of the pupils believe that education is the key to success and are so incredibly driven to do well and succeed. This makes their school uniform very important to them as they cannot attend school without one, similar to our uniform policy at Stonelaw.
This is why our Fairtrade group is so important. When the group was founded in 2007, its aim was to supply pupils who needed it with school uniform so that they could attend school.
This year we were able to supply an amazing number of uniforms to pupils at Ikusasalethu High.
We were also able to supply £100 worth of uniforms to Uphaphazi Primary School on behalf of Mrs Zabiega at Calderwood Primary.
Our visit to our partnership school really taught us a lot. It made us think about how much we take for granted in our schools and our community.
We rely so heavily on technology for every aspect of our lives including education, but when we were at Ikusasalethu, in classrooms with no electricity or plumbing, we had the chance to reflect on whether all the technology we have is really necessary.
The quality of teaching was so high and it was not affected by lack of resources. The Ikusasalethu learners manage to attain incredibly high marks without seeing a PowerPoint or using a smart board every period.
They have such a strong work ethic and really appreciate what they do have so the lack of technology is not a main issue.
It also made us think about how we treat others. In the classes, it was not uncommon for the pupils to share pencils and other stationery and they were quite willing to do so, sharing everything they had without thinking about it.
The learners come from a wide range of backgrounds at Ikusasalethu; some difficult, others well-off. There was no judgement of others because of their background and it was humbling to see that the material things just didn’t matter to them when forming opinions of others or us.
The partnership makes such a difference, not just to the pupils we help at Ikusasalethu but also the pupils at Stonelaw and everyone else involved.
It helps bridge a gap between our cultures and our schools and gives us the chance to learn from each other, about each other and even about ourselves. It makes us reflect on our attitude to the people around us and how we treat others and it makes us appreciate how lucky we are to have what we have.
We would like to say a massive thank you for all of the support we received from our local community as well as our school community.
From making donations and buying goodies at our stalls to attending our coffee mornings and quiz nights en masse, you have been with us the whole way and this trip would not have been possible without your help.
The Burnside and Rutherglen community spirit has made our dream of visiting Ikusasalethu a reality and we are so grateful for your continuous support of the Stonelaw – Ikusasalethu Partnership.