Floors High appeals to past pupils to strengthen education of future pupils
THE ACTING headmaster of Floors High School, Tony Jacobs, appealed to old pupils to assist the school and strengthen the education of future pupils by expanding its infrastructure and academic initiatives through contributing to its Alma Mater fund, during a reunion dinner for the classes of 1970 and 1971 that was held on the weekend.
The reunion had to be postponed twice due to Covid-19 restrictions.
The function was attended by more than 50 former pupils, many of whom travelled from towns and cities throughout South Africa, as well as overseas, including the former Bishop of the Anglican Church’s Kimberley and Kuruman diocese, Reverend Oswald Swartz, the Bishop Emiratis of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Southern Africa, Reverend Bill Bowels, former Member of Parliament and senior government official Les Abrahams, businessmen Danny Mccay and Gesant Kahaar, former principals, teachers, nurses and public servants.
Jacobs pointed out that despite pupils who came from communities beset by poverty and socio-economic hardships, including the scourge of drug abuse,
this had not deterred them from outshining more affluent schools.
He added that the school was nominated to represent all South African schools at the Bloodhound land speed record attempt, after they built a car from scratch.
“Past and present pupils represented South Africa on two occasions at the United Nations Assembly in New York at a public speaking competition and won the national robotics competition, competing against more privileged
schools, where this forms part of their curriculum.
“We also instituted the Y-CAP programme to deal with the issue of teenage suicide. “Similarly, we started the Northern Cape Drug Rehabilitation to deal with the scourge of drug usage amongst pupils in communities we serve.”
The head prefect of the Class of 1970, Les Abrahams, in his address, supported the call to assist pupils as they had used the foundations laid at Floors High School to succeed in their professions.
“It is not the government’s sole responsibility to help communities out of this vicious cycle of poverty. It is our sovereign responsibility to do more than we have done before: Many of us got it right. Many more will do so in future.
“Almost 30 years after mining operations stopped, the coloured community of the Malay Camp area, near the Civic Centre, were moved onto the former floors area where the gemstones were dug by hand from what was for a long time the world’s richest diamond mining operation.
“In contrast, this resettled community has remained poverty-stricken to this day. Beset with these disadvantages their offspring have turned to education and skills development to unlock their future.
“Floors High School was the second high school built for the then coloured community in Kimberley. Today its learnership reflects the demographics of South African society.”