Head of ‘pro-poor’ school rewarded
A PHOENIX school principal’s creativity in bettering the lives of his pupils has gained him national recognition.
In mid-November, Brookdale Primary School headmaster Rabichand Brijlal So- man was presented with a silver Batho Pele Award in the category for best public service creative and innovator of the year. He also received a bronze for best public service leader.
“Batho Pele” means “People First”. The award ceremony in Midrand was host- ed by the national Department of Public Service and Administration.
Soman, who has been a teacher for 30 years, has spent the past 16 as the principal of Brookdale. He has made many changes while at the helm of what he calls a “proudly pro-poor school”. More than 2 000 children attend, and Soman counted as one of his successes an independent initiative to put up 17 wooden cabins to provide more classrooms for the growing number of pupils.
Many of the children come from single-parent or childheaded households. “There is a simple policy in this school . . . no child will be turned away,” Soman said.
Another project is a “back-to-school” scheme in which Brookdale, non-governmental organisation Lungisani Indlela and welfare organisations ensure that children living in poverty or on the streets come to class.
“We bring them to school, we provide them with a uniform, we ensure that they get cleaned up [to prevent the spread of infections such as scabies].” The pupils also receive two meals a day.
Although the school fees are only R10 a month, the school usually manages to collect between R800 and R1 000 each month.
“The children here are extremely poor,” Soman says. “The R10 is a voluntary contribution. If you can afford it, you give us R10.”
The school relies on the goodwill of sponsors and raises money for its feeding scheme by selling and trading the produce from its six large vegetable gardens.
Soman said the committed staff were the backbone of the school. “Teachers are important . . . If you make the teacher feel important, they will make the child feel important,” he said.
Soman was nominated for the awards by the governing body chairwoman, Nozipho Nxande.