Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
High praise as principal retires
WITH more than 40 years experience in the Department of Education, Fairmount High School Principal Terence Klassen ended the third term with a bang, putting the robes down and headed straight to a luxury holiday in Langebaan.
The school threw a big farewell party for Klassen, who celebrated the 41 years he invested in improving the quality of education for the marginalised pupils from the areas surrounding Parkwood. There were speeches, gifts and a special certification by the school to give him a memorable exit.
Klassen was seen as not just an academic, but a compassionate and hard-working visionary. On social media, parents, former pupils and staff poured out their gratitude and congratulated him on his successful career, wishing him a joyful retirement.
The 65-year-old maths fanatic started at the school in 1981, just a year after his qualification and first job at Ned Doman. In the 90s his career started to flourish. He was appointed as a head of department for maths, physics and biology and became the youngest principal in 1995. The school has since shone. “At that time under the (former) coloured affairs department in the (former) house of representatives, I achieved the top results in the country for biology higher grade and the fourth best for biology standard grade with a 100% pass rate.
“Our school was the first to do away with the Green Book and introduced the computerised system for replacing the Green Book. We pioneered the Surf Walk as fund-raising instead of the Big Walk and our school did exceptionally well at athletics, often obtaining first place in the various sections,” he said.
“We at Fairmount pride ourselves in not selecting our learners. We work strictly on a first-come first-served basis and work with every learner to achieve their best. Our best matric result was 96.4%, despite our dedicated staff working hard to achieve 100% every year.”
Their high performance saw the school placed on Quintile 5. “The major challenge is having our school placed in Quintile 5 with the affluent schools despite us servicing largely sub-economic communities.”
Klassen had an opportunity to meet influential political icons who he gained inspiration from.
“My most cherished moment in education was when I was selected with 24 other principals to have tea with our then recently elected president Nelson Mandela and Professor Jakes Gerwel at Tuynhuys where he asked us as principals to ‘please ensure’ that we educate the nation.
“This has been the driving force throughout my teaching career.”
He thanked the parents for their co-operation and support over the years, and encouraged teachers to bond with pupils, learn to understand their uniqueness and help them reach their best abilities. One of the long-standing teachers, Michael Curry, praised Klassen for his role, labelling him a man of integrity, compassion and a risk taker, saying he promoted fairness and embraced technological evolution.
WCED spokesperson Millicent Merton described Klassen as “a visionary legend who has served the Western Cape Education Department with integrity, commitment and passion”.
“Klassen is leaving this legacy at the school and the Fairmount community. During his principalship, he earned the trust and respect of all he met. We wish him a contented and joyous retired life. We thank him for all his years of unselfish service to our country and for leading by example."