Tree school puts down roots thanks to villagers' efforts

Three years ago, Selowe Primary School did not have a name, classrooms or recognition from the Limpopo department of education.

Classeswere held in the shade of marula trees and each grade was identified by a rough, handwritten sign stuck to a tree trunk.

The headmaster's office was merely another sign: "Principal's office".

Back then, the Sunday Times placed a haunting image of clusters of pupils under trees on its front page and titled the story "Children of Shame".

The tree school had been born out of a community's need to educate their 165 children in the rural hamlet of Silvermine.

At the time, they had nothing apart from 14 volunteer teachers and a desire for education.

Only two of the teachers had diplomas.

Most of the others had stepped up to teach armed only with matric qualifications.

But this Friday, as the school prepared to wrap up for the year, parents, teachers and the children demonstrated a deep sense of achievement because they now have a real school - classrooms are under construction, their principal has an office and the school has a name.

Their motto, selected for the new school emblem, reads: "In education there is light".

Against all odds, 18 Grade3 pupils from the original Grade1 class of 2012 achieved a 96% pass in maths in the annual national assessments this year - putting many of their peers at urban or wealthier schools to shame.

The "tree school" has undergone a radical transformation largely because of the community's determination.

Towards the end of 2011, about 100 parents dug in their heels, refusing to send their children to schools in two neighbouring villages after two children narrowly escaped being raped while walking through dense bush to school.

The community's stubborn insistence on having their own school in Silvermine finally paid off when the school was officially recognised in late 2012 - thanks mainly to the efforts of the first "principal", Evans Seanego, and his dedicated band of teachers.

"Forcing the department to recognise the school did not look promising at the time, but we managed to convince them to do it. It was a huge victory for us," Seanego said this week.

Community members were outraged at the time when the department's spokesman, Pat Kgomo, said Selowe Primary pupils would not be promoted to the next grade because "to us, there's no school there".

Because it is now registered as a school, the department gave it almost R82000 in funds this year for its operations.

Nine facebrick classrooms, 12 toilets and a nutrition block to cater for the school's feeding scheme are also being built by the department.

In addition, it has built a green palisade fence at a cost of more than R1-million.

Mamoloko Mailula, a Grade 7 pupil, is one of the children who this week hailed the transformation at the school.

"Although I am disappointed that the department has not completed building the nine classrooms, I am delighted that we finally have a school."

The 12-year-old, who has set her sights on becoming a doctor, wants to assist her community after she qualifies because "they are very poor".

She said her school urgently needed a library.

Although support has come in various forms since the school's plight was highlighted by the Sunday Times, much of it has come from the community .

Maggie Moyaha is a substitute teacher and mother of five.

She left her family behind in another village 27km away to volunteer her services at the school until it closes on Friday for the holidays.

There's also Morongwa Mathakane, 30, who has been teaching the GradeR and Grade1 pupils for a pittance.

"I feel proud of my school. It's been a success story and a dream come true for the community," said Mathakane, one of the 14 volunteer teachers who started the school in 2012.

Some 119 parents, almost all of whom rely on social grants, are contributing R10 a month towards her salary - among them Susan Marakalala, 34, who survives on her children's two child support grants of R660 a month.

Although she admits that her family members sometimes go to bed hungry, she has not missed her monthly payment to the school - despite Selowe Primary being declared a non-fee-paying school.

"I am passionate about our children's education and I will never miss a payment," she said.

The school's acting principal, Mathipa Manthata, said one of the biggest challenges for teachers was teaching two different classes at the same time - a practice that is common at schools that have small numbers of pupils in each grade.

A total of 168 pupils sat for the exams at the school this year.

Manthata teaches 13 subjects, including English, Sepedi, social sciences, maths and natural sciences.

"We are very proud of the school," said Manthata.

The school's governing body chairwoman, Dorcas Kgatla, 44, said the children were receiving a good education .

But the urgent cry from most members of the community is for the provision of sporting facilities such as a soccer and netball field.

Several companies, including Vodacom, Mathote Modular Building Systems and the Siyakha Education Trust, opened their wallets after they were touched by the plight of the school.

Vodacom donated a container, which has been converted into the principal's office, and Mathote Modular Building Systems gave five mobile classrooms.

The Siyakha Education Trust built a kitchen facility and upgraded the toilets, among other things, at a cost of R250000.

The trust said in a statement that it assisted schools nationally with computer facilities, laboratories, interactive white boards and refurbishment projects.

The school urgently needs a library, science laboratory, a soccer field and netball court. Other needs include cooking utensils, serving dishes and plates for the feeding scheme as well as a photocopying machine and teaching aids. Readers wishing to contribute can call the principal, Mathipa Manthata, on 076-954-5513.

govenderp@sundaytimes.co.za