Several private schools in Johannesburg are collaborating on a multimillion-rand project to train black matriculants from underprivileged areas as teachers. Spearheaded by St John's College, the Realema teacher intern programme aims to create "a pipeline" of qualified, competent and compassionate primary school teachers.The Houghton-based school has secured funding for 19 teacher interns to complete a four-year bachelor of education qualification through Unisa.The group, most of whom have been selected from the Masibambane College in Orange Farm, an informal settlement 45km south of Johannesburg, have been placed at Masibambane, as well as at St John's College, The Ridge, Kingsmead College, Roedean and St Mary's Waverley.story_article_left1The interns receive a R3000 monthly stipend.In addition to this, the six schools also offer the interns free accommodation on their campuses.Faith Ralane, 21, who is one of eight interns based at St John's College, said she was determined to qualify as a teacher at all costs.Ralane is so committed to achieving her goal that she has already passed 20 of the 40 modules required for the teaching qualification. She is enrolling for another 10 modules this year.Last year, 11 interns passed 88 out of the 89 modules that they wrote and bagged 33 distinctions among them.Ralane said she received great insight into teaching methods by observing how different teachers taught lessons during her internship.She and her fellow interns give lessons under the supervision of seasoned teachers and assist to plan, set and mark tests.story_article_right2Another intern, Sifiso Adams, 20, said: "This country needs teachers. It would be nice to be an engineer or a doctor, but who will mould and shape these young lives?"Through teaching, I will be touching many lives."Grade 5 pupil Sabelo Ntuli, 10, said: "They [the interns] are not as strict as the proper teachers. They are a little bit more fun."Patrick Lees, principal of St John's Preparatory School, said the Independent Schools Association of Southern Africa had given its blessing to the project."We have been very careful to make sure we will not accept another intern unless we have enough funding for four years. We can't play with children's lives."The project is the brainchild of Lees and former Masibambane College headmaster Pieter Steyn.Lees said that at least 10 other private schools had shown an interest in the programme."It has been an unbelievable success."..