KWENA BASIN CONSERVANCY SCHOOLS PROJECT

The Conservancy:
The Kwena Basin Conservancy was formed in 1996 by a group of like-minded landowners, who felt that they wanted to support education and the development of human potential in the community, in addition to conservation.

The community:
The community served by the Kwena Basin Schools is tightly knit and proudly traditional and consists mainly of stable farm worker families of long standing, many being three generation households. For the children, a solid primary education is a passport to success in today’s competitive world.

The Schools:
There are three schools benefiting from the project:

• Klipspruit, a historical white farm school, now has 14 teachers serving 400 learners in classes up to grade eleven, and will progress to a full senior school in 2011.
• Umthombopholile has 4 teachers and 150 learners up to grade 7
• Phakama School has 4 teachers and 120 learners up to grade 7

The Project:
Twice annually since 2002, teaching students from the Wits School of Education have been spending their 3-week School Experience sessions in the Kwena Basin Schools under the leadership of lecturer Dr Jean Place and her colleagues. The relationship and interaction between the children, the students, their lecturers, the teachers at the schools and the supporting farm owners have had enormous benefits to all concerned. The lecturers’ and students’ passion and dedication are an inspiration to the local teachers and learners. The students, some from privileged backgrounds, return to Johannesburg with a full appreciation of the challenges of teaching without some basic facilities that are taken for granted in city schools. Dr Place did her doctoral thesis on the education in the Kwena Basin Schools and has been successful in obtaining and instituting a world acclaimed reading program called THRASS at the schools. Students tackle projects at the schools like setting up lending libraries. The first of the students has taken up a post teaching Grade 3’s at Klipspruit in 2008 and in 2009 ABSA renewed this sponsorship for a second year, and added another sponsored post at Umthombopholile, both posts which is again sponsored for 2010.

The support required:
The Conservancy is very proud to associate with Wits in accommodating the students for their stay, and hopes to be able to support them further, especially with transport, accommodation, training and financial assistance where required.

READ MORE:
For more details about our valley, our conservancy and our projects, Google: “THRASS” and “Kwena Basin Schools” REF: Dr Jean Place can be contacted on e-mail: Jean.Place@wits.ac.za