On both days, we visited schools. Monday's visit was a very small, (under 200 students k-12) private school in Harrismith called the Harriston School. It was the first day back for teachers and students and we were a bit of a surprise to them. Nonetheless, they served us tea and sandwiches in the faculty lounge and were very accommodating and welcoming. We were shown around and invited to stay through a few classes. Though the school was very small, there was a substantial amount of diversity in the student population. As well, the language of instruction was English instead of Afrikaner.
On Tuesday, we drove a little further afield to Thsibollo secondary school. This school is in a much more rural area and has far more students. Almost 700 in just grades 10 - 12. Again, we were welcomed warmly and walked around campus. There were at least 6 sections of each grade and we popped in and out of several classrooms, being introduced and offering to answer any questions posed to us. Any. Not many questions though.
Comparing the resources of Harriston to Tshibollo is almost laughable. Though Tshibollo has a computer lab with many computers and a science lab with tables set up for water and gas connections, it seemed pretty clear that water and gas were not actually accessible. The science teacher talked about teaching chemistry in theory only - in order to demonstrate the boiling point of different liquids, he'd have to have the ability to boil.... Harriston this year has a graduating class of 1. The classes we visited ranged in size from 6 to 15. At Tshibollo, the were easily 45 - 50 kids in a section.
Then think about the fact that all of these kids take the same exact tests in order to graduate....
Photos of the schools, mostly Tshibollo.
Location:Harrismith and Qwaqwa
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