A group of Grade 12 pupils have been spared a time-consuming daily commute between Port Alfred and Makhanda or Alexandria. This is the outcome of a meeting between their parents, the provincial education department, and the management of Nomzamo Secondary School, where they are enrolled.
The children and their parents raised the alarm two weeks ago when they were told that Nomzamo Secondary School had no teacher qualified to teach Afrikaans Home Language (HL); for this reason, the education department was considering moving 18 children taking Afrikaans HL to Mary Waters Secondary in Makhanda and Alexandria High School.
The shock proposal came as the youngsters, most of them from Station Hill, had settled into week 6 of their crucial final year of school. With no high school in Station Hill, the closest no-fee public school is Nomzamo Secondary School in Nemato, just under a kilometre from the Station Hill/ Wharf Street intersection.
In a letter to the principal and the education department, delivered last Tuesday, the parents rejected the suggestion, saying that the roughly 10 hours of commuting every week “would negatively impact them academically, socially and emotionally.”
A meeting between parents, the school and the education department was subsequently called.
This week, one of the parents reported on the outcome of that meeting. Parents who spoke to Talk of the Town have asked not to be named, because they are concerned their children might be singled out.
“Everything went well,” the parent said. “Our kids are not going to be moved – they will stay at Nomzamo and they will continue with the same teacher.”
While the department last week said the teacher wasn’t correctly qualified to teach Afrikaans HL, TOTT has had sight of a certificate of excellence awarded to the teacher by the district education department. It reads, “For most improved pass rate in Afrikaans Home Language Grade 12, 2024”. It is signed by subject advisor for the Sarah Baartman District H Rankwana and the district’s Chief Education Specialist (Curriculum) N. Hanisi.
“We said as parents that we are going to have to work hard to make sure that we get a permanent Afrikaans HL teacher appointed here at Nomzamo,” the parent said. “Our problem may be solved for now, but what about the current Grade 11s coming through?”
Spokesperson for the Eastern Cape Department of Education Mali Mtima confirmed that the situation had been “partially resolved”. He said the Afrikaans Home Language teacher from Port Alfred High School may be brought in on a rotational basis to fill in the gaps until aother permanent teacher is hired for Nomzamo.
- This article was first published in Talk of the Town, March 6, 2025. The newspaper serving the communities of Ndlambe and the Sunshine Coast, with a weekly wrap of Makhanda news, is available at stores from early on Thursdays.