Ohrigstad - News, Views & Information

INTRODUCTION

Maepa Primary School is a typical example of what is known as a Farm School. It started in those days due to a number of farm workers whose children had to attend some type of education and also from scattered traditional villages scattered around in the mountains. In most cases scholars in those days had to walk for miles to attend school.
Some scholars were lucky enough to get a lift from the milk train which runs between Burgersfort and Ohrigstad. The milk train is no longer in use, but the tracks still connect the two towns with each other. This is part of the main line that runs as a north eastern split off from Belfast to Lydenburg via Burgersfort and ends in Steelpoort.
Presently the railway line is used to transport raw materials from the mines to the factories and smelters. Across the school is the local train station called Voortrekkers but it has not been used since the milk train seized to exist. 

Presently the land the school is standing on belongs to the community of Maepa. The community of Maepa is situated on the land called Jedo. This community was forcefully moved after 1948 to the so called homelands of Lebowa, the traditional area of the Pedi tribe.

Many of the descendants and early inhabitants of Maepa only returned after 1994 mainly from 1998.

Steven Mkhabela, the present head master recalls, when he started at Maepa Primary in 1990 the majority of scholars mainly came from the surrounding farming community but now more than half are from the surrounding villages.

Mr Mkhabela was born and raised in Lydenburg, finished his school there and was trained in a teachers college in Nelspruit to only return to Lydenburg in 1984 to teach. He accepted the position as head master at Maepa Primary in 1990.

THE SCHOOL

Presently there are 135 scholars attending Maepa Primary from the surrounding area. The primary school, like all primary schools in South Africa, is divided into grades from grade 1 to grade 7. The following is a breakdown of the grades, classes, subjects and teachers:

Foundation Phase:	Grade 1 – Grade 3 (Ages 6 – 8)
Teacher:	Peladi Mokwena (072 2629 331)
Scholars:	58 Boys & Girls
Subjects:	Literacy, Numeracy & Life Skills
Intermediate Phase:	Grade 4 – Grade 6 (Ages 9 – 11)
Teachers:	Sonto Mkhabela (084 200 3186)
	Sellina Kganyhapo (082 5186 002)
Scholars:	64 Boys & Girls
Subjects:	English, Northern Sotho, Afrikaans, Economic Management Science, Art & Culture, Mathematics, Social Science, Life Orientation, Technology & Natural Science
Senior Phase:	Grade 7 (12 Year Olds)
Teacher:	Steven Mkhabela (072 418 0200)
Scholars:	13 Boys & Girls
Subjects:	English, Northern Sotho, Afrikaans, Economic Management Science, Art & Culture, Mathematics, Social Science, Life Orientation, Technology & Natural Science

GENERAL

It was only in 2004 that the school has received the new 4 classroom structure and a few outside toilets. This means that all 135 scholars are divided into the four classrooms. There has been a huge improvement from the old two class room structure which has fallen out of use since 2004.
The building is now in a very sad condition and dangerous to use but can be renovated and restored to function as a school hall and extra classroom for perhaps art, music and computers?

The school starts every weekday morning at 7:45 and lasts until 14:00 in the afternoon. The children have their break from classes only once a day between 10:30 and 11:10.

On the terrain there is also a structure of only walls that used to be a kitchen before it collapsed. This is still being used as a kitchen where food is being prepared daily by volunteers for the children. The government works on a formula to establish how much food, mainly in the form of maize meal and a supplement of protein like beans and perhaps vegetables are being provided to the school. These rations are being kept in one of the class rooms and are then daily prepared.

Maepa primary has been declared a no “school funds” school due to the very poor conditions of the community. Previously school funds per child were R 20 per year and even this little amount is now not necessary to be paid.

The cost of uniforms has become very expensive for the parents. The shirts cost R 29, the pants and skirts around R 50 and shoes cost R 100 a pair, if parents can not afford the school fees it is difficult for them to buy a uniform especially when they are unemployed.

Furthermore the school receives a yearly budget from the government to buy consumables like cleaning material, pens and paper for the children. Text books and other material are received from the department of education every year. Presently, due to the lack of an administrational office, these items are kept in the school class rooms.

The teachers and head master are being assisted by the School Governing Body (SGB) which exists out of 6 parents, one teacher and the head master. All organisational and logistical matters are being discussed and taken care of within this group of people.

Amongst them are also a financial committee, which has been formed to manage the finances and books of the school.

ASPIRATION

Due to the poor commitment from the government to Farm Schools, Maepa Primary struggles to only keep basic education going. However, the headmaster, teachers and parents have a dream and high aspirations for the school.
They would want to offer the scholars the best education through the latest technology and equipment.
Presently the school only has electricity but no electronic equipment like a copier machine, fax machine, telephone or computer.
The biggest problem is the security at the school. Due to the poverty of the community the school will always loose through theft from burglaries, because nobody is resident at the school after hours or during weekends.
Next year the school also want to offer a grade R for the community and this class is for pre-school children at the age of 5.
They would also like to have a complete kitchen to prepare the food on a daily basis.
An administrational office that could keep all the records of the school will be essential. They will need at least a building with two sleeping rooms, like a small flat, where some of the teachers could stay during the week because they have to travel very far each day to the school.
Also in these living quarters there need to be somebody staying that could look after the school grounds and is a security guard after hours.

They would like to have the old building restored to its former glory. This can be used as a school hall and to be able to make digital education possible, like showing educational programs on a big screen and projector. Presently, the school receives water from a local farmer which is not readily available and the solution to this is to perhaps drill their own borehole. The school would like to keep a sustainable vegetable garden that could supplement the children’s nutrition.

Concerning sport and physical education, a lot still needs to be done to be able to cover this need. Athletics are being encouraged by the school, but due to the lack of facilities, this is not possible. Team sport like football and netball becomes very difficult due to the grounds and no facilities.

WISHLIST

Through the help of donations, sponsorships and adoption programmes, the school hopes to accomplish the above mentioned. Below is a list of all the immediate needs that the school would like to have fulfilled in the short and long term with the help from the private sector.

Many parents of the school children are employed by Hannah Lodge, which is the reserve across the road, they are now starting to become committed to help the school accomplish their goals.

The school also pledges transparency as soon as funds start to pour in from outside. They will proof their responsibility and reliability by keeping channels for feedback open to their donors and sponsors, through the internet, photo’s and letters.

Presently, the manager of Hannah Lodge, on behalf of Maepa Primary, will be responsible for the accepting channelling and prioritising of any funds.
The school urgently needs the following:

• A computer to keep records, a database and to execute general administrational tasks. Also to use the internet and send and receive emails.
• A fax machine to be able to send and receive faxes.
• Big screen television to show educational programmes.
• Copier machine to reproduce learning material and news letters for the parents.
• General stationery like paper, pens, rulers, pencils etc.
• Old magazines, books and files can be used by the school.
• Funds to renovate the old historical building, to build a kitchen and construct living quarters and an administrational building.
• Funds to improve the soccer- and netball fields with the need of equipment.
• Clothes in the form of uniforms or funds to be able to provide uniforms. Old clothes and warm jerseys and jackets are very welcome, especially for the winter months.
• Funds to sink their own bore hole to keep the vegetable garden project sustainable.
• Long term adoption of the school perhaps by other educational institutions.