This year there has been an above average influx of Grade 1 learners to Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) Combined School. The school has had to accept 78 Grade 1s this year – with their quota usually being between 35 and 40 new little ones.
School principal Sondezwa Hobongwana says she has had to make a few quick changes to try and accommodate the new learners.
This year there has been an above average influx of Grade 1 learners to Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) Combined School. The school has had to accept 78 Grade 1s this year – with their quota usually being between 35 and 40 new little ones.
School principal Sondezwa Hobongwana says she has had to make a few quick changes to try and accommodate the new learners.
“I have been forced to do something about it; I can’t turn the children away.” Last year in November, Grade Rs (reception grade) began to register for Grade 1 at SDA and the class es began to fill up rapidly. But then parents who were desperately trying to get their children into the independent school began photocopying registration forms in desperation.
The photocopied forms were taken to the school and a registration fee of R20 was paid to the secretary. The parents were then provided with proof of payment as well as the book list and went off to buy new school uniforms.
So this year, 78 Grade 1s appeared in uniform with proof of payment at the school. It wasn’t until the first day of school (13 January) that the school realised they had a major problem on their hands.
Hobongwana said she “could do nothing but accept the learners”. She and her staff were forced to make quick adjustments to contain all the new learners. Instead of turning the extra learners away she set
to work resolving the situation.
She employed retired teacher Sengina Msutu to help Mendiswa Zita (the current Grade 1 teacher) cope. She also began work on a new classroom which she hopes will be built before the end of term. Hobongwana has also advertised the position of a new Grade 1 teacher.
She says the school has had similar issues in the past with up to five learners beginning the school year who were not on the original list.
However, they have never had such a massive influx before. She’s planning to have class teachers register their own classes in future.
This would ensure that they know who they have registered and are able to identify any extras not on the list. She also felt it necessary to talk to the schools stamp suppliers to ensure they don’t sell their stamp print to anyone without their permission.
Hobongwana says the existing parents have been doing a great job. “They help our school a lot and are very involved.”
She has already made future plans for the new building and once it has housed the Grade 1s for the year and school numbers have returned to normal, she plans to turn one of the new classrooms into a small library.
