Good Shepherd School held an official opening ceremony last week to celebrate their new classrooms, courtesy of a R9- million grant from the national oil company PetroSA.
Guests included the learners’ parents, Makana Mayor Vumile Lwana, members of the Good Shepherd Trust and PetroSA representatives.
Good Shepherd School held an official opening ceremony last week to celebrate their new classrooms, courtesy of a R9- million grant from the national oil company PetroSA.
Guests included the learners’ parents, Makana Mayor Vumile Lwana, members of the Good Shepherd Trust and PetroSA representatives.
The Good Shepherd trustees expressed their “very sincere appreciation of the foresight and generosity of PetroSA in their magnanimous donation that enabled the resuscitation of the classroom block” at the school. Barbara Scott thanked her team for the success of the new building.
She mentioned that 50 casuals were employed for phase one of the project. According to Scott, the classrooms are 8m² as opposed to the usual rectangular shape.
The square shape allows more space and is a solution to the congestion that the school had experienced previously.
The classrooms boast beautifully finished interiors promoting a healthy learning environment and are well equipped with electrical plugs in the ceilings for data projection and a store room stocked with teaching supplies.
Principal Prudence van der Linde said, “This is an absolute dream come true, I never dreamed it was possible.” She said that there were many possibilities that the school would close down.
But remaining optimistic, she never gave up hope. “One day when David Wylde from the St Andrew’s College Council came in and he told me what they had in mind about this project, it was an absolute miracle,” Van der Linde said.
District Director of the Department of Education Amos Fetsha, shared with the guests how he had seen Good Shepherd struggling in the past during his days as an education development officer.
“I saw the congestion of the school during my visits here. All we could say is, we understand, we understandlike all departments say,” he said causing a roar of laughter from the crowd.
“Today, I’m indeed very excited. I appreciate the partnership between PetroSA and the school. You are part now of the wider community of Grahamstown,” Fetsha said.
The Vice President of PetroSA, Godwin Sweto advised the learners to persevere with their studies. “You might not like education, just like you don’t like spinach, but it’s good for you,” he joked.
Sweto said that they assist communities with challenges which are aligned with focus areas such as education, health and poverty alleviation.
“This was a successful project and there will be more opportunities to do more.” Seto said that they have also recently launched into a project called Mthombo in Port Elizabeth.
This is an initiative to build a world-class crude oil refinery in the Coega Industrial Development Zone in Port Elizabeth.
Once completed, it will be the biggest in the country and the investment is the largest carried by PetroSA, worth US$10-billion.
A representative of the Minister of Energy, Zingisa Mavuso was present at the opening on behalf of the Minister of Energy.
Mavuso said that he believes that this project will restore the culture of learning and excellence. “The government is proud to be associated with PetroSA, you have given our children an opportunity of a lifetime as well as opening a door for them into a bright future.”
Former Good Shepherd principal Rose Daniels made a special trip from outside town to join in on the celebrations.
She thought back about the times when the school was almost closed in the 70s because of the Group Areas Act as attempts were made for another school to be opened there and when the learner numbers decreased due to private schools that started opening their doors to people of other races.
“The school was under the sisters and the first coloured school in Grahamstown to admit black learners, who had the children’s welfare at heart.
They provided them with a feeding scheme, produced annual nativity plays and knitted jerseys every year for needy children. I am so delighted.
The children have a better future now,” she said, visibly pleased about the project. The second phase will see the renovation of the existing building that was originally built in 1844.
It will include a multi-purpose hall, a media centre and a computer lab. On either side of the school a senior and junior playground will also be created.