Pupils from TEM Mrwetyana Secondary School were welcomed with singing and dancing by community elders at the Ethembeni Service Centre recently.
Pupils from TEM Mrwetyana Secondary School were welcomed with singing and dancing by community elders at the Ethembeni Service Centre recently.
The children were part of a team there to plant a wild olive tree, as part of an arbor day celebration. The tree is sacred in Xhosa culture due to its importance in many rituals.
An initiative of the Biocultural Diversity Educational Programme, the plan was to link the school children with the elders over heritage and the importance of plants in everyday life.
Chairperson of the management committee for Ethembeni service centre, Bonile Matyumza, said, “This planting is a sign that this place will never die.”
The initiative was one of many carried out by the Biocultural Diversity Educational Programme. The programme visits under-resourced schools to enrich the Grade 10 Life Science curriculum.
Founders Tony Dold and Michelle Cox say the programme has enjoyed relative success, reaching 700 pupils in seven different schools during its five years of existence. Working with them is Mluleki Nkosi, who offers lessons that range from PowerPoint presentations to regular classes and field trips.
The field trips are offered to all seven schools, drawing in around 300 pupils a year.
While the programme is successful, Cox says it's short of funding. “Even though we are supported by the Department of Education, it simply isn’t enough,” she said.
