THE BIG READ
Standoff among educationists over collaboration schools
A Western Cape project is bringing in help from the private sector to turn struggling schools around, but there is resistance
Silikamva High School doesn’t look like the sort of institution where students fail. Classes are held in red-brick buildings that surround a spotless quad, the tarred road leading to the main gate runs through a leafy estate, and the air is crisp and clean. But in 2019, its matric pass rate was only 40%.
The view from the school’s top floor offers a hint of the challenges its students face. Just a few hundred metres away lies Imizamo Yethu, a densely populated informal settlement clinging to a steep slope in picturesque Hout Bay. Most people in the community live in tightly clustered shacks, unemployment is rampant and gangs operate with impunity. The majority of the school’s 910 learners are cared for by single parents who depend on welfare grants. Free school meals are often their only food for the day...
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