While a number of farm schools are facing closure due to dwindling pupil numbers, Elukholweni Primary School continues to thrive through the efforts of the surrounding community, proving it really does take a village.
The farm school, located along Seaview Road, recently celebrated its 40th birthday and plays host to about 300 pupils, most of whom are from Walmer, while the rest reside in the surrounding areas.
On January 27 1979, Elukholweni (meaning “Have Faith”) was opened by Louis Wilking, the then managing director of General Motors SA.
This as a result of a dream to start a school that could provide quality education for the children of the farm workers in the Theescombe area.
The land the school is built on was donated by the late Sydney Love from the Rathmead farm .
The original school catered for grade 1 to grade 6 pupils, guided by then principal Joyce Sontshi, who oversaw two teachers and 110 pupils split into two classrooms.
One dedicated neighbour who has also contributed to the school’s labour of love is Wouter van der Westhuizen – co-opted School Governing Body member.
He said in 1994, the school was handed over to the department of education, equipped with four classrooms, catering for grades 1 to 7.
“While the local community remained involved, the school’s infrastructure suffered as a result of lack of maintenance and adequate support from the department,” he said.
“In 2011, renewed involveand ment from local businesses ensured the start of a new era for Elukholweni. This was followed with a stronger involvement from the department.
“We adopted a vision – one grade – one classroom – one teacher. By 2016, we achieved this goal and today we have eight classrooms, eight teachers about 300 children.”
School principal Lungi Booi said: “When I started, I was acting principal with one other teacher. And the list of requirements were endless from ablutions and other infrastructure issues, multi-grade teaching, no electricity and other issues.
“But in 2010 or 2011, the community and business really threw their weight behind us and resolved most of the issues and continue to be a fundamental reason for our success.”
Booi said this had enabled the school to include needy pupils from Walmer as well.
Van der Westhuizen said their 2019 vision included a new kitchen and dining area, computer lab and ablution block.
“We [the community] are constantly looking at ways to improve the infrastructure at the school in order to give the teachers the best possible environment to teach our children,” he said.
Other upgrades on the school through funding and assistance from the Bay business community include a library (2011), two new classrooms, a vegetable garden, as well as soccer and netball pitch (2014), art studio (2015), two shipping container-converted classrooms (2016), borehole water and establishing a computer literacy programme (2017)