Stretching from Cape Point to Khayelitsha, False Bay College’s five campuses reach out to the entire range of Cape Town’s people – from the affluent to the conservative to the impoverished.
This Further Education and Training (FET) college was formally established in September 2002 through the merger of the South Peninsula and Westlake colleges – both of which had been created during apartheid. Today, its campuses include Muizenberg, Noordhoek, Westlake and Good Hope, on the outskirts of Khayelitsha. Another campus is on the cards for Mitchells Plain.
The widespread and diverse locations for each college campus, says Jean Bonnema from False Bay College, means it must strive to ‘tap into demand-driven education that is accessible to the needs of different communitiesâ€. This is one of the key concerns of the new FET colleges: to be responsive to the economic environments in which they are situated, reflected in the diverse courses offered.
In many respects False Bay epitomises entrepreneurship in education, intent on promoting the further education and training (FET) sector as a successful brand. Hence, the marketing strategies, public relations pitches and promotion of good business practices. Even the principal of the college, Cassie Kruger, is now called a CEO.
‘We have to run the college as a business in order to interact effectively with other sectors,†says Bonnema.
And indeed the business of education seems to be booming at False Bay. It is one of the flagships of the still-in-nappies transformation of the FET sector, offering an inspiring example of how structures of an old era can be merged to service the needs of the new.
A closer look at two of these campuses sheds some light on the new college’s workings. Positioned between vast stretches of untouched coastline, informal settlements and seemingly endless rows of matchbox houses, Khayelitsha’s Good Hope campus was originally a teachers’ training college. The campus offers courses ranging from short skills programmes in clothing production, home management and bricklaying to IT studies and engineering. One of its more celebrated programmes is the Centre for Science and Technology (Cosat) – a year-long, fulltime programme for scientific and technology-based careers. In 2002, Cosat matriculants enjoyed a 100% pass rate. Of the 18 distinctions attained by learners, five were in the ‘Big Two†of the higher-grade subjects, maths and science.
Another Good Hope campus success story is the Leaf bridging programme – a post-matric course that allows students access to tertiary education, specifically for the Cape Technikon’s faculties of engineering and science.
Good Hope is also in touch with the more immediate needs of the community. In addition to a well-stocked library and computer facilities, the college is building a restaurant, courtesy of its hospitality department. Here aspirant chefs concoct cuisine, before embarking on a six month hospitality apprenticeship. Graduates have already gone on to open B&Bs and even restaurants in Khayelitsha. Good Hope has become a meeting point of sorts for an older community long deprived of opportunity and a younger generation for whom the sky is literally the limit.
By contrast, the Noordhoek campus caters principally to the needs of the Masiphumele, Ocean View and Red Hill communities – most of whom have only basic education. It serves as a springboard for small-business development – be it in craft or industry-related activities. Small business hives have been created on the campus as a support infrastructure for small enterprises.
Graduates receive certificates and job placement follow-up, courtesy of Febdev, an organisation promoting entrepreneurship.
Entrepreneur programmes are the backbone of the college and are mandatory for all students, be they aspirant bricklayers, clothing manufacturers or childcare minders. A crèche is on the cards, for students to provide practical care to the children in the surrounding communities. But perhaps the most vibrant fruits of Noordhoek can be found in the craft department, in the form of Aurelia’s wax, watermelon and avocado candles or the clay bowls produced by Nompelo Soqowayi. In fact, the Noordhoek craft department has become renowned for its distinctive ‘Bambomani†bowls which were showcased at the 2002 Johannesburg Earth Summit. And be it candle-making or clothes manufacturing, the products of Noordhoek are already earning students an income.
The programmes at Good Hope and Noordhoek represent a culture of diversity, enterprise and tolerance. But inevitably these campuses reflect the seemingly entrenched legacy of inequality and separateness between the races. For example, while the Good Hope campus attracts black students from Khayelitsha, learners from the predominantly coloured Mitchells Plain stay away. And while Noordhoek is providing invaluable skills training to the locals, it is geographically inaccessible to many other disadvantaged communities.
Similarly, the conveniently located campuses of Westlake and Muizenburg should also attract students from the broader region. Certainly, the courses on offer cater to the full spectrum of skills training, ranging from trade and engineering qualifications at Westlake, to financial management and visual arts on the Muizenburg campus. But at Muizenburg at least, the campus remains predominantly white, middle class and conservative – underscoring again the uncomfortable fact that, while education has been removed from apartheid, the task of eliminating apartheid from education has yet to be achieved.