The vast white marquee rose above the small village houses dwarfing the rural school’s eight classrooms next to it. Big business and the government had arrived. With them they brought uniforms, shoes, stationery, books and bags. They also brought their Mercedes, high-heels and a catering company.
On a scorching Tuesday morning in Moji Sekale village in rural Ga-Masemola in Limpopo, Nedbank launched its 2012 back-to-school campaign. Dogs barked in the distance and a child cried in the red-dirt yard of a home across the road from Thabanaswana Primary School, where the event was held. Koppies, infinite grasslands and wide blue skies filled the frame beyond the podium.
The R2-million project, originally launched last year with the support of the department of basic education, will see more than 1l800 children across all provinces receiving the school resources they desperately need.
Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga was due to arrive, but cancelled her attendance at the launch a few hours before she was scheduled to address the community, because of an “ANC matter”, said her spokesperson, Hope Mokgatlhe.
The provincial minister for education in Limpopo, Namane Masemola, took over the thanking and inspiring instead. He called for all South Africans to participate in the education revolution.
“We want schools to be centres of change … Schools must develop the minds of children so they can take advantage of opportunities,” he said, referring to the presence of gold, diamonds and platinum in the province.
He later told the Mail & Guardian that he wants to see this year’s Limpopo matrics achieve a 70% pass rate in their exams. “That is my aim.”
In 2011 the province received the second worst matric pass rate in the country — 63.9% up from 57.9% in 2010. Its education department was put under administration this year along with five others.
Masemola said despite “all these problems in the province” the momentum of an increasing matric pass rate “must be sustained and morale must remain high”.
Women from the community, dressed in their brightly coloured finest, sat neatly in rows. They put their free Nedbank caps over their turbans and waved at the media as the speakers took their turns in front of the microphone. Most of them wore Zion Christian Church badges.
On the other side of the marquee government officials wearing sombre beiges and greys jotted notes in their diaries and checked their cellphones.
As the event ended the eating began. Waiters floated through the crowd presenting snack platters and drinks.
The principal of Thabanaswana Primary School, Obed Tshebesebe, put his hands together in front of his face and thanked Nedbank.
“Some of these learners used to come to school in winter with a torn shirt, no jersey and no shoes,” he told the M&G.
When he first came to the school there were only four classrooms. Now, thanks to Nedbank, there are eight classrooms and an “edutainer” which accommodates over 50 Grade R pupils.
Before the school opened in 2005 children in the village had to walk about five kilometres to the nearest school.
It became clear from talking to school staff and community members that the children in areas like Ga-Masemola were bearing the brunt of poverty.
Pupils’ parents were moving to cities in other provinces in search of work and leaving their children with grandparents who “are too tired to always make sure the child goes to school”, said one teacher. “A lot of them are also illiterate so they can’t help the child with his work”.
Teachers at the school told the M&G that most of the pupils lived off social grants. There were about 30 orphans attending the school. One of the reasons for this was HIV, which they say is treated as a “secret” in the community.
They said they tried to bring old clothes to the school to help the learners “but there is never enough”.
Classrooms were overcrowded they said, with about 40 to 50 pupils per classroom.
They shook their heads in gratitude and spoke over each other to say how Nedbank had made “too much of a difference” in the lives of these children.
The suits climbed into their Polos, Audis and SUVs and pulled out of the school gates as the Nedbank team took down their banners and flags.
The two worlds that met that day were now going their separate ways again leaving school children to continue with their classes and community members to walk back to their homes.
In the face of corruption, mismanagement, and a school system trying to claw its way out of the destruction caused by the legacy of apartheid, the government is still not able to provide a high-quality education to every child who deserves one. The private sector can help.
And as the managing executive for consumer banking at Nedbank, Ciko Thomas, said: “We know the role we have to play in ensuring [pupils] get the best education”.
“If we don’t help, especially with education, then we can’t grow the nation.”