In Mpumalanga the Emakhazeni Boarding School opened its doors in January. This full-service boarding environment provides more than 700 children with an extraordinary change in life, education and health. Children living in these rural areas, usually relegated to multi-grade classrooms and enduring long travel times, now stay on the school premises and access daily education, food and stability.
This school joins Ezakheni, Izimbali and Mkhondo boarding schools in the Mkhondo and Nkomazi local municipalities. The new premises bring together teachers and tools from an array of multi-grade schools, providing students with a rich educational experience along with structure and a close-knit community. Ezakheni Boarding School and Izimbali Boarding School effectively replace 14 rural schools with the latest in educational facilities and ensure that children receive three full meals a day.
It is not just in Mpumalanga that this concept is taking hold. In his state of the province address Free State Premier Ace Magashule announced the development of two hostel schools for rural areas and in his budget and policy speech 2015/6 Eastern Cape Education MEC Mandla Makupula revealed that the Eastern Cape has invested in the revamping of old boarding facilities to cater for rural, marginalised and farming areas.
Boarding is, of course, something that has long been part of the South African educational landscape; one of the most expensive schools in the country is exclusively a boarding establishment. Hilton College’s fees are a far cry from the no-fee system put in place at Ezakheni et al, costing a tidy R219 500 per annum per child. It’s a venerable tradition in South Africa – Hilton College has been around for 100 years and Treverton College, another popular boarding school in the Natal Midlands, has been in operation since 1939. This educational system has remained popular despite the rise of the “helicopter” parent and flexible working hours.
“The economy is biting and people are far more willing to consider boarding now than in the past,” says Paul McAvoy, headmaster at Northwood School in Durban. “It is a complex environment and we are finding that people are increasingly entertaining the idea of boarding on a local level. The reasons for this are varied, but often it is because there is a history of boarding in the family and the schools are well-established, with rich histories going back generations.”
McAvoy says another reason for the shift to a boarding environment is the stability that it offers the children, particularly those who come from difficult or complex home environments.
“Kids that often thrive in this type of environment are those that don’t have a stable home life and want some structure and routine in their lives,” he says. “Divorced families often use boarding as a way of ensuring their children have stability, and in some cases kids choose to board as they can then dedicate their time to sports and studies.”
“Boarding does provide children with opportunities to grow in different ways, but some kids don’t need it and their enjoyment of this environment depends on their maturity levels.”
Boarding does have significant advantages; sometimes children thrive in these environments, but not all students are created equal and boarding is not always the right solution.
“I went to boarding school from the age of 13,” says one ex-boarder. “It was the worst experience of my life. I was bullied and had nowhere to turn for help as the teachers were more focused on discipline and education than on personal crises. It did teach me to be self-reliant and independent, but in a way that was brutal and lonely.”
There are many horror stories, and boarding has seen children leave with emotional scars that they carry for life. However, many pupils emerge as self-reliant, independent and capable adults as they adapted well to the boarding school experience. The trend towards boarding may be on the rise as parents seek the ultimate in educational excellence, but it’s worth remembering that not all children are suited to this highly specialised environment.
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