Empowering South African Youth Through Education

"Not Your Ordinary Maths Class..."  has long been a motto for the Friday and Saturday mathematics  lessons that The Umkhumbane Schools Project has been teaching since 2012.  Facing  the closing of schools and the banning of large gatherings as South Africa braced for the COVID-19 pandemic, we were determined to stay active through this time when nothing is ordinary... and to continue teaching and mentoring when our learners perhaps need us more than ever.  

How to reach them?  This became the driving question in those early days in March when we realised we could no longer gather with learners in person and could not rely on conventional online learning methods.  Our learners lack computers and WiFi at home, which effectively excludes them from the online learning tools that were quickly being adopted by well-resourced schools in South Africa and throughout the world.  

Could we teach them on their cell phones?  This was the next question, cell phones being the one device to which our learners have access.  Thanks in very large measure to GlobalGiving donors who responded to our microproject appeal, we have answered this question with a resounding “Yes!” over the past eight weeks.  Using cell phones, WhatsApp, and the seemingly inexhaustible energy, dedication, and creativity of our teaching and administrative staff, The Umkhumbane Schools Project has enrolled over 180 learners in maths tutoring and interactive classes.  Each learner has been placed on a team led by a dedicated maths tutor.  Teams receive problem sets over their cell phones and can interact with their team leaders and teammates 7 days a week to learn new maths material, stay updated with accurate information about the virus, and be part of a group that will encourage and reassure them at this difficult time.

Most exciting of all are the “classes” that happen on Wednesdays and Saturdays, with students in Grades 10-12 learning simultaneously on WhatsApp with our highly trained and experienced teachers.  They can ask questions, see demonstrations of problems, and hear their teachers’ familiar and reassuring voices.  It is an amazing experience to “attend” one of these classes and see the learners’ questions and answers pop up in quick succession, with as many as 40 learners present for a class period at one time.  

We are in the process of rolling out content in areas other than maths, to make even fuller use of this unique and effective way of keeping our learners connected, encouraged and learning during these very challenging days.  Our college admissions advising is also continuing, with 70 learners having been tapped to participate in our AHEAD university access programme for 2020.  And this coming week we hope to start providing grocery vouchers to those of our maths learners who are facing significant food insecurity.  We look forward to keeping you posted as these efforts continue to unfold!

Not your ordinary anything. A good motto for these times.  We send extraordinary gratitude and our best wishes for health and safety to each of you.  

Sincerely,

Martha