Tiny Eastern Cape farm school fighting for its survival

A farm school in the Elands River Valley is struggling with 25 pupils of all ages being taught by a single junior teacher.

The situation came to a head in November after the principal died and the education department failed to appoint a replacement.

Rose Cottage Primary Farm School has been educating the children of farm workers in the area for 70 years but now — though there seems to be a suitable candidate available -— it is in crisis.

Farmers in the area who support the school say unless the problem is remedied it could end up closing.

School governing body co-chair Charmain Matebele, who has three children at the school, said its problems started when headmistress Jacolette Wehmeyer passed away suddenly in November.

She said since then the remaining teacher, Lindie Taljaard, had stepped into the breach, and was playing the role of principal and teacher to all grades from R to seven.

This, instead of being able to focus on the younger ones, in line with her qualification.

“It is a very big problem,” Matebele said.

“Lindie is doing a lot but it is impossible for her to manage.

“She has to put the kids all in one class and when she is focusing on the one age group the others can end up doing nothing.”

She said after Wehmeyer died an Eastern Cape education department district official visited the school.

“It seemed she was happy with the teacher we found, and she just needed to get permission from her big boss.

“But since then there has been no progress, though we check with her all the time.”

Situated on the farm Rose Cottage, 50km from Rocklands, Rose Cottage Primary is a state school, built in the 1950s, when the farm was owned by Jannie Snyman.

At first it comprised mud walls and a thatch roof, but Snyman built stone walls and a corrugated iron roof.

In 1993 the farm was bought by JW Badenhorst, who installed a pipeline to allow the school to use the borehole that had been put in by Snyman, and then in 1998 Badenhorst donated the school to the education department.

The farm changed hands several more times and, except for a hiatus in the 2010s when the incumbent farmer refused to allow it to function on his land, it continued to operate.

Mary Mains-Sheard, wife of farmer Stephen Mains-Sheard, who together with several other farmers transport the pupils to and from their homes, said the school was in a desperate situation.

“I told the education department district representative, Mrs Stokwe, of the availability of this teacher who I had got to know about.

“She is experienced and qualified and lives here in the valley.

“They made contact, the teacher submitted her application and Mrs Stokwe pushed it through to her head office for approval.

“This has not happened as yet apparently due to the fact that the teacher is a department ‘resignee’ — she resigned from the department at one point to take up a post at Nelson Mandela University.

“But there is no-one else in the Elands River Valley who is qualified.”

Mains-Sheard, who is the daughter of former anti-apartheid activist and ANC MP Judy Chalmers, said one of the related problems was the transport situation.

“None of the farmers have PDPs [professional driving permits which allow for the transporting of schoolchildren].

“It is a situation that they are not comfortable with, and they are not keen to continue.

“But this teacher has said she will reinstate her PDP, and she has a vehicle with which she could transport the kids.

“I believe there are many farm schools with the same situation.

“But we have a very doable solution to our problem — all we require is department approval for this teacher who we have identified, and who has applied for the job.”

Current Rose Cottage Farm owner Vanti du Preez said he had been trying for some time to get the department to honour its lease agreement with him to have the school on his land.

“Clearly the school is much needed in the valley.”

Pressed as to what the problem was, education department spokesperson Mboxela Vuyiseka said employment of teachers was defined by a need in a particular school and what skill the teacher ha.

“The department’s district office in consultation with the head of department’s office is handling the matter.”

The Herald