Service Learning: Pendla Primary School

While attending NMMU, our students will also be volunteering two days each week at their choice of three locations: a township primary school, a home for children affected by HIV/AIDS, and a community development organization that works primarily with adults.  On Monday, Jim and I visited the first two locations.   I don't know how the students will be able to pick.   This post will concern the first one visited.


Pendla Primary School is located in the township of New Brighton in the city of Port Elizabeth.  According to my eyes, all the students and teachers are black.  The grades taught at Pendla are Grade R (which is the equivalent of pre-school/kindergarten in the U.S.) up to Grade 7.  In the year 2011, there were 404 students.  The sizes of the classes vary depending on grade level.  For example, Grade 2 is split into two classrooms of about 30 each, while grade 7 is all in one classroom of about 46 students.   The main language of instruction is isiXhosa, but the students are to start learning English in Grade 1.  (Note:  South Africa has 11 official languages, and scores of unofficial ones.   English is the most commonly spoken language in public life and business – but only the sixth most spoken language at home.)

The conditions of the school are unlike what we are used to.  Two to three students share each desk; their chairs are plastic and cracked.   All the students are in clean uniforms, and most have bright smiles and eyes. 

When talking with the principal, we asked how our CSB/SJU students could assist the most.   She suggested helping the teachers in the classroom, a gardening project, and buying new chairs for some classrooms.

We asked about their library, as SJU/CSB has contributed books in the past.  It appears as if the library is often locked and children can access it only if accompanied by an adult, which is not often.  (They don’t want the books damaged or lost, but that also means they are not used!)  One suggestion offered was to identify those books not critical to instruction, and allow the Pendla students to take them home – with our CSB/SJU students handling the circulation.  It could be an experiment, and if it worked, it could continue beyond our time there.  She will consider that. 

Another area Mrs. Peters raised for assistance was in technology.  The school is required to teach technology, but they have no working computer for the students to use.  Mrs. Peters said they had some parts – and maybe our students could see if any of those could be assembled into a working computer.   (I’m thinking someone will love to dig into that one.)

Overnight, I start thinking about other resources that might be available to them.  So, the next day, Jim and I drove back to the township and stopped at the New Brighton public library (which is about 6 blocks away from the school).  I wanted to see if they had computers that would be available to the public or the students to use.   Even though we were just two people who walked in off the street, we were greeted warmly and offered chairs.  We talked with two people: the children’s librarian and the young man (recent NMMU graduate) in charge of their technology.  Unfortunately, the one computer that had been available for public use no longer works, and there is no money for repairs.  Because Pendla School has no security at night and the library does, I start wondering about helping the library get working computers – with the understanding that the students of Pendla could use them for a technology class…

Another idea that intrigues me is that our third learning site has a woodworking shop that is not well used, as I understand.  What if the adults at Missionvale could make new chairs for the students at Pendla????

My mind starts racing, but of course, I need to bring it down to “What can we do in four months that they want (not us), and has a chance of continuing long term after we’re long gone?”