In celebration of Human Rights month, the Adopt-a-School (AAS) Foundation’s Moral Regeneration Programme for schools in disadvantaged communities, has helped decrease the number of teenage pregnancies and drop-out rate of female learners at Boitekong Secondary School in Rustenburg, North West. AAS, in partnership with the Cyril Ramaphosa Foundation, is a non-profit organisation that supports a conducive and teaching environment in disadvantaged schools, using a Whole School Development (WSD) model that focuses on school leadership, curriculum, infrastructure and social welfare.
The school’s principal, Rodney Moeketsi expressed his joy for teen pregnancy rate dropping, with the help of AAS,
“Today the world celebrates Human Rights Day. To us, it is the sacred right of every young woman to be safe; to feel protected from sexual predators while also being informed enough to know how to keep herself safe. Through the Foundation’s Health, Sanitation and Sexual Education Programme, we are making inroads as we fight the scourge of teen pregnancy in South Africa, giving girl learners a chance to succeed in whatever it is they want to do in life,” said Moeketsi.
Moeketsi added that the foundation addresses key issues teenagers encounter.
“The programme aims to educate learners about puberty, self-awareness, values, peer relationship, communication skills, sexuality, and teenage pregnancy. We also get to grips with the challenges faced by young people during puberty, and deal head-on with early experimentation of sexual practice,” he said.
A grade 12 learner emphasised on the poverty line of her community, and how young people easily fall prey to drug and alcohol abuse, teen pregnancy, crime and girls’ absenteeism due to lack of pads during menstruation.
“There is a lot of alcoholism here. During our awareness discussions through the programme, we learn ways to cope with the issues we face, and the importance of education is embedded into us,” she continued.
“Period poverty used to see a lot of absenteeism. Since the provision of sanitary pads has stopped and most girls don’t have to miss school,” said Tinkerbell Denias. AAS has continually provided sanitary pads for girls who cannot afford these month essentials.
Moeketsi alluded that the Boitekong community is also infested with tribal disputes: Xhosa vs Tswanas, gangsterism, dysfunctional families and bullying at school. Henceforth, since AAS intervention, bullying and gangsterism has stopped at school, and matric 2023 obtained 85% pass rate. It helps learners develop social, ethical, emotional, physical, and cognitive competencies to enable them to set personal goals as well as participate in creation of a conducive learning environment.
Through the WSD model, it helped learners develop social, ethical, emotional, physical, and cognitive competencies to enable them to set personal goals as well as participate in creation of a conducive learning environment. Thus, the school benefited from a leadership workshop, science laboratory, an ablution block, six classrooms, 14 classes were renovated, educator development in mathematics and science, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) programme as well as weekend and holiday programmes to support grade 12 learners.
AAS CEO, Steven Lebere explained the imperativeness of educator development programmes, “All interventions start with a leadership training workshop to ensure the school management is functioning well with the necessary accountability systems in place to ensure the sustainability of the schools.
“Where there is a need, teachers at adopted schools are helped hone their skills through educator development programmes. In addition, curriculum development and how to best implement new teaching techniques are also done through innovative projects,” said Lebere.
Saturday Star