Resolefetse sets the example for change

On 10 July Resolefetse High School’s teachers and learners made history by being the first in Potchefstroom to subject themselves to a holistic educational programme in order to change their learning environment for the better.

They are turning over a new leaf, mainly thanks to the commitment of the We AIM Forum and the school’s Acting Principal, Mrs Maletswe Pelele.

It all started in 2017 when church leaders from different denominations in Potchefstroom, Ikageng and Promosa got together to pray for the city. The Potchefstroom Church Leaders (PCL) forum was esta- blished to address urgent aspects in the community; they unanimously decided to start with the youth.

A spokesperson of the PCL, Reverend Willem Louw of NG Church Miederpark, says teachers are facing many challenges with ill-discipline and children who don’t have moral values.

“The behaviour of children at school is not only the responsibility of the teachers and the Department of Education alone. We have to involve parents, community leaders and the community itself to take charge of the wellbeing of our children”, he adds.

After much deliberation, the church leaders’ dream became a reality when a new forum, “We AIM”, was established near the end of 2018. This forum and other relevant stakeholders – Department of Education, FEDSAS, North-West University, SAPS and NGO’s – are currently all working together to support struggling schools and change the learning environment to get better matric results.

AIM is an acronym that stands for act, influence and mobilise. Spiritual leaders and educators are currently working together at Resolefetse to make a positive impact. Their holistic seven-step programme includes: Helping the school to draw up a code of conduct; Parenting workshops to help with discipline and the setting of moral values; Research on discipline; Spiritual leaders playing a role with Bible study and prayer meetings at school; SAPS and anti-drug campaigns; Welfare of the troubled child; and Adopt-a-school. They achieve this by inviting parents, community and business leaders to clean-up projects, waste recycling and maintenance at the school.

This project is the personification of the African proverb – “It takes a village to raise a child”.

Rev Louw invites the community to assist: “We need more helpers and hope people will join one of these strategic divisions. The idea is to implement this strategy for every single school in the Potchefstroom area.”

For more information or to volunteer, contact Magda van der Berg at 071 569 2086 or pclpotch@gmail.com.