|
MASIBAMBANE COLLEGE
“Holding hands with the Orange Farm community” |
|
|
|
An Introductory Brochure
2005/6
|
THRASS at Masibambane College
In October 2005, the entire Masibambane staff
underwent 4 days of intensive THRASS training. Classrooms
were equipped with all the THRASS material and the school
embarked on its very exciting THRASS journey.
The decision was taken to modify the
time-table to include a daily period which could be used for
THRASS. The intention was to create space for the teachers
to implement THRASS. In this way it was hoped that they
would become familiar with the THRASS material and apply it
in their normal teaching.
Our children all speak English as a 2nd
language with either Zulu or Sotho as their mother tongue.
Our policy at Masibambane is to try and get the children to
communicate in English all the time at school. The medium of
instruction is strictly English and this is applied from as
early as grade 0.
THRASS has proved to be a most useful tool to
overcome the many barriers faced by our children and
educators. It is consistent, it is truthful and it is
meaningful. It is equipping our children for life.
The Phoneme Machine is particularly useful in
our environment as all our teachers speak English as their
second language. It provides the learners with an
opportunity to hear English being spoken by an English
speaking person.
More importantly for the learners – it is a
computer driven program.
We have very recently been donated a SMART
interactive whiteboard and we are looking forward to
exploring the educational avenues that this wonderful piece
of technology offers.
Our thanks must be expressed to Alan Davies
and his wife Hilary who have personally sponsored all the
training and equipment. In addition, it has been wonderful
to have the ongoing support of Laola Altschul whose constant
visits have kept us THRASSING.
Our dream for the future
Our hope is that Masibambane College will
become a THRASS teacher development centre in Orange Farm.
Our dream is that our College will be a
conduit for the implementation of THRASS in all the schools
in Orange Farm.
A BIG DREAM, but one that will impact 30 000
children.
In the Beginning………
In early 1996, the City of Vienna in Austria
made contact with Education Africa, expressing an interest
in supporting the development of a school in South Africa.
Education Africa approached Walter Sisulu for his advice as
to where to plant a new school which would strive for
academic excellence.
The patriarch of our nation did not hesitate
to suggest Orange Farm as the area which most desperately
needed a school.
And so in 1997, Masibambane College started
with its first Grade 1 class consisting of a mere 21
learners.
Orange Farm
Orange Farm, once the dumping ground of the
apartheid government, is an enormous impoverished informal
settlement situated 50km south of Johannesburg.
Massive unemployment hinders improvement in
the living conditions of the approximate 250 000 residents
and the situation is getting progressively worse as each
successive year more unskilled matriculants join the
ever-growing job queue.
Isolation is also a major obstacle as a 1
hour, unsafe train journey separates Orange Farm from job
opportunities in Johannesburg.
The family unit, having been severely damaged
by the apartheid regime, is now being ravaged by the impact
of the AIDS epidemic that is currently sweeping our African
continent.
The size of the area is best gauged by the
fact that there are 25 primary schools in the area.
Today, Masibambane College is a beacon of
hope in this very sad and desperate community. It not only
hosts a school that continues to strive for excellence, but
it also endeavours to meet the needs of the Orange Farm
community in very real and practical ways.
Masibambane College’s greatest ambition is to
impact all of the schools in Orange Farm through a teacher
resource centre. Our hope is to try and provide a better
education for all of the 30 000 children in Orange Farm by
developing and empowering Orange Farm educators.
Partners with Masibambane
Masibambane College’s success must be
attributed to the loyal support of its various partners that
have remained dedicated since 1996.
The City of Vienna in Austria has
provided most of the funds necessary for the capital
development of Masibambane College. This relationship
continues today as the City of Vienna remains committed to
the further development of the College.
Education Africa,
a non profit making fundraising organization, has been
instrumental in facilitating our relationship with Austria.
St. John’s College
in Johannesburg has been another important key to
Masibambane’s success. St. John’s College is a well
established private school in Johannesburg and has journeyed
with Masibambane throughout it’s developmental years,
offering both educational as well as financial support along
the way.
More recently, Masibambane has initiated a
relationship with St Mary’s School in Waverley.
The Orange Farm Community
has been a
vital partner. Their ownership of the project is crucial to
our sustainability in Orange Farm. Most of our children and
teachers live in Orange Farm.
Over the years many other organisations and
people have contributed to this very exciting project.
At the heart of Masibambane
A Christian school.
Masibambane College falls under the authority
of the Dioceses of Christ the King. The Church of the
Province of South Africa(Anglican Church) holds the school
in trust for the purpose of education.
A
community centred school.
At the heart of Masibambane College’s
existence is the desire to “Hold
hands with the Orange Farm community”
Masibambane College endeavours to uplift and
empower the community of Orange Farm by:
-
Making our facilities available to the
community.
-
Playing an active role in the development of
teachers. It is our dream to run a teacher resource centre
at Masibambane College.
-
Creating jobs wherever possible. For example
our uniform is produced by mothers at our school
-
Adult education endeavours to make people
more employable. LITERACY, COMPUTERS AND SEWING classes are
offered.
-
We have a partnership with the Tebogo Home
for Disabled Children as well as Modimo O Moholo work centre
for disabled adults.
-
We run an after-school care project for
orphans in the community. We look after 50 orphans.
A school of excellence.
Masibambane provides a good quality education
for 668 happy children.
The school ranges from Grade 0 – 9.The
following aspects are critical:
-
Staff development.
-
Smaller classes (Maximum 35)
-
Child-centred education where children are
encouraged to explore, investigate, create and design within
a secure and disciplined environment.
-
Affordable education which is sustainable.
-
Parents committed to participating in both
the financial and educational aspects of their child’s
schooling.
Growth
of Masibambane
|
|
|
Growth of Masibambane
since its inception in 1997 |
|
|
|
G |
97 |
98 |
99 |
00 |
01 |
02 |
03 |
04
|
05 |
|
0 |
|
|
40 |
64 |
54 |
45 |
72 |
55 |
51 |
|
1 |
21 |
23 |
62 |
71 |
61 |
75 |
80 |
90 |
88 |
|
2 |
|
28 |
28 |
56 |
61 |
68 |
74 |
90 |
70 |
|
3 |
|
|
34 |
39 |
63 |
49 |
69 |
68 |
92 |
|
4 |
|
|
|
48 |
50 |
59 |
62 |
69 |
61 |
|
5 |
|
|
|
|
53 |
54 |
71 |
65 |
60 |
|
6 |
|
|
|
|
|
52 |
63 |
65 |
62 |
|
7 |
|
|
|
|
|
- |
53 |
65 |
66 |
|
8 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
50 |
70 |
|
9 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
48 |
|
|
21 |
51 |
164 |
278 |
342 |
402 |
544 |
617 |
668 |
Finances
Income
Masibambane is a private school. The
operational expenses of the school are covered by two
sources:
-
50% comes from school fees which parents pay.
-
10% comes from bursaries – 70 children are on
full bursaries.
-
40% comes from a government subsidy which is
determined by the number of children in the school.
Expenses
Staff salaries absorb 87% of the annual
budget. (Currently, the educator salaries are below that of
state schools.)
The remaining 13% of the budget is thinly
spread in order to cover the absolute essentials necessary
for the running of the school.
We do all we can do reduce our expenses by:
Huge need for fundraising
The school is under constant pressure to
raise funds for
Controls
Masibambane College is governed by a Council
which has representatives from the various stakeholders at
Masibambane.
The Council meets once a quarter and is
responsible, amongst other things, for financial
sustainability of the school. It ensures that the budget is
adhered to and that strategic financial planning is in
place.
Our books are audited on an annual basis.
Contact details
Postal Address:
Masibambane College,
PO Box 180
Orange Farm
1860
Phone Numbers
011 850 3858/0118 ...
Switchboard
011 850 0119 … Fax
Email:
masibambanecollege@telkomsa.net
Banking Details
Standard Bank
Eastgate (Branch Code 018
505)
420 463
755
Masibambane
College Brochure
pdf 216KB
Return to TOP
| 
