GRAAFF-REINET NEWS - Varsity College Nelson Mandela Bay (NMB) in collaboration with Bona uBuntu embarked on a vision testing drive at primary schools in Graaff-Reinet last week.
This testing drive was conducted over two days – from Monday to Wednesday – and saw 1200 learners tested.
Background
The School of Education at Varsity College NMB launched a Community Engagement project in the Graaff-Reinet District in 2022.
This project, funded by the Trim Tab Foundation, was initiated by Union Preparatory School principal, Belinda Botha, and SGB remedial teacher, Aiden Rittels, who identified the need for Inclusive Education post-Covid and reached out to Varsity College NMB to do a series of workshops in support thereof.
According to Jamiellah Domingo, Varsity College NMB Head of Education, about 40 teachers attended the first series of five workshops. They indicated that reading and language impacted most on learning and this led to the Language and Literacy Development Programme, also funded by the Trim Tab Foundation.
“To date this programme has been supplying resources, stationery, books and book wagons to schools. About 50 education assistants and reading champs were also trained to be reading club facilitators,” says Domingo.
“Reading clubs take place twice a week and the reading club facilitators also offer in class reading support. The facilitators receive regular support, and monitoring and evaluation is ongoing. In addition, we try to celebrate all literacy events like Read Aloud Day, World Book Day and others.”
Vision testing drive
Regarding the recent vision testing drive, Bona uBuntu identified a huge need to equip teachers with adaptive learning skills to accommodate visually impaired children in the classroom. Bona uBuntu is a local NPO focused on education for blind and visually impaired children in the Eastern Cape.
Varsity College NMB collaborated with Bona uBuntu to conduct a workshop with twelve primary schools in Graaff-Reinet because it was of more value to train teachers how to identify vision challenges before embarking on the vision testing drive.
Vision tests were available to learners from all schools and not limited to those involved in the community project.
“Learners from Volkskool and Union could test at the Alex Laing testing site, and we even had learners from as far as Somerset East who tested at the Adendorp testing site. In addition, the secondary school in Aberdeen also sent 65 learners to be tested,” she says.
“We are immensely grateful and so proud of the amazing work done by the testing team. This amazing feat would not have been possible without the support of the principals, teachers, and coordinators at the following schools: Adendorp, Graaff-Reinet, Isibane, Kroonvale, Lingcom, Narsingstraat, Ryneveld, and Thembalisizwe primary in Graaff-Reinet, Aberdeen Full-Service School, Kamdebo, and Luxolo primary in Aberdeen, and Lettie de Klerk primary in Nieu Bethesda. We would also like to thank the Graaff-Reinet district office for their continued support. The guidance from Tessa Juries, Tanya Groenewald, Aiden Rittels and Ebben Hufkie is also highly valued.”
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