Where we were
In Mafeteng, Lesotho, from 30 October to 8 November 2015, with the aim of strengthening the contact with Kingsgate Primary School and discussing a partnership with Kolleg St. Sebastian. The Kingdom of Lesotho is completely surrounded by South Africa, was not a colony and therefore did not suffer under apartheid. Lesotho is a very poor country (ranked 137 out of 175 on the Human Development Index), with very beautiful scenery and largely mountainous. Lesotho is roughly the size of Belgium and has just over 2 million inhabitants.
Who we are
Three members of the association Freundeskreis Kagiso Learning Aid Project
- Bernhard Moser, headmaster of Kolleg St. Sebastian in Stegen, in Lesotho for the first time
- Dr Walburga Rehmann-Linden, retired director (language college for international students, Freiburg), in Lesotho for the second time
- Dr Peter Krimmel, general practitioner in Stegen near Freiburg, in Lesotho for the third time
Why Kingsgate Primary School in particular?
- because there was already a contact with Prof. Dr Dieter von Willert (see Bild der Wissenschaft, issue 09/2015)
- because the school is run by its principal, Mateboho Masiu, with commitment, competence and assertiveness, and at the same time as a team player
- because Ms Masiu is interested in a partnership with a school in Germany
- because the school’s staff are motivated and interested in developing the school in Lesotho further
- because this school is the best in the whole district
- because the children are eager to learn and enthusiastic
How the school is organised and built
- Built on sandy, steppe-like land on the edge of the small town of Mafeteng
- Several small, rectangular, single-storey buildings, each with room for two adjoining classrooms
- An administration building in the same style
- A large, well-kept school yard with a water dispenser, fenced in, with the gate locked in the evenings
- Not a state school – parents have to pay school fees
- Pre-school for children aged 3 to 6 (crèche)
- Seven grades
- Class sizes of 50 to 64 children
- A principal, 18 teachers, a person in charge of the pre-school (crèche) and a secretary
How our days were spent during our stay
- Sitting in on lessons
- Contact with the children
- Information, conversations, consultations and planning
- Excursions in the area organised by the school
- Evening meetings, both official and private
What impressed us most
- The warm welcome and hospitality of everyone we met – this made quick and close contact possible
- The children’s eagerness to learn, enthusiasm and motivation on the one hand, which did not diminish even with class sizes of 50 to 64, and their childlike, cheerful behaviour when romping and playing during breaks on the other
- In the meetings with the teachers: their ability to discuss matters objectively and to concentrate on the topic at hand
- The teachers’ pride in their simple classrooms, equipped with only the bare essentials, and in their 42 computers
Where we stayed
At the “Training Centre”, a guesthouse run by Catholic sisters – simple, clean and quiet, with practically furnished rooms and showers. Very hospitable.
What we are planning
- A school partnership between Kingsgate Primary School and Kolleg St. Sebastian
- Inviting the principal, Mateboho Masiu, for a two-week professional development visit to Kolleg St. Sebastian
- Renovation / new construction of the sanitary facilities
- Electrification of all classrooms
- Purchase of modern computers with internet access
- Placing volunteers from Germany
- Afternoon activities for the children: facilities for “fun and games”
- Further training for pupils after Grade 7, in training workshops for those who do not attend the neighbouring high school