Kitlanyang

2. A brief history of the project. • The project started in 2001 at the farm school Kitlanyang in the Kalahari. In 2007 it moved to Loeriesfontein Primary School. It began its activities in Colesberg in July 2011 and added an outreach project to Mafeteng [Lesotho] in 2012 . • Kitlanyang • Mafeteng • LESOTHO • Loeriesfontein • Colesberg

3. The community of Loeriesfontein is characterized by huge differences in the standard of living. • .. the family of my best pupil lives in a shack. • The more privileged live in nice houses.

4. Colesberg is situated in the centre of the Great Karoo about halfway between Cape Town and Johannesburg on the main traffic artery, N1. • Just like Loeriesfontein, it is a typical village in the sparsely populated rural areas of South Africa. • The rate of unemployment is high. • Poverty, alcohol abuse and violence are perplexing realities.

5. The situation at most schools in South Africa is appalling. • Here are some facts from own experience at three schools: • Number of pupils per class is too high • No meaningful culture of teaching in 80% of the schools • Worryingly high absenteeism from Teachers. • Teachers do not prioritize showing pupils how to learn. • Success of teaching and learning is inadequately monitored. • Pupils don’t get opportunities to exercise under supervision • Students’ results are often inflated. • Too few teachers serve as role models. • Department of Education describes the crisis in too mild terms, sometimes denying that real problems exist.

6. Pupils in South African schools show many problems. Here are some findings: • Pupils treat each other in an unkind and, often, very rude manner. • The lack of clear and reasonable norms and guidelines at home, often result in pupils’ blatant defiance of adults at school. • Pupils have unusually short concentration spans and are prone to continuous fidgeting. • Pupils are unable to apply their knowledge or have huge gaps in their knowledge base. They have an extremely difficult time to use what they know for a different problem or set of problems. • Homework is seldom completed. • No learning or exercising takes place outside school hours. Alarmingly, even grade 7 learners still use their fingers to add and subtract. • Begging for attention is a dominant characteristic of pupils, most likely because of the huge lack thereof in the family. • The biggest competency and knowledge deficiencies are in Mathematics and English

7. Vision • To improve the educational standard and performance of learners in primary schools in South African rural areas.

8. Aims • Identify, in cooperation with teachers, those learners with good intellectual abilities and who demonstrate a willingness to learn. • Consolidate and enrich learning through the use of educational software in combination with supervised and meaningful exercise. • Provide bursaries for pupils, who demonstrate exceptional performance levels, to continue in a stable learning environment.

9. Since 2011 the project not only works at schools but also at the private Learning Centre in Colesberg (South Africa) with children from grade 1 to grade 9. • School • Learning Centre

10. Some children live on farms more than 30km away from the school. These farms are in the “middle of nowhere”. Shopping and recreational possibilities are more than 70km away – public transportation is non-existent. It is hard to see how these children visualize their future having nothing to aspire to. • Alcohol abuse often leads to violence against children – something that sadly shapes the rest of their fragile lives. • Some do not survive the brutality. I personally knew the brilliant and innocent 9-year old Wilandry from Loeriesfontein who was raped and murdered.

11. There are too many pupils in one class. • Loeriesfontein Primary school had about 25 pupils per class in grade 1 & 2 but in the higher grades there were up to 61 pupils per class. The photo, to the right, shows grade 6 which had 56 pupils in 2008. • At LEC Mafeteng Primary School the number of pupils per class is between 53 and 66.

12. Project’s Accomplishments • Donation of equipmentDonation of PCs to a hostelin LoeriesfonteinDonation of Laptops to excellent pupils from poor familiesDonation of an electro geyser and a big carpet for a Kindergarten • Improvement of available infrastructure88 PCs and Laptops were equipped with various kinds ofeducational….software, Microsoft Office and Ten Thumbs tutorials • Setting-up a learning centre in Colesberg • Furniture, laptops equipped with educational software, printer, internet connection etc. was purchased from the donations to the project.

13. Current Activities • Volunteer Program • In 2011 we started a volunteer program. Neele Rave, Tabea Danke, Charlotte …Felbinger and Lulu Küßner participated with high commitment in this program and we are looking forward to more volunteers.

14. Current Activities • Help in the schoolsduring school hours • In collaboration with the teachers, we exercise with the pupils during their …Mathematic lesson in the school’s PC room and in class.

15. Additional Activities • Afternoon Classes in a farm school • In January 2012 the project started with afternoon classes in a farm school for children from the farms. This required from the project to deliver the children back to their farms. We worked with 15 children in the first and second term; and are presently preparing 5 girls for their final exams in Mathematics. • Nosipo grade 9 • Simnikiwe grade 6

16. Additional Activities • Afternoon Classes in the learning centre Colesberg In August 2011 the project started with afternoon classes in Colesberg. A total of 18 children from various schools got the chance to exercise Mathematics under supervision.

17. Innovative Activities • Mobile learning (A reading project) • Initially together with the “Learning Academy Worldwide” we implemented an English reading project in Loeriesfontein and Colesberg; and now started a new project on our own in Kingsgate Primary School in Mafeteng [Lesotho]..

18. Exercise and Achievements • Daily exercise on a PC under supervision using educational software is a perfect learning aid and the results speak for themselves. • Example A. Within 5 days a grade 7 learner improved her score in adding mixed numbers from 55 to 100%. • Rozaan (left) at the PC

19. Exercise and Achievements • Example B. Daily tests in Maths were written in grade 4. After three days three alike performing pupils were chosen. I exercised every day with Merilin in the hostel. In less than four weeks she stabilized at 100%, while the achievements of the two others varied substantially even when identical tests were written. • Merilin

20. Focus on Commitment • Daily exercise on a PC under supervision using educational software is a perfect learning aid but needs the commitment of the pupil. • In June 2008 the external Maths exam showed for the 39 learners of grade 7 a mean of 23,7%. The Maths teacher gave 11 randomly chosen pupils to the project for daily exercise on the PCs. Nine of them attended every day while two showed little interest and finally stopped coming. • In September 2008 the next external exam in Maths was written. The pupils without daily exercise (black triangles) did not improve as good as those who exercised every day. The unwilling pupils (in the pink circle) show impressively that the commitment of the pupil is key to success.

21. Integrated Emphasis • Teaching – Learning – Exercise must become a unit • For seven weeks Mrs. Brand and I (Prof von Willert) became teacher of grade 3 in Loeriesfontein Primary School. Our teaching rested on 5 pillars that made teaching, learning and exercise a unit: • 1. Proper evaluation of the “status quo” of the 15 pupils in Mathematics. • 2. A concept, based on the discovered deficits and the available knowledge. • 3. A careful monitoring of the pupils’ daily performance, i.e. daily control of the teaching and learning success. • 4. Adjustment of the concept to the needs, to the outcome and toimportant observations and findings. • 5. Incorporating different kinds of educational software in Mathematics into teaching and learning.

22. Teaching • Learning • Success • control • Exercise

23. Results of the model • Outcome when Teaching – Learning – Exercise is a unit • Based on the concept of Teaching-Learning-Exercise as unit, we achieved remarkable results in Mathematics. When we checked the pupils’ knowledge on May 20 the average was 55% and not a single child achieved more than 80%. On August 10, after seven weeks extensive work no child got less than 60%, the average was above 80% and seven out of 13 pupils achieved 90 or more %.

24. Processes and Results of the Model • Project with Grade 2 Primary Schoolin Loeriesfontein was ordered. • 1. Step: Pupils were given 80 words and had to write the plural form.2. Step: Success control evaluation showed the problems.3. Step: 30 min exercise on the PC and 30 min work in class on 3 successive days.4. Step: Thereafter the initial test was repeated and success control applied.5. Step: Exercise on PC and in class for two more days.6. Step: The initial test was repeated. Teacher was extremely satisfied with the achievements. • Only five hours extensive exercise in class and on the PC increased the number of pupils achieving more than 80% correct answers from 6 to 16 and not a single pupil got less than 30%.

25. Unique Model of Sustainability • Sustainability of any project is important and we pay focus on a longitudinal approach to learning. These children deserve support over an extended period of time and not just a hit-and-miss approach. That is why we focus on • Personal sponsorships and bursaries • With the help of sponsors in Germany and South Africa these 7 girls are already or will be sent to better schools. They will be sponsored by the project until they finish high school. • Caitlin • Onkutlwile • Maygon • Tlhalefo & Hlalefang • Noxolo • Boitumelo

26. In the dry summer the grave yard in Loeriesfontein only shows bare soil and dry plants. • One good rain in winter leads to a miracle. The bare soil covers itself with a carpet of flowers.

27. We can’t expect such a miracle to happen at the school in such a short time. We will have achieved a lot if our project activities bring about a small miracle like the little Oxalis plant in a stone desert after a good rain. • So, like water means life, so can only a good education lead the way into a better future. • If we want this then we have to give the children this water.

28. Maybe we achieve step by step more those little miracles. • A hard and stony way but one worth to go!

29. Thank you