Around March 2009, myself and a dear friend visited the Eastern Cape, we explored the Wild Coast to be exact, staying in Coffee Bay, stopping over for a few hours at Hole in the Wall and then spending most of our week at a place called Bulungula. You can read about them at www.bulungula.com. In a nutshell it's a lodge on the beach in the Eastern Cape, which is trying as hard as possible to benefit the surrounding community and leave as little of a carbon footprint as possible. It is by no means a luxury lodge, but when you leave and you have to pay your bill, you're still surprised by how little it costs to stay there. It's not for the luxury traveler who requires white linen and high pressure showers, in fact there is a communal ablution block and communal dining room, but it's an experience which I'm glad I had, and I dare say that I might even be convinced to go back there again, next time better prepared.
But I digress, the title of this entry is Education. Being a past visitor to Bulungula, I'm on their mailing list. I received their latest newsletter today and they say that the government has cut the education budget in the Eastern Cape.
Now this baffles me, I cannot comprehend how a developing country can cut the roots of the tree of development.
Believe me, I know there are countless areas of the country which have huge shortfalls, but is education not the key to a better future? How can we hope to have a better future as a country, if the future of the children of the country is not a priority?
There are numerous wrongs which need to be righted in South Africa, but I firmly believe that education should not be compromised.
At present, unfortunately, I feel that the state of education for the less fortunate is no better (dare I say worse??) than it was during the apartheid era. I cannot begin to understand how this injustice goes on, and is in fact justified by the powers that be, everyday in South Africa.
So if change starts with me, what can I do? I have thought of this often. I was fortunate to have a private school education despite coming from a disadvantaged background. My parents most certainly couldn't afford the school fees, I had a bursary.
Sometimes I think it was just pure luck, but some may not believe in this. I've thought about possibly affording a child with a similar background a similar kind of schooling, but I'm not sure if that's where the need is greatest.
If you would like to do something about the Eastern Cape schools, you can make a donation via Bulungula, which directly supports the school nearest to the lodge, I can vouch for it. The link below takes you to a page which tells you how:
I swear that no money comes into my personal bank account. But if you would like to give me money, I won't refuse.
If you have time and energy, maybe speak to the school nearest to you, if you think they might have a need, or contact your old school and see if there's something you can do there. At the danger of waxing philosophical and sounding cliched, I do believe: Even one small change, can make a big difference.
No comments:
Post a Comment