Adequate Learner Support in the Classroom:
At Thuthukani we limit the size of our classrooms to maximum 17 learners with 2 adults per class i.e. a qualified teacher and a class assistant. The reason for this is that our children all have severe to profound intellectual disability and need the higher levels of care and attention that is provided by the 2 adults in the class. In staffing for this, we ensure that the learners achieve their maximum educational potential and that their safety is at all times ensured. This often entails that the teacher / assistant can take care of individual needs of a child, such as a medical or hygiene emergency while the rest of the class remains under supervision and learning and teaching can continue.
The Department of Education provides a teacher per class, but as our school has seen significant growth recently, we do have some teachers in our school, employed by the School Governing Body (SGB), as we currently do not have enough teachers in departmental posts. Despite posts being created for support staff, they have been frozen indefinitely at Government Level, and we need to fundraise to provide a teacher and class assistant for each class.
Our SGB paid and volunteer class assistants, general assistants, and therapy assistants are key personnel in our school, as they provide much needed support to the teachers, but also to the learners. Our class assistants and therapy assistants drive our extra-curricular projects, such as Mr and Miss Thuthukani, Interhouse Sport Day, Concerts, ballroom dancing etc. All our assistants receive ongoing theoretical and practical in-service training to improve their knowledge, ability, and skill in working with persons with disabilities. Their dedication and passion for education and compassion in working with learners who have severe to profound disabilities also circle out to their families and the communities where they live. In addition to the class and therapy assistants, we have other SGB paid or volunteer support staff, crucial to the welfare of our learners, such as cooks, general workers, cleaners, and office staff.
Due to the great need for essential additional support staff such as class assistants, the school has implemented a program to attract youth who want to volunteer in exchange for training at our school. Most of our volunteers receive sponsored transport on the busses that serve our learners, as they assist with the safety of the learners in the busses during transport to and from school. Many of our class assistants are studying to become qualified teachers and some of them are requesting Thuthukani to use their cost-of-living contribution to cover their tuition fees.
We have an agreement with our volunteers that clearly describes the relationship between the school and the volunteer, that was approved by a labour law expert. We also limit the time that an individual is allowed to volunteer at our school to 2 years, so that we may empower more individuals by implementing this programme. Thuthukani SGB is currently providing 44 volunteers with ex gratia cost of living contributions of R56 per day worked. With an expected 199 school days for 2025, each volunteer will receive on average R11 144.00 during the year – at a total cost of R490 336.00 to the SGB per year that needs to be funded by fundraising.
Sufficient staff to provide learner support at our school.
Without these persons on our staff, we will not be able to educate and care for the disabled children at our school. We will be forced to close classrooms, and as a result, more children with intellectual disability will be deprived of their constitutional right to education, safety, and dignity.
At this stage we already have a waiting list of over 300 learners who need to be placed at our school – just imagine the devastation to the disability sector if we are unable to continue with our current levels of education and care for these children.
All the individuals benefitting from this funding (i.e. receiving cost-of-living contributions and wages) are Black South African Citizens. Many are youth that are given an opportunity to work, receive training and to develop their skills in the Disability and Education Sector.
We are requesting that you consider sponsoring (a) volunteer/s to enable us to continue to provide learner support as well as our programme of empowering previously disadvantaged youth in our community.