On 15 May 2023, the Gauteng Provincial Office of PanSALB launched its first Khoe and San community school in the province at EW Hobbs Primary School in Eldorado Park. The community school is a pilot programme that offers voluntary, extra-mural classes for Nama (Khoe) to the school’s Grade 0-7 learners. The Gauteng Provincial Office and the school were thrilled when approximately 50 Grade 4 to 7 students arrived for class on the day of the launch. The lessons are facilitated by Hillary Rinkwest. This launch will soon be followed by a second pilot programme at Reiger Park Primary School, facilitated by Lelani Jacobs.
PanSALB will be supporting the community school through the provision of learning materials, the first of which was handed over in a special meeting on 30 March 2023 at the provincial office (pictured). The pilot programme will cover the basics of Khoe, including greeting, numbers, days of the week, and family, in a move to promote the use of and protect Khoe as an indigenous language. The learning materials are selected and created under the advice of the Gauteng Provincial Language Committee member for Khoe and San, Telle Hoeses.
While the facilitators are first-language speakers, PanSALB offered them further intensive training in the Northern Cape in March 2023. Both facilitators also boast education qualifications and years of experience in teaching and childcare. The Khoe and San community school project was informed by the demand for quality Khoe lessons in schools and communities and will run for nine months. In PanSALB’s research, Eldorado Park and Reiger Park were identified as areas with a significant interest in the language and culture. The project team is grateful to EW Hobbs Primary School and Reiger Park Primary School for their willingness to host the pilots.
