Scalabrini celebrates World Teacher’s Day
Each year on the 5th of October, World Teachers’ Day is celebrated in over a 100 countries, including South Africa. The day brings together governments, NGO’s, teachers and experts in the field of teaching for discussions on policies, legislation and recommendations to be implemented in an effort to cultivate a thriving society through education.
As part of the Scalabrini Centre of Cape Town (SCCT), the Scalabrini English School runs a programme which offers 10 levels of English classes to refugees and migrants, and enrolls around 450 non-English speaking students per term. Remarkable about the school is that they developed and use a special tailored educational curriculum to teach migrants and refugees English in South Africa.
Students currently registered with the school praised their teacher’s efforts, adding the following comments about their journey thus far:
“I enjoy English classes because it helps me to get more words, new expressions and vocabulary and how to use it. English is key for everyone particularly if you stay in an Anglophone country. It can help you to interact, to work or to communicate with other people. It’s about integration.”
“The Scalabrini Centre starts to teach you English from zero up to you get enough English. So far English School helps me the most because I can talk better English, I can talk to other people in English. Scalabrini is the best for me. My teacher is a very good teacher, I would like to give thanks to my teacher. I enjoy reading books, conversation club spelling, grammar and writing.”
When do you feel most integrated/ ‘at home’ in the city?
When I feel most at home is when I am taking my morning hikes, when I go up the mountain. The one I like the most is Lion’s Head because it is the easiest. When you are climbing you can take your time to appreciate nature and the indigenous nature – I feel most at home because I am in touch with mother nature.
When do you feel least integrated in the city?
Actually, I don’t. Wherever I am, I am good at adapting.
What kind of work do you do?
Teachers play an important role in shaping the lives of their many students. With this year’s theme being “Teaching in Freedom, Empowering Teachers”, we would like to thank all teachers from the English programme for enriching their student’s life’s and empowering all the foreign individuals they teach.
With growing numbers each new term, the English School hopes to find better means to enrol more students in the future whilst at the same time nurturing a more inclusive and tolerant society to people integrating in South Africa.
Speaking on the positive work the school is doing, Kate Body, English School Manager, had the following to say about the programme:
“The English School at Scalabrini is incredibly grateful and humbled by the work of our teachers, tutors and facilitators. We have close to 50 educational volunteers who all share a common love of empowering others through education. These dedicated volunteers give up their free time and give freely of their knowledge and experience and in return learn as much as their students about different cultures, traditions and life experiences. As part of the Scalabrini ethos, it is understood that our students are in fact not just students but teachers themselves. The English School wishes all our teachers and students a much appreciated World Teacher’s day.”
”These dedicated volunteers give up their free time and give freely of their knowledge and experience and in return learn as much as their students about different cultures, traditions and life experiences.”
Written by Pakamani Nombila
