Education for Immigrants in the Western Cape

I started my internship a couple of days ago. To catch you up, the organization is called the Refugee Legal & Advocacy Centre which primarily helps refugees get asylum in South Africa. One of the things my supervisor wanted me to see was some of the immigrant schools that exist in Cape Town. The school system I went to visit is called the Bright Student Learning Centre which has an incredible goal and ethic. The school is a non-profit that helps immigrant and refugee children in South Africa get a good education and makes sure that the students learn English. The students come from mainly Zimbabwe but also from Malawi, Mozambique, Ethiopia, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

I had the opportunity to interview the principal, some teachers, and some students from the three different campuses. The three campuses are in Wynberg, Bellville, and Masiphumelele which is a township. Prior to going, I did some research on South African and Zimbabwean politics to better understand the issues that people in the two countries face. Both countries have recently had big political shake-ups with Jacob Zuma forced to resign in shame and replaced by Cyril Ramaphosa. Robert Mugabe was replaced by Emmerson Mnangagwa through the means of a military coup. The issues that force Zimbabweans out of Zimbabwe are poverty, unemployment, and political instability to name a few. South Africa currently has a growing poverty rate and a 26% unemployment rate. This is just the numbers recorded based on those in South Africa who have papers. If you don't have papers, you don't get included in the records.
I share some of the details to paint a picture as to what the migrant and refugee children I met have to deal with. I interviewed students who go far out of their way so that they can go to school. Some go by themselves on the train or the crazy taxis to get to school. For many, on a good day it is a 45 minute commute. Many of these kids were planning on going to public school but because of spacing issues, they have been deferred and some had to wait two years in order to go to public school. I met nine year olds who were forced to wait and were in the 1st Grade being held very far behind. That's why immigrant and refugee parents will send their kids to schools like the Bright Student Learning Centre, even if they can barely or downright not afford to send their kids there. It's because they know that education is a powerful tool that can take you far in life so that's why people risk everything to get it.

This is the preschool in Masiphumelele. Behind each door is a class of about 30 kindergartners. 

This school works in making sure students are fluent in English and get a high-quality education. There is a big hurdle for the school's success: money. The school started in 2012 in a small house and today has three campuses with over 500 students in total. They get no support from the South African government nor from Zimbabweans back in Zimbabwe. They rely on fees and donations and there are a good bit of people not paying their fees for whatever their reason may be. Money limits the resources needed to help these kids get an even better education. The kids I met are disciplined and more eager to learn than many Americans I know back home. I think sometimes we take education for granted since it's a requirement back home whereas here, the cracks are very big and easy to fall through. These kids value education because they know it can make a better life for them and their families. They want to be lawyers, doctors, tv stars, etc. They have these goals and ambitions at a young age. If you feel it in your heart, check out their website to learn more about how they help many young students in Cape Town.
~Noah Goldman
http://brightstudentlearningcentre.co.za/