Cape Town - People gathered at the Joe Slovo Engineering High School in Khayelitsha cheered as a newly repaired engine that had been dormant for over 10 years revved thunderously following its unveiling.
In a relationship-building initiative, False Bay TVET College repaired the largely inactive engine, used for practicals since last June, and handed it over to the school on Tuesday.
Principal Sityhilelo Ntamo said: “When we started our partnership with False Bay College, our teachers went to False Bay College to see the good practices there, and also from False Bay College they did the same.
“When they arrived here and saw this engine that was old, we asked them to refurbish it for us to use when we teach our learners. They gladly did it.”
The school now has two functioning engines. Ntamo said the school cannot have too many engines due to the limited space in the workshops and with the space also shared for other practicals in metalwork and automotives.
Ntamo said there were two technical schools in Khayelitsha.
With the school named after anti-apartheid activist Joe Slovo, False Bay TVET College campus manager Mthetho Haido said the fight continues in a different way and setting.
“It is now a fight with a slightly different focus, a fight that has carried on though not in our streets. We need to do something extra, something additional in our classrooms, in our workshops, in our places of learning. That’s where the fight for economic freedom is carrying on,” Haido said.
“This event is a major milestone in cementing our relationship, the relationship between False Bay College and Joe Slovo High School. What we’re saying here today is that we’ve got places of excellence here in Khayelitsha that were driven by hope here in Khayelitsha. We no longer want to continue working in silos, in isolation.
“We want to come together, combine forces and realise a better tomorrow for our young people in our country. We hope that this event is the first of many.”
Western Cape Education Department curriculum planner Nathan Joseph said the school represented 6.6% of all technical learners in the Western Cape and was the biggest in terms of learner cohort.
“Technical education is not in a good space in the province. We have 26 technical schools in the province (3%).”
There are approximately 10 000 learners at technical schools across all 26 schools. Out of 59 000 Western Cape matriculants, 2500 are from technical schools.
shakirah.thebus@inl.co.za