Bulungula College

We are honoured to welcome South Africa Minister of Basic Education, Angie Motshekga, and Chief Director for Foundations for Learning, Kulula Manona, to Bulungula today! It was a fantastic opportunity to showcase our comprehensive Early Childhood Development (ECD) programme—which begins with supporting a healthy pregnancy, focuses on the crucial development of the first 1,000 days, extends through centre-based early learning, and continues supporting children throughout their schooling to ensure a productive future.

DYK: 1.3 million South African children aged 3-5 aren't in any form of early learning programmes. Since 2009, our community has developed a holistic ECD programme, despite being located in one of the country's most remote and poorest areas, to ensure all of our children have access to quality ECD. Here’s how we do it: https://bit.ly/3TXZK5t

Department of Basic Education

Class of 2023 🎓
97.2%
Well done 👏

‘It takes a village’ ~

WREC reaches 50! The Wild Ride Education Company is proud to announce the completion of phase three of the Bulungula college project, which begun in 2017. This brings the total of classrooms built by WREC along the coast to 50. What an achievement, and only made possible by all YOU wild riders and the kind donations🚴🏽‍♂️🚴🏽‍♀️

Read the full story on our Imana Wild Ride page: https://www.imanawildride.co.za/2023/05/15/wrec-completes-50th-classroom-build/

Feel like adding a bit to WREC? Check out our website under the community tab 🏫

"We see ‘failure’ as an essential part of the learning process to develop more effective projects" ⏩

One of our projects, iiTablet Tshomiz, has been running since 2016 as an e-learning government school support project for mathematics and literacy. While the maths programme has positively impacted our learners, we’ve had consistent issues with the literacy and language programme and didn't see the results we wanted. With the growing concern about low literacy levels, we decided to change our approach entirely.

This year, we’re partnering with READ Educational Trust to implement their methodology for increasing literacy. We attended a “training the trainers” workshop in January to learn how to support teachers in the classroom. Unlike our previous approach, we have shifted our focus from learners to teachers through a coaching and mentorship programme.

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💙 Read the full blog: https://bulungulaincubator.org/changing-up-our-approach-to-increase-literacy-outcomes/

100% pregnant learner retention rate at Bulungula College— how our inclusive policy enables pregnant and mother learners to stay in school

Around one in four female school-going adolescents in South Africa report being pregnant. Of these learners, only 30-50% will return to school— contributing to the country’s concerning high-school dropout rate.

At Bulungula College, we have created an enabling pregnancy policy to ensure that our pregnant and mother learners are well supported and cared for during their pregnancy and postpartum. We have a Learner Support Desk that assigns an adviser to pregnant learners, providing them with administrative assistance (such as monitoring clinic visits and organising transport) and ongoing psychosocial support during school.

Our senior management meets with pregnant learners and their families to discuss and agree on a pre/post-natal schooling plan. Extra counselling and support is provided to parents and caregivers, to address any concerns they may have, and educate them on the importance of their child returning to school. This includes a plan for childcare at home once the learner gives birth.

We transport learners to clinic dates to minimise their time out of the classroom, and have a nurse at our nearby Bulungula Health Point who can respond to any medical needs while at school. We offer one month of maternity leave, and our Nomakhayas (community health workers) conduct daily home-checks to make sure mother and baby are healthy. Teachers, staff and other learners are sensitised to this policy, making it easier for the mother learner to return to school. Once she returns, the education catch-up plan is implemented. We are proud to report that our inclusive and extensive policy has resulted in a 100% pregnant learner retention rate at Bulungula College.

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💙 Read the full blog: https://bulungulaincubator.org/100-pregnant-learner-retention-rate-at-bulungula-college-how-our-inclusive-policy-enables-pregnant-and-mother-learners-to-stay-in-school/

Attention!

Bulungula College admits learners in Grade 10 and 11 only NOT in Grade 12. Please ignore the fake news circulating.

Bulungula College achieves a 100% Matric pass rate— the first time in the history of our region! 💥 Halala halala halala! A big congratulations to our second-ever graduating class, who have proven that with focus, hard work and grit, anything is possible. To be the first school to ever pass 100% of its learners in Elliotdale is a remarkable achievement, especially given the challenging circumstances of our community. For many of these learners and their families, earning a Matric certificate in our community was a dream they never thought possible. This pass rate is not only a reflection of the individual efforts of our learners but the consistent support, guidance and care of our Bulungula College teachers, staff and families. Bulungula College is a shining example of what excellence can look like in a rural and under-resourced area. Enkosi KAKHULU, thank you SO much to all of our supporters, this achievement would not have been possible without you. We all must celebrate 🎉 💙 read the full blog: https://bulungulaincubator.org/bulungula-college-achieves-a-100-matric-pass-rate-the-first-time-in-the-history-of-our-region/