The founder of the Ocean View Care Centre, a haven for underprivileged children in Ocean View, is planning on building a new school.
A high primary school drop-out rate, an increase in pupils needing learning support, and the number of small children not attending crèche have prompted Johann Kikillus to build a new school that can accommodate at least 250 pupils – more than double the 107 pupils that the centre accommodates.
The Ocean View Care Centre, a division of Soteria Ministries, has been operating since February 2015.
Mr Kikillus said he came to Ocean View in 2011 to assist with the rehabilitation of gangsters, ex-convicts, and drug addicts.
During his walkabouts in the community, he said, he had noticed that many small children were playing in the streets because their parents could not afford crèche fees.
He said he had started the Ocean View Care Centre with the vision of providing a refuge, food, and education for children aged 4 to 6.
The centre gets funding for food from the Western Cape Education Department.
Mr Kikillus said he had noticed three big problems while working with far south primary schools over the past decade:
• A lot of pupils drop out of school, especially in Ocean View, and this feeds the gang and drug culture as well as teenage pregnancies and perpetuates the cycle of violence and poverty.
• There is a huge increase in the number of pupils requiring learning support at schools.
• The number of small children not attending crèche is rising as unemployment increases.
The Care Centre had provided for more than 900 children over the past decade, but its services remained limited, he said.
“We currently rely on volunteer occupational therapists and counsellors, and we have not had electricity for the past six months,” he said, adding that he had reported the fault to the City several times to no avail.
City spokesman Luthando Tyhalibongo told the Echo that the City was looking into the issue.
Mr Kikillus said he planned to open a preschool where full-time teachers, occupational therapists and counsellors helped children with learning difficulties before they started primary school.
“This will result in a higher rate of numeracy and literacy, which will mean fewer drop-outs.”
Planning was at an early stage and if his market research showed such a school was needed, he would approach investors, he said, adding that he planning a public meeting towards the end of April.
“I am a firm believer that the answer to our country’s many challenges is to equip our children with the best education and emotional support available.”
Kleinberg Primary School principal Denzil van Graan confirmed that many primary school pupils were dropping out and added that they seemed to battle more with the curriculum in the wake of the pandemic. And teachers were reporting that more pupils had barriers to learning.
There was a scarcity of skills centres in Ocean View, and cash-strapped parents could not afford the transport costs to send their children to the Cafda School of Skills in Retreat, he said.
“These pupils become susceptible to gangsterism, teenage pregnancy, and substance use.”
Many Grade 1s in the community had not attended a formal preschool where they would have learnt basic numeracy and literacy, he said.
“Most of them come to school not knowing routine and expected prior information such as their home address, primary colours, single-digit number identification, shapes, and sight words. I agree that if more space or facilities can be made available to provide preschool for children up to the age of 6, they’ll come to our schools better prepared and equipped to successfully integrate into the routine of school life.”