Cape Town - West End Primary School in Mitchells Plain and Pinelands North Primary School in Pinelands were honoured and recognised on Thursday as nominees for T4 Education’s “World’s Best School Prize” in the Overcoming Adversity category.
Both schools will compete against others from Australia, Uganda, Brazil, Jamaica, Nigeria, Kenya, India and Malaysia for the $50 000 (about R763 000) prize.
Premier Alan Winde and Education MEC David Maynier visited both schools to make the announcement in front of the excited learners.
Winde said: “It’s amazing that our schools are getting recognition for what they do, especially if you think about overcoming adversity. You get that feeling, at Pinelands North and West End, of what the leadership and community means where they come together. You have hope for the future of our country and I’m really excited.”
West End principal Clive Arries said he was extremely proud of the efforts his school and staff have put in to be nominated.
“We are humbled by the facilitation and accolade to be nominated as one of the top 10 schools in the world for our endeavours in managing adversity and creating opportunities for our learners and school community.
“Our children come from diverse socio-economic backgrounds at school and our community is hard-pressed by the high cost of living and social ills, such as violence and drug abuse. We create an environment for them to feel safe and to express themselves comfortably,” he said.
Pinelands North principal Ann Morton said the nomination was validation for 20 years of hard work.
“We’ve been working hard to be a model school for schooling in South Africa and we know we’ve got the recipe right.
“We entered all five categories and got chosen for the overcoming adversity category. We have the most amazing families and communities with children who love to be at school each and every day,” she said.
The schools will now compete for the Top 3 positions and then the ultimate prize – and South Africa will support them in the next phase and celebrate their success.