The document summarizes the presentations made by groups of mentors in the Year Beyond Programme to a panel including the Western Cape Premier. The mentors proposed solutions to the high school dropout rate in the province. They identified low self-esteem, lack of family and academic support, and poor socioeconomic conditions as key drivers of the dropout rate. The winning team proposed interventions like improving foundational education and community involvement in schools. The Premier said the presentations highlighted low self-esteem as a major issue and proposed practical solutions that could be implemented with available resources.

1. Development plan
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NORMAN MCFARLANE
I
will leave here a better mayor,
because these young people
have reminded me that we try to
build decent homes, while people
are often “emotional shacks”.
With these words, Stellenbosch
executive mayor Conrad Sidego
spelled out his feelings about the
Year Beyond Programme (YBP).
“We fill heads but not the soul. We
pursue intellectual development,
but we neglect emotional develop-
ment, and our challenge is to figure
out how to fill that void,” Mr Sidego
told Bolander.
Mr Sidego was speaking at Stell-
enbosch University last Tuesday
morning, which hosted a series of
presentations by eight groups of
YBP mentors to a panel of judges
led by Western Cape Premier
Helen Zille, focused on establishing
why the dropout rate in schools
in the Western Cape is so high, and
proposing possible solutions.
Programme
focuses on
developing
youth
Presentation at Stellenbosch
University proposes solutions to high
dropout rate at Western Cape schools
Continued on page 3

2. NEWSBolander Wednesday July 1 2015 3
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From page 1
Launched last year by Ms Zille, the programme
recruits and trains bright and motivated university
graduates and matriculants to spend a year tutor-
ing and mentoring pupils in underperforming
schools, where support is needed most.
Tuesday’s initiative forms part of the YBP inno-
vation challenge, one of three legs of the year-long
self-development programme, along with short
courses on leadership and active citizenship offered
by the Frederick van Zyl Slabbert Institute at Stel-
lenbosch University and a personal development
programme run by Action Volunteers Africa.
The winning team consists of mentors from Int-
langaniso Secondary School in Ikwezi Park, and
Oval North School in Beacon Valley and the run-
ner-up team mentors at ID Mkhize High School in
Gugulethu and Leiden High School in Delft.
Bolander spoke to some of the YBP mentors
after the formal proceedings to get their views
about the programme. “It means a lot to me,
because it’s all about giving back to the community,
and I believe in helping other to reach their full
potential,” says 18-year-old Zikhona Nkwentsha,
who tutors at Manyano High School in Gugulethu
where she lives. “I’ve learned a great deal during
the programme, and during the short courses
which I know will help me in the future.”
“The programme helped me to understand that
people are often not the problem, but the circum-
stances are. People tend to react differently,” says
24-year-old Craig Adams, who tutors at Downeville
Primary School in Manenberg. “When a young
pupil comes in upset and crying, or is being rude,
you have to realise that he doesn’t necessarily want
to be rude, but that his circumstances are causing
him to be.
“You need to figure out what in his circum-
stances may be causing the problem, so that you
can help him. I want to become a teacher, and this
programme is giving me first hand experience, and
a lot of skills that I’ll need as a teacher,” says 20-year-
old Rudmyr Vos of Paarl who mentors at Highlands
Primary School in Mitchell’s Plain. “I’ve applied to
study psychology at Stellenbosch University next
year, and I will go into education thereafter. I know
that the skills I have learned on this programme,
while being able to give back to the community, will
stand me in very good stead in my future career.”
The key drivers of the high school dropout rate
identified by the teams, are socio-economic chal-
lenges, lack of support from families and parents,
poor academic support, vandalism of school infra-
structure, a lack of ownership of involvement by
communities in their schools, and low self-esteem in
pupils and a lack of affirmation from peers, teach-
ers and families.
After the conclusion of judging and feedback to
the teams, Ms Zille told Bolander: “I was interested
to note that every single group identified low self-
esteem and lack of affirmation as teenagers as one
of the core problems. It is a big issue for young peo-
ple and the lack of self-esteem and lack of affirma-
tion can have very serious consequences education-
ally.
“Some of the solutions I really like because they
are practical, implementable and sustainable within
the resources that we have at our disposal,” she said,
“for example getting the routines right at school,
and ensuring that the foundation of a good educa-
tion – reading, writing, calculation – is done prop-
erly during the foundation phase. If we don’t do
that, the pupils actually drop out at that early stage,
but only leave school later when they are legally per-
mitted to.
“This programme is very important because it
takes the brightest young school
leavers and university graduates and
puts them into schools as mentors for
a year,” she said.
“It also enables them to get a qual-
ification in leadership from the Fred-
erick van Zyl Slabbert Institute and
Stellenbosch University. It’s a wonder-
ful gap year for students to take and I
would encourage any good students to
take the opportunity to give back, by
enabling them to be role models and
to mentor students, which I believe is
very good them, and for the young
children who perhaps have not had as
many opportunities as they have.”
The next phase of the innovation
challenge will see the mentors guided
through the process of intervention
design, where they will be supported
to develop a programme that success-
fully delivers their planned solutions.
The Year Beyond Programme is
delivered by the Western Cape Gov-
ernment in partnership with a num-
ber of NGOs, including Action Volun-
teers Africa, the Shine Centre and
Ikamva Youth.
‘Groups identified low self-esteem as a core problem’
■ Premier Helen Zille provides feedback to members of theYear Beyond Programme
(YBP),at Stellenbosch University last Tuesday.Ms Zille was a member of the judging
panel which considered presentations on the causes of and solutions to the high
school dropout rate in the province,by eight groups ofYBP mentors who devote a
year after school or university,to mentoring and tutoring pupils in underperforming
schools.
■ Pictured is the winning team ofYear Beyond Programme mentors,who presented the most
compelling arguments for what to do about the high school dropout rate in the province,at
the university of Stellenbosch last week Tuesday.Back,from left,are Nasima Badsha (Cape
Higher Education Consortium),Lucille Meyer (Chrysalis Academy),Thaaniya Isaacs (Ernst and
Young),Judy Sikuza (Mandela Rhodes Foundation),Leslie van Rooi (Stellenbosch University),
Ntobeko Sithole,Siphokazi Manjanja,Premier Helen Zille,and Nabeelah Barnes.In front are,
Bongile Zanazo,Thando Mpongwana,Patricia Moos,and Mandisi Gladile.
bolander
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