Madiba once stated that “it is through education that the daughter of a peasant can become a doctor, that the son of a mineworker can become the head of the mine, that a child of farmworkers can become the President of a great nation.”
History has proven that education not only gives one an opportunity to change one’s life for the better, but also uplift one’s community.
Great excitement prevailed at the beginning of the year with the opening of the long-awaited Fisherhaven Academy.
According to Bronagh Hammond, spokesperson for the Western Cape Education Department, Fisherhaven Junior High School is one of the Education Department’s Rapid School Build programme schools.
“The programme seeks to deliver beautiful schools in areas with a high demand for placement, and this school was completed in just 71 days on a R46,8 million budget. The school is completed and was ready to welcome learners at the beginning of the year.”
According to her the school has 341 learners and 18 staff members who were recruited at the end of last year.
It was not only parents and learners who welcomed the opening of the new school, but also the community of Fisherhaven.
The community stood together and organised a special tree planting day on Friday.
“Habitat Tree Nursery has been very generous in donating a 1 000F indigenous Natal Fig tree,” said a resident. “The idea was to provide some immediate shade for the pupils and staff during these last hot summer months (and of course for future summers), and to enhance the new building structure, which is rather stark at present.
According to Dinish Rajpaul, chairman of the Fisherhaven Homeowners Association, this splendid tree has been brought from the outside to find a special place in the community.
“It will put down roots and adapt and thrive in its new environment . . . let that be a reminder to you of your own resilience and how you would need to adapt in order to survive and grow in ever changing conditions – that is what will define you and where your success will lie.
“There will be many others who pass through the gates of Fisherhaven Academy, but you are the pioneers who will carve a path, and shape and guide the way for those to come. This is your legacy, the class of 2024.”
The headmaster, Stephen Cupido, is thankful to the community of Fisherhaven.
“Education can’t do it alone,” he pointed out. “We need partnerships between schools and local communities to ensure the schools become centres of excellence, no matter where they are situated.
“Our tree planting ceremony is an example of a public-private partnership in action.
“The tree planted today is a symbol of the relationship between Fisherhaven Academy and the broader Fisherhaven community.”