Swaneng Hll School

I finally got to visit my old school. It too is almost unrecognizable. The entranceway showed this immediately. There were 4 large 2-storey buildings that are science and household science labs. We had a good visit with the principal. The school runs on 2 shifts with a total of 2400 students and 152 teachers. Swaneng only serves Forms 4 and 5 (grades 11 and 12) and is for the minority. Most students are expected to complete to grade 10 in Junior Secondary schools of which there are several in the village.

The panoramic view from the hill where the principal lived shows how extensive the grounds are. To the left are gardens and animal pens for agricultural science. Academic buildings are culstered on the right. In 1968 there were only 400 students all high school grades. Half the students boarded and the other half came to the school in the back of lorries. They were picked up in the morning, returned to the village at 4 for supper, came back from 7-9 pm for study hall. The school had discovered that this was the only way to get homework done. A generator provided electricity from 7 until 10 each evening.

The rondavel in which I lived for a year is still there, except that the thatch roof has been replaced with tile. In the hut, which I shared with a Peace Corps volunteer, was a bunk bed and 2 small desks. The communal dining room is also there, but is now a craft center. The main courtyard which was surrounded by classrooms does not appear to be much used. In my day the inner walls did not exist so you could see what was going on in all the other rooms. This helped with the summer heat, but was miserable in the cold weather. Students often wrapped themselves in their blankets. The principal insisted that all staff and students help the school, and our major project was the school hall which has been extended by another third. It now serves as a dining hall and a huge gym appears to also serve as an auditorium.

Tom and I spent 3 hours walking the grounds. A rewarding exercise in nostalgia.

Tom’s comment: the students are taller than they were in 1968, and their English is better. They wear school uniforms now, light blue shirts and dresses with navy blue pants and blazers. The school crest, sewn on each garment, says “Thuto ke Thobo ya Bokamoso”, roughly “Education is our future harvest.” It could well serve as a motto for the whole country.