Rocklands Primary School pioneers sustainability in education
It is a bright, sunny October morning in Mitchell’s Plain. At the Rocklands Urban Abundance Centre, situated on a strip of land next to Rocklands Primary School, volunteers are hard at work tending to the plants and seedlings in the tree nursery.
Rocklands is home to the headquarters of Schools Environmental Education & Development (SEED), an organisation which aims to educate communities struggling with unemployment and poverty about self-sufficiency. Educating local children is one way SEED helps achieve ‘food freedom’ for local families. SEED was created in 2001 and has branches around South Africa, providing educational support to under-resourced schools. The project has been rolled out at 34 schools in the Western Cape alone.
In Mitchell’s Plain, SEED partnered up with Rocklands Primary School to help teach learners about sustainability. ‘Outdoor classrooms’ made from recycled materials (cans, cardboard and tyres) are dotted all around the SEED garden, which means teachers are able to deliver lessons in a sheltered space outside. The garden is used as a backdrop to illustrate parts of the national curriculum. For example, a lesson about pest control will look at the role of insects in the garden, transforming a standard classroom lesson into a hands-on practical experience. At the same time, this approach gives children ‘ecological literacy’ as they become aware of the workings of the garden.
Students also help support the garden by contributing food waste from their homes to the huge compost heap in the garden, and by bringing empty plastic containers to school to plant seeds. These efforts in turn help feed the 250 school children who eat at the school every day. The kitchen staff at the school use vegetables from the garden to supplement the meals they prepare.
SEED Environmental Education Facilitator Yoliswa Mahobe reports high levels of enthusiasm amongst learners and teacher alike for the garden. One former student was so inspired by the program that he decided to study Environmental Law at university.
SEED’s long term goal for the schools it works with is for them to reach financial independence. The idea is that through green entrepreneurship — by selling plants, seeds and food — the school will one day be able to self-fund its garden and outdoor activities.
For more information or to become a volunteer at Rocklands Centre go to www.seed.org.za
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