NORTH WEST PROVINCE, SOUTH AFRICA


'School visit a lesson for all'


Visiting a rural school with limited facilities, speaking to the headmaster, sitting in on a class in progress and being sung and danced to by children of all ages made a big impression on Roger Benn of Benchmark Travel


I was delighted when I was told I had been selected to join Selling Long Haul's 2010 fam


trip to South Africa's North West Province – but I did not anticipate that it would be a life-changing trip! We were asked to pack pens, pencils, writing pads, rulers, rubbers, etc, to distribute to a primary school we would be visiting. The school, the Lekgopung Primary


School, is located in a relatively poor part of North West Province and we were escorted there by the effervescent Shadrach, a barman at the luxurious Makanyane Safari Lodge who had attended the school himself. A 90-minute drive over rough roads took us to a very remote part of the province, virtually on the Botswana Border. We’d all seen images of


African village schools, but none of us had actually visited one. Our bus pulled up on rough waste ground that doubled as a playground, amongst three long single-storey buildings, with no glass in the windows.


We were warmly welcomed by the headmaster, Mr Bakang Molefe, who patiently answered our many questions.


A Yorkshire wave


School badge 'I know the answer' Strictly for you The primary school has a wide


catchment area for its 120 pupils, many of whom have to walk for over an hour to get to school. We then dropped in on one of the classes, where the youngest were learning by repetition from their homely but no-nonsense teacher; some were shy while others were keen to impress us with their answers to questions taken from a big picture book. Then the whole school assembled in


the open before us, to sing, clap and dance. The dancers made accompanying music from ankle bracelets: small stones sewn into pieces of discarded plastic. Watching them perform with such


"The children treated us to emotional performances of traditional songs and dances. It was moving interacting with the kids during their English lesson. Tourism can benefit remote areas like this" Antonella Mandato, Thomas Cook


obvious pride and enjoyment brought a lump to everyone’s throat. All too soon it was time for some


final words, presentations and a heartfelt 'thank you' for welcoming us and allowing us to glimpse their lives. The reality is that 11 agents visited


one village school. A simple act that changed opinions, brought images to life and that made me, for one, vow to return one day.


14 www.tourismnorthwest.co.za


'Please Miss'


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