Teaching Assistants

South Africa is a nation with huge potential. Much of its future hope lies with the youth of this great country. Huge steps have been made by the post-apartheid regime to implement a fully inclusive and comprehensive education system for all. But the sad reality is that the quality of education that a child receives is largely dependent on their location and family wealth. As a result, many young ones quite simply don’t receive a sufficient level of education to prepare them for the future. 

Furthermore, the influx of refugees to emerging cities such as Cape Town has put an extra burden on the already under resourced and overcrowded government schools. Most classrooms are filled with 40+ children to only one local teacher.

Many of the children that attend the public schools that we support come from broken homes where criminality and illiteracy are commonplace. Far too many children become a product of their environment and so become largely disengaged with formal education. The further difficulty lies in the fact that the schools seriously lack manpower and the resources to tackle these issues. In many cases the schools will offer little or no recreational activity such as sports and arts to help integrate some of the less enthusiastic learners.

PMGY South Africa volunteers provide assistance to primary schools in and around Cape Town. The children are aged 6 to 13. Primary school teaching will be largely focused on English language training, basic level maths, arts and science etc.

Travel tips

As a volunteer you provide an important pair of extra hands to help reduce the burden placed on local staff. In addition, that extra support and teacher presence helps improve discipline and overall class productivity. Troubled students and those with learning difficulties greatly benefit from the individual attention provided by international volunteers. Volunteers will usually work as a teaching assistant but expected to understand that there may be times where you may be required to lead a class yourself and it is not uncommon for this to happen. Volunteers are therefore encouraged to prepare lessons accordingly in advance if so.

Your role is not limited to teaching set subjects. One of the most important ways in which you can contribute is through sharing your culture and experience with the view to help promote new ideas within the school. Whether you’re raising awareness about social issues such as substance abuse or organising a school sports day or afternoon club, your level of contribution is far reaching.

We work with a range of primary schools across Cape Town. These are government based schools with class sizes varying from 15 to 40 pupils and aged from around 5 to 12 years old respectively. Below is two examples of the projects that we work with.

PROJECT EXAMPLE – IKHAYA PRIMARY

Ikhaya Primary is situated in the township of Kayamandi outside the city of Western Cape. The school has 571 pupils and 32 full time teachers. Pupils are between the ages of 6 and 13 years of age and are mostly from the local neighbourhood. They offer various subjects including Xhosa as first language, Maths, Science, Social Science, English, Economics, Life Orientation, Technology, Arts and Crafts. They also have a daily feeding scheme at the school. Considering the socially disadvantaged nature of the area, the school has very limited resource.

Pupils with special needs and learning difficulties most benefit from PMGY volunteers as they can offer them more intensive one-on-one tuition than their own teacher has the capacity to do so.

PROJECT EXAMPLE – KANNEMEYER PRIMARY

Kannemeyer is a government funded public school located in Grassy Park. Grassy Park is a working/middle class community in Cape Town’s southern suburbs, within close distance of the Atlantic coast. The area has been badly affected by drug problems in recent years and young people are most vulnerable to fall victim to substance abuse. Education and awareness on drug abuse is vital. The vice principal coordinates the volunteers work schedule. The school has 16 educators and 530 pupils between the ages of 6-13 years. They also offer various sports at the school including soccer, rugby and netball.

IN & AROUND CAPE TOWN

PMGY volunteers are based in Sea Point, a fantastic cosmopolitan spot in Cape Town with a great vibe. The Promenade runs the length of Sea Point’s beachfront, from Bantry Bay to Mouille Point and is the ideal place to walk, jog and watch the sunset. The beach provides a nice spot for just chilling out and relaxing in the sun.

There is a host of pubs, music clubs, coffee shops and restaurants. Sea Point’s vibrant nightlife creates a carnival atmosphere for visitors and locals alike. The beaches of Clifton and Camps Bay are not too far off, and the V&A Waterfront and Two Oceans Aquarium are just minutes away.

In fact the possibilities in Cape Town during your time off are endless and you may well struggle to fit everything in! Whether you want to stay in the city or explore the rest of the Western Cape there really is something for everyone.

THE V & A WATERFRONT

Located in the heart of Cape Town’s working harbour the Waterfront offers visitors an abundance of experiences. You will find a range of restaurants, shops and hotels surrounding the highly impressive marina. There is usually live music being played throughout the day. The Waterfront is only a stone’s throw away from the Cape Town Stadium and is about a 20 minute walk from the Volunteer House. It is definitely worth a look!

LONG STREET

Situated in the City Bowl, Long Street is the main hangout spot for backpackers in Cape Town. It is famous for its bohemian feel and the street is lined with bars, restaurants and interesting shops. Many of the backpacker hostels are located on Long Street and it is the main place to go if you want to experience Cape Town’s exciting nightlife.

TABLE MOUNTAIN

One of the most popular attractions in Cape Town is Table Mountain. It stands 1000m above sea level and the summit can be accessed via cable car. If you’re feeling energetic then you can always trek to the top! The journey takes around 1.5 hours. It is a challenging trek but the views from the summit are truly spectacular. The cable car is weather dependent so don’t rely on it to take you back down to the bottom! There is a restaurant at the top, it’s quite pricey but if you took the trekking option it’s a nice place to sit and relax. For the adrenaline junkies there is an abseiling company who operate from the top of Table Mountain, it’s the highest commercial abseil in the world.

ROBBEN ISLAND

Used as a prison right up until 1996, this Unesco World Heritage site is preserved as a memorial to those such as Nelson Mandela who spent many years incarcerated there. You can only go there on a tour lasting around 4 hours. It includes the ferry and departs from the Nelson Mandela Gateway beside the Clock Tower at the Waterfront. Booking online well in advance is highly recommended as tours can sell out.