CSTL – Care and Support for Teaching and LearningFunded by: Swiss Agency for Development and CooperationProduced by: MIET Africa | www.mietafrica.com

CSTL NEWSCare and Support for Teaching and Learning

F rom 22–24 November 2016, representatives from the 15 SADC Member States, the SADC Secretariat, the Swiss Agency

for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and partnering organizations met in Durban, South Africa, for the annual CSTL Sharing Meeting. The event provided an opportunity for the Member States to share their successes and challenges, and to learn from each other how to address the care and support needs of learners, teachers and the broader school community. Delegates were welcomed in traditional Zulu style, with a group of Indlamu dancers convening the gathering with resounding drumming and dancing. The SADC Secretariat officially opened the meeting and, together with SDC, formally welcomed the delegates. CSTL was highlighted as a great example of regional cooperation and development.

Proceedings over the two days were led by the dynamic duo of Dr Sibongile Mtshali-Dlamini, Director of Education in Swaziland, and Mr Siyabonga Nzimande of the TB and HIV Investigative Network (THINK). Each Member State gave two presentations on CSTL-related topics, including health, nutrition, water and sanitation, psychosocial support, safety and protection, enabling structures and policy. Special attention was given to: the SADC Policy Framework on CSTL, which had been approved by the SADC Education Ministers in June 2016; inputs on inclusive education, made by experts in the field; and the development of CSTL tertiary modules in South Africa,

Swaziland and Zambia. Another highlight of the meeting was a presentation by a group of young entrepreneurs from South Africa on the car wash enterprise they started after their participation in a CSTL-related programme. The closing statements made by Member States underscored their pledge to continue strengthening and expanding their responses to the prevention, care and support needs of vulnerable children and youth in their respective countries. The Member States committed to increasing their advocacy efforts to: promote greater understanding of the role of Ministries of Education in coordinating care and support programmes for children and youth; strengthen collaboration with partners for broader sustained implementation of interventions; and review their policies and strategies to ensure a more systematic and sustainable approach to CSTL that is in line with the Policy Framework.

Annual CSTL Sharing Meeting

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Representatives from the 15 SADC Member States, the SADC Secretariat, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and partnering organizations who attended the 2016 CSTL Sharing Meeting

Indlamu dancers entertaining the delegates

CSTL was highlighted as a great example of regional cooperation and development.

REGIONAL

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CSTL NEWS

The new year began with possibilities for a significant expansion of CSTL in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This started with a sharing meeting between the CSTL’s National Coordinating Unit (NCU) and provincial education directors in the Kinshasa Ministry of Gender, Environment and Education. This high-profile meeting was also attended by Her Excellency, the Provincial Minister, Mme Thérèse Olenga, the Secretary General for Higher Education and Universities, and the SADC Focal Point Person for Education in the DRC, Mme Marie Jeanne Alula Lioke Nyota.At the meeting, the CSTL Focal Point Person in the DRC, Mme Wivine Yenga Wassako, gave a presentation on the history and achievements of CSTL in the DRC since 2010. The DRC CSTL Monitoring and Evaluation Committee also made a

presentation, focusing on the impressive results achieved in the country during the six years of implementation. The MIET Africa Regional Coordinator congratulated the DRC CSTL team on the encouraging progress made so far. In her address, Minister Olenga was highly appreciative and supportive of the work of CSTL, and stated her intention to visit the pilot schools to show her support for the programme and witness at first hand the contribution that CSTL is making in these schools. She expressed the hope that CSTL would become systematized so that

all 7 000 schools in Kinshasa could be reached. She asked that CSTL collaborate with the EVA Programme, a government initiative that aims to promote health education in schools. The increasing commitment to CSTL of high-ranking government officials in the DRC is encouraging and bodes well for the future of the programme. The NCU and the CSTL implementing team in the DRC are reaping the fruits of their hard work. The DRC MoE can be proud of the achievements of CSTL in the country and looks forward to its future expansion.

New opportunities for the expansion of CSTL in the DRC

Her Excellency, Mme Thérèse Olenga, addressing the sharing meeting

The increasing commitment to CSTL of high-ranking government officials in the DRC is encouraging and bodes well for the future of the programme.

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO

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CSTL NEWS

Lilongwe Demonstration Primary is a very large school, and is cramped for space. There are 33 teachers and only 16 classrooms for some 2 370 learners, several of whom have learning disabilities or other special needs. Before 2015, the sanitation facilities were in disrepair resulting in low water pressure and faulty toilets. For such a large school, and especially one that caters for learners with special needs, these were major challenges. With the introduction of CSTL, the school was supported in identifying priority needs, key being hand-washing facilities and improved services for learners with special needs.

Following the training of teachers on the importance of identifying and accessing support for vulnerable learners, the school embarked on a project to repair the water system and to construct a tank to store water. It approached the community, the Ministry of Education and other partners for support. The community agreed to provide sand, quarry stones, bricks and labour, the Ministry of Education provided funds through the School Improvement Programme for the construction of a water tower to house a ten thousand litre water tank, purchased with funds from UNICEF. As a result, teachers and learners now have sufficient drinking water, and there are improved facilities for handwashing. The increased water supply has also allowed Lilongwe Demonstration to establish a school food garden. With garden tools and seedlings provided through CSTL, the school has already reaped maize and soya beans, which have been used to improve the nutritional intake of learners. Once the water tank has been installed, the school plans to grow winter crops. The introduction of CSTL at Lilongwe Demonstration Primary School has made a real difference to the lives of its learners.

CSTL gains ground at a Malawian laboratory school

MALAWI

The water tower being erected at Lilongwe Demonstration School

With garden tools and seedlings provided through CSTL, the school has already reaped maize and soya beans, which have been used to improve the nutritional intake of learners.

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In September last year, CSTL held a parenting workshop for parents and caregivers at the laboratory schools in the Kwamabukwana District of Maputo. These skills development workshops use interactive materials to provide caregivers from different backgrounds with the opportunity to engage with each other around their role in the education of children in the community. This assists in providing a continuum of care and support between school and home. Feedback has been extremely positive. The parents reported that the workshop materials helped them to visualize and reflect on the child-friendly environments their children needed. One father shared how the workshop had helped him to

realize the important role that not only teachers, but also parents, other caregivers and members of the community, play in nurturing a happy child. The posters allowed participants to visualize the role of various actors (such as the school board, teachers, caregivers, companies, churches and ministries such as Justice and Police) in guaranteeing quality education. But there was fun too: participants particularly enjoyed the traditional game one of the teachers led, which reminded them about the

importance of friendship and trust in the parent–child relationship.

This realization by parents of their role in strengthening their relationships with their children and supporting them to learn was one of the important lessons for participants. The workshop also provided the school support teams of the CSTL laboratory schools with the opportunity to showcase the support work they are doing towards improving the quality of teaching and learning.

We are all responsible for nurturing a happy child

MOZAMBIQUE

Participants at the parenting workshop in the Kwamabukwana District

Feedback has been extremely positive. The parents reported that the workshop materials helped them to visualize and reflect on the child-friendly environments their children needed.

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CSTL NEWS

The North West has been implementing CSTL since the original Schools as Centres of Care and Support (SCCS) was trialled back in the mid-2000s. (SCCS was MIET Africa’s original care and support model, out of which CSTL was to emerge.) Back then, the North West Department of Education adopted the SCCS model as its strategy to tackle the negative impact of HIV&AIDS. Over the three years of the SCCS project, 280 schools in 35 clusters were developed into inclusive centres of learning, care and support. The programme developed the capacity of the schools to better address the needs of all learners, including those who had dropped out.

Since its involvement in the SCCS programme, the North West Province has fully embraced care and support for teaching and learning as the departmental strategy for implementing inclusive

education. The province is a model not only for other provinces, but also for other SADC Member States. It was therefore no surprise that the North West was showcased during a recent exchange visit to South Africa by Malawi and Mozambique. These delegations visited Paardekraal Primary and Lefaragatlhe Secondary Schools, two examples of CSTL in action. In both schools, all learners are assessed to determine vulnerabilities that require support, and these records are maintained in learner portfolios.

At Paardekraal, the Head of Department of Life Orientation explained that to be a true CSTL teacher, one had to love children, and be caring beyond the call of duty. This was certainly in evidence in both schools, where learners’ nutritional needs are met through meals provided using produce from the school gardens. Learners who need provisions to take home are also provided for. Learners’

safety and protection are well attended to: the schools place the wellbeing of the child first.

The delegates from Malawi and Mozambique were greatly impressed with the commitment of both schools, as well as with the provincial education officials for operationalizing CSTL to improve the educational opportunities for all learners.

CSTL in the North West Province: showcasing success

SOUTH AFRICA

CSTL display at Lefaragatlhe Secondary School

At Paardekraal, the Head of Department of Life Orientation explained that to be a true CSTL teacher, one had to love children, and be caring beyond the call of duty.

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CSTL NEWS

Schools in Swaziland serve a large number of vulnerable learners, but CSTL, or INQABA as it is known in Swaziland, is helping schools to provide for the protection, care and support needs of learners. It is also helping communities to better understand and promote children’s rights to education, safety and protection. In September 2016, three CSTL schools hosted integrated service delivery events—“jamborees”—to raise awareness in the community about children’s rights to education, care and support, and to bring information and services to learners and the community. On 22 September, it was Maryward Primary’s turn to host a jamboree. The school support team hoped to address some of the challenges faced by the community by bringing various partners to the school. Representatives from partnering ministries and organizations—including the Ministries of Social Welfare and Home Affairs, the Royal Swaziland Police, Baylor

Clinic, Bantfwabenkhosi Base Luhlendlweni and Young Heroes—made presentations on the services and support they provide. They set up gazebos showcasing their organizations and providing key information relevant for learners and community members, while learners themselves provided entertainment through drama and cultural performances.Highlights included the presentations by the Royal Swaziland Police and One-Stop-Centre, who shared their passion for assisting learners who are abused. The police’s Domestic Violence, Child Protection and Crime Prevention Units encouraged caregivers and learners to report all cases of crime and abuse. They spoke out strongly against tibi tendlu, i.e. abuse cases involving family members that go unreported; and they also warned caregivers against involving their children in the transportation of drugs. The learners were captivated by the Blood Bank Services’ presentation, in which they (the learners)

were urged to lead healthy lifestyles so that they could qualify to become blood donors, and so help others. Many committed themselves to becoming donors. Over 500 people attended, including 213 learners and another 213 caregivers and members of the community, as well as head teachers from neighbouring schools and out-of-school youth. As a result of the jamboree, caregivers are now approaching the various partners for assistance and support, including, for example, accessing necessary documents from the Ministries of Social Welfare and Home Affairs. Some have approached the Ministry of Social Welfare to access financial assistance, or to find places in schools for children who have lost close relatives and are having to care for themselves. All in all, the jamboree was a great success, and will improve children’s lives well into the future.

Strengthening partnerships through jamborees

SWAZILAND

Partners deliver complementary services to address the needs of learners, teachers and members of the community

Highlights included the presentations by the Royal Swaziland Police and One-Stop-Centre, who shared their passion for assisting learners who are abused.

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CSTL NEWS

Training on the record-keeping tool

During the workshops, the facilitators explained how the school record-keeping tool works, as well as how schools should deliver the essential package of care and support services.

On 31 October 2016, key CSTL stakeholders in Zambia attended a one-day workshop, to review and revise the draft national CSTL Model, and to agree on the coordinating mechanism that will be put in place to support CSTL in the country. The workshop was arranged by the Ministry of General Education, and was attended by representatives from CAMFED, REPSSI, FAWEZA, ATAAZ, Ministry of Education officials from Curriculum and Standards, Teacher Education and Specialised Services, the focal persons for M&E and the RHIVA Programme, and MIET Africa.The workshop achieved its objectives. Participants updated the data and provided essential information on developing the national model, before consolidating the results of their group work into a single document. By the end of the meeting, the team had identified the gaps in the model and incorporated the recommendations and changes (which include updated policies and the latest data) into a second draft. With a national model in place, Zambia will be better equipped to address barriers to education and turn our schools into centres of care and support.

In September last year, the Ministry of General Education provided training on the new school record-keeping tool for head teachers, deputy head teachers and Guidance and Counselling teachers in all 15 of the laboratory schools.The purpose was to encourage the teachers at the schools to keep records of learners identified as vulnerable and the services that are accessed for them, as well as records of care and support activities that are being implemented at the school. During the workshops, the facilitators explained how the school record-keeping tool works, as well as how schools should deliver the essential package of care and support services.The use of this new tool will help to address the needs of vulnerable learners and thereby improve their educational outcomes.

Finalizing the national CSTL model

Record keeping tool training for the CSTL laboratory schools

ZAMBIA

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CSTL NEWS

Shurugwi No.2 High School in the Midlands Province, is one of the CSTL laboratory schools in Zimbabwe that has seen noticeable improvements due to CSTL helping to create a more conducive learning environment. The school was established in 1987 to ensure that children in the community had access to secondary education. Originally, it was intended to be a boarding school, but water shortages have caused many problems. There was not enough water for drinking, cleaning toilets, and conducting Agriculture lessons. Furthermore, the city council failed to provide adequate sanitary requirements for the school.However, since the introduction of CSTL, the school has been able to get sufficient water for its day-to-day requirements. A local mine, ZIMASCO, donated funds for a borehole for the school, and CSTL provided funds for the connection. There is now enough drinking water for students, and the school has been able to maintain a productive food garden, which now produces vegetables that provide a school meal for all students every Tuesday and Thursday.The improved access to water has also positively impacted on teaching and learning: lessons can now be conducted for the full school day, whereas in the past lessons were sometimes abandoned because of the lack of water. Dropout rates have fallen, and the school’s ability to address the care and support needs of learners has improved. The school has also been able to increase the area under cultivation in the garden. With the coming of CSTL, the school has become a centre for local schools to get together for cluster activities. Shurugwi No. 2 is highly appreciative of the funds donated by the ZIMASCO mine for the borehole, and to CSTL for providing funds for the connection to the source. Always in the best interests of the child!

CSTL makes a difference at Shurugwi No.2

ZIMBABWE

The school gardens at Shurugwi No. 2