The South African education system faces many systemic challenges that are not easily resolved through limited interventions. This is why many companies are choosing whole school development approaches and holistic interventions that address as many education needs as possible.
For example, it is important to focus on information and communications technology (ICT) skills, as well as science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects, so that learners acquire the skills needed to compete in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. However, many South African learners must grapple with the realities of poverty, a lack of resources and heading up households in the absence of adults, which can severely limit the extent of their academic achievements. Psychosocial support can be a useful tool to help develop and support learners and enable them to succeed in the learning environment.
A holistic, integrated approach to learner development sets out to build capable, resilient youth by providing them with both academic and psychosocial support, alongside important areas of intervention such as teacher development and instructional leadership.
What is whole school development?
The whole school development model involves an integrated approach to improving outcomes for learners, particularly those in rural and township schools. It is a holistic, inclusive model that aims to address academic, infrastructural, social and security deficits within these schools. As such, it focuses on addressing educational challenges, including teacher development, leadership, the school curriculum, infrastructure and community engagement. It aims to make schools more effective so learners can perform better.
“Children are unable to thrive unless they feel secure and supported through challenges.”
There are several holistic school interventions that feed into the whole school development model. These interventions prioritise the wellbeing of learners and often focus on helping learners develop social skills, interpersonal skills and good mental health. Holistic school interventions focus on helping learners acquire the skills and resilience needed to respond to challenging environments, which feeds into the broader goal of creating positive environments that are conducive to learner development and progress.
The Adopt-a-School whole school development model
Adopt-a-School Foundation is a non-profit organisation that uses the whole school development model in previously disadvantaged schools. The NPO focuses on four pillars of development: leadership and management, infrastructure, curriculum and co-curricular development, and learner wellbeing and community development. Many educational programmes within CSI use this approach to inform their interventions.
The whole school model aims to address a variety of issues over time:
- Strategic planning, leadership, management and governance
- Improving curriculum implementation and expanding learner knowledge bases.
- School safety, security and discipline
- Infrastructure
- Learner support systems in mathematics and science
- Extra- and co-curricular activities
- Social welfare of learners, which may include initiatives such as counselling
It is worth noting that although whole school development assists learners with access to basic social services, holistic school interventions are more intently focused on the psychosocial needs of learners.
“A holistic, integrated approach to learner development sets out to build capable, resilient youth by providing them with both academic and psychosocial support.”
Children are unable to thrive unless they feel secure and supported through challenges. Some of these challenges include trauma and post-traumatic stress symptoms relating to domestic violence and crime; physical, sexual, and emotional abuse; historical and generational trauma; teenage pregnancy; and the effects of poverty, hunger, and neglect on mental health. For this reason, holistic school interventions place great emphasis on the psychosocial wellbeing of learners, believing this to be a critical component in the improvement of their academic performance.
Telkom’s Connected Schools Programme: holistic education within whole school development
The Telkom Foundation has aimed to better the state of education in South Africa for the past two decades. It has primarily focused on STEM subjects for Grade 8 to 12 learners and integrating IT subjects into school environments. These are critical interventions that can help learners prepare for participation in the mainstream economy.
However, Telkom has recently pivoted to a more holistic approach via its Connected Schools Programme, which was launched in 2017. The five-year programme, which has been rolled out in Gauteng and the Eastern Cape, has a focus on STEM subjects, but it also looks at the role learners’ home lives play in their academic performance and acquisition of life skills.
Telkom partners with Childline by placing auxiliary social workers within schools. These social workers provide individual counselling for learners, parents and teachers, which helps them overcome the psychological and economic challenges they may experience.
In addressing some of the challenges learners experience in their homes and communities, Telkom’s interventions ensure that learners receive the support they require to improve their academic and personal circumstances.
At the same time, Telkom regards ICT access and digital integration as priorities for schools, alongside leadership training, imparting life skills and teacher development.
