Cathkin High treads hard road to reach 50
Cathkin High School in Heideveld remains committed to providing a quality education despite gang fights spilling onto its grounds, non-payment of fees, ill-discipline, and chronic late-coming, says its principal Armand Anhuizen.
The school will celebrate its 50th birthday with a gala dinner next month, but it has faced many hardships in that time, says Mr Anhuizen.
Many families sought to place their children in schools outside of the area because of the gangs in the neighbourhood so the school battled each year to fill its Grade 8 classes, and many of those children never reached matric, he said.
According to Mr Anhuizen, the school’s 2023 matric cohort of 77 pupils managed a 70.1% pass rate with 10 Bachelor passes.
Mr Anhuizen believes things could improve if parents did more to discipline their children and support the school.
“Last year, we had a pupil diagnosed with autism who passed with a Bachelor’s pass and received the principal’s award. In the future, I would like the parents to get more involved. Some of them register their learners and that is the last we hear from them. Some of their cellphone numbers don’t even work. Parents need to pay their school fees because we are struggling with our financial obligations.”
Matric teacher Raeez Rayner said he was glad to see that the school was being refurbished and painted, but it badly needed more educational resources.
“We were supposed to get a new school, but the land is being occupied by squatters so that process was halted when Covid-19 happened and they couldn’t be removed.
“This renovation happening now had to be done a long time ago, but the process has been so slow. Our school needs to be promoted at the feeder primary schools whose pupils we want. Our school is degenerating because of the challenges we have. We attempt to find solutions, but there is only so much we can do. Our parent support is so poor.”
The area’s socio-economic ills led to behavioural problems in the pupils creating a poor learning environment, he said.
“I hope to establish a place for children that are struggling like this to show them the world out there, once I retire. Some of our pupils have never been to the beach or to Table Mountain. This is all that they know,” said Mr Rayner.
Timothy Theys, who has taught at the school for 40 years, said “his passion to teach” had kept him there for all those years.
The school was only now receiving the renovations it had applied for in 2006, he said, adding that he would like the school to revive its sports programme and include subjects such as physics, pure maths and science.
Mr Theys said the proceeds from the gala dinner would be used to benefit the school.
“We hope to raise more funds for the school as part of the 50th celebrations,” said Mr Theys.
“We were always like a family. The school has grown on many of us. From the first day, I felt welcome, comfortable. We always had the same vision, to take the school further. My wish for the school is that it improves from here, although it is difficult.”
The gala dinner will take place at the Wynberg Civic Centre on Saturday February 10, at 5.30pm for 6pm. Tickets cost R400 per person. The dress code is smart. For details, email the Cathkin High School Working Committee Trust at 1973cathkin50th@gmail.com, or phyllisiarylands@gmail.com, and for tickets, WhatsApp your full name, year, and cellphone number to Zaida at 072 296 6698 or Phyllisia at 083 308 8819.
