FCL Sites Around the World: South Africa

Gabazi Junior Secondary School (GJS) has more than 742 Students. Fourteen of its teachers received Full-Circle Learning training early in 2009 and later made plans to travel to Lesotho for more onsite training, to become facilitators for surrounding schools in the region.

The Gabazi Junior Secondary School in South Africa, near Mandella's, adopted Full-Circle Learning early in 2009. The school soon referred surrounding schools to be trained.
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The school is located near Nelson Mandela’s birthplace. Because Gabazi is the only Junior Secondary School within a radius of 10km, some students have to walk for hours to get to school, especially those in the senior phase (Grades 7-9). The intermediate and senior grades study 10 subjects while the foundation phase has 3 subjects.

Gabazi is located in South Africa’s Eastern Cape Province. Eastern Cape has the third largest population in South Africa; according to census figures. Eleven official languages are spoken in South Africa, three of which are predominant in the Eastern Cape.

The training participants reported that Full Circle Learning was an excellent tool for use in all the school subjects. The Arts and Music teacher, Ms. Dolo, felt Full-Circle Learning offered the students an opportunity to educate the community and also self-expression through performing art. The life orientation teacher, Ms.Kodwa planned to integrate Full-Circle Learning in the curriculum so as to encourage students to be of service to the community.

South African teachers Fanela and Majoni learn to teach students to integrate the habit-of-heart into conflict resolution procedures.
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By the end of their first training, the teachers had given their classes class identities. They based these identities on habits-of-heart that the teachers felt needed to be nurtured in their students throughout the school year. The senior phase teachers named their classes “the dedicated” to remind the students to be dedicated in their studies and their goals in life. Fanela, a grade 3 teacher, named her class “the forgivers” because she felt that students in her class had a tendency to argue and keep grudges amongst themselves. She hoped that the class identity would act as a reminder to the students of their own self-expectations as the class of Forgivers. By the next school year, she was ready to become a key trainer for the schools in the region now eager to adopt the Full-Circle Learning model.

This report was based on information submitted by African Continental Director Maureen Mungai.

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