‘Never stop learning, this is the short idiom that inspires many in our community, none more so than the learners at Victory Park Adult Education Centre based at De La Salle Holy Cross College.
The centre, which caters for classes from Grade 1 to 11 as well as matric, has been running for over three decades. The school only charges for matric classes, at a fee of R100 for a subject and R100 for registration. To find out more about the centre, the Northcliff Melville Times visited the school on a teaching night and spoke to the headmaster for the last 25 years, Francis Mabunda, who has been part of the school for the last 32 years.
After following Covid-19 protocol and getting screened, learners at the centre were eager to get their night of learning started. Their excitement was palpable and I guess one can attribute this to the fact for the coming few hours, an adult learner would sit in a classroom full of their peers, and be encouraged to learn more in an environment that called for their wonder and interest.
A former student himself, Mabunda was encouraged by his brother all those years ago, to join the school as a learner, and after he completed his matric, he went on to complete a diploma through Unisa. Thereafter, he was offered a position at the centre and he taught for about five years.
He soon became a deputy at the centre and after he applied through the Department of Education he became principal. Though the years at the centre have been good, their trickiest was last year due to Covid-19. “It affected a lot of students, we used to have about 250 students, and the number dropped, by the end of the year we had about 120 students, but we keep encouraging the students to come back because education is the key to success.” He added that most of the students are adults who work hard through the day and some of them have not been to school altogether. All grades are taught at the centre and what makes Mabunda happy is that the school produces great results each passing year.
Many of its former learners have gone on to achieve great things, so much so that Mabunda calls some of them back to hold motivational talks with current learners. Some have become nurses, others work for the Johannesburg Metro Police, and some have gone on to become lawyers, “I am very proud of all the learners who have gone through the centre,” he said.
Mabunda hopes to see everyone at the school achieve their goals, as the aim of the school is to see people’s lives improving.
College principal Debbie Harris said the centre is very important to them as it has been there since 1988 and she sees the school as a wonderful service to the community. “As Mr Mabunda said, this gives people the opportunity to complete their education, as this is a doorway to their future.”
She added that they feel it is very important to support the centre’s headmaster who is also a product of the success of the school. De La Salle Holy Cross College will continue to offer its facilities to the school and any other support as well. Harris hopes the numbers build up and that the centre attracts more students in the coming years.
