Tucked away on the corner of Gladstone and Grey streets, Dundee Pre-Primary has provided children with a solid foundation for 50 years – built on care, love and learning – on which to launch their further education and ultimately their lives.
The school was started by Rev R van Zuylen and Joey Levine as a nursery school setup in the St James Parish Hall for 50 children, with Mrs Marshall and Rita Zietsman in charge.

It was soon found that the accommodation was inadequate and following negotiations with the Parish Council and the then Natal Education Department, the present building was developed with Val White as the principal.
The school continued to grow, reaching 120 learners in 1979.
The area takes pride in the facility, which boasts modern apparatus and upholds high standards through immaculate maintenance.

A lifetime in education

Present principal Brenda Viljoen has spent a lifetime in education. Her first post was the ‘Rooi Rok’ school (now Ethangeni) where her mother, Juanita Hanekom, was the principal.
Brenda taught Grade 1 to Grade 3 while her husband, Thos, was at Willie Maree Tech (later Sarel Cilliers) for 11 years and later moved to Dundee High, where he taught for 23 years. After becoming a mother herself to three daughters, Brenda became a teacher at Dundee Pre-Primary and in 2004 was appointed principal in a governing body capacity.

Her years in the classroom or managing a school have not jaded her spirit. “I get up every morning just too happy to see our little ones. We currently have 95 and a staff of 14 – we are a wonderful team here and parents know that once here, their children are in the best possible hands. This is a job of passion and we see it every day with our staff.”
The school can still take in more children.

This year, Dundee Pre-Primary has increased its reach from two years old (Winnie the Pooh group) to the Yellow Monsters (four years old) to the older ones (Lady Bugs and Owls) to the Grade Rs (Smurfs). The school has been able to accommodate children of all ‘pre big school’ ages.
“The gates open from 07:00 and we end formally (based on the CAPS programme) at 12:30. This year, we have an added bonus for working parents, with aftercare running until 16:30.”

Brenda says that many of the children use taxi transport to get to and from school, and she has developed a great relationship with the taxi drivers to ensure that all the children travel in comfort and safety.
She is particularly proud of the equipment at the school, with some of the apparatus (jigsaws) dating back to 1977.
Fund-raising is also a very important activity, as funding from the department is limited. Right now, the staff are gearing up for the big anniversary celebration, to be held at St James Hall.

“We are hoping to invite old scholars who have themselves moved into teaching. Some of our staff (like Candice Coetzee) was herself a learner here, and now she is an educator.”
Brenda is also expecting former staff members and hopefully principals to attend.
With this commitment, Dundee Pre-Primary is in good hands for the next half century!