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Matjana preschool started the year with close to 30 kids. If you had been reading our newsletter you will know that for the past years, we have had around 17 kids (with less than 5 boys in 2022 and 2023) but this year the number just shot to 30 (with more than half of the class being boys) kids in the year 2024. The teachers said they were excited that this year they have 28 kids, which they all said they haven’t taught that many students since they started teaching. This month they will share their experiences of teaching in Matjana. When asked about where they kids are coming from, Khetsiwe said, “I guess maybe people are seeing the school progressing and they think that’s where they can bring their children to.”
The teachers said it’s nice to have many kids because it also gives them confidence that they are doing well.Nok’phila mentioned that it gives them confidence about what they are doing when they see more parents bringing their kids to preschool. “It also sort of gives us assurance that people are bringing their children to preschool despite that they have financial problems. For those who are not aware most of the money donated by friends of Matjana helps in the running of the school so that all kids can go to preschool. The large number of kids came as a surprise to us even though that means we have to double everything, food , stationary etc.” Nok’phila said.
Besides that we have a larger number of kids this year, Teacher Precious said it is also nice to teach in Matjana this year because the kids would sometimes bring them things like fruits (for example emantulwa, guavas, lemons etc.) that grow on the trees in their homesteads and around the community. “Our kids have excellent sharing skills, which makes it easier for us even in the classroom when resources are sometimes limited.”
The teachers said it’s nice to have many kids because it also gives them confidence that they are doing well. Nok’phila mentioned that it gives them confidence about what they are doing when they see more parents bringing their kids to preschool. “It also sort of gives us assurance that people are bringing their children to preschool despite that they have financial problems. For those who are not aware most of the money donated by friends of Matjana helps in the running of the school so that all kids can go to preschool. The large number of kids came as a surprise to us even though that means we have to double everything, food , stationary etc.” Nok’phila said.
Besides that we have a larger number of kids this year, Teacher Precious said it is also nice to teach in Matjana this year because the kids would sometimes bring them things like fruits (for example emantulwa, guavas, lemons etc) that grow on the trees in their homesteads and around the community. “Our kids have excellent sharing skills, which makes it easier for us even in the classroom when resources are sometimes limited.” Hearing the sad stories of the kids everyday is emotionally draining as teachers said. We will share one instance of an emotionally draining story shared by the kids to the teachers. Before we closed for Easters, we asked our students what they will be doing during the holidays. Most of the kids were talking about visiting their relatives and one kid spontaneous said, “I don’t have anywhere to go to because my mom dumped me with my granny.”
Precious the teacher who was in charge that time, said, “I did not know what to say besides a very soft guilty, sorry. I felt I should not have asked the kids what they will be doing this holidays.” But despite not knowing what to say, teacher Precious has worked hard to make sure this child, whose family situation is complicated, is attending Matjana Preschool.
Precious was aware that the student had been left to live with their grandmother, who worried about sending the child to preschool because she didn’t have any money. Precious intervened, let the grandmother know that the child did not need money to attend, and the child is now at preschool. Precious is also trying to help the grandmother get the child a birth certificate, which they will need to enrol in primary school, but which is difficult because the child was not born in Eswatini and their mother is not a Swati. Precious has helped a number of grandmothers in the community get birth certificates for their children, which is a human right and a requirement for enrolling in primary school in Swaziland.
“We have never had a class so far that shares so much of their emotional stories like this one,” Precious said. “Teaching at Matjana sort of makes you aware that you cannot ask kids questions that seem simple like, ‘what have you eaten for dinner,’ because it might be emotional for them. I asked that one day and one of the kids said they didn’t have anything because there was no food in the house.”Matjana teachers have lots of fun with the kids, but they also take on challenges of the children that they work with. We’re proud to have committed teachers like Precious, that go beyond the call of duty, to ensure that children living in challenging circumstances get to attend preschool and experience the benefits of early childhood education.