NOBALISAS
firm foundations
R - 3
'story tellers'
All South African students are required to complete their schooling in English or Afrikaans, regardless of their home language or level of English proficiency.
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A strong foundation in a learner's first language is vital for cognitive development and conceptual understanding in other subject areas.
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Learners in rural areas have little to no access to books, libraries or even newspapers and television. Exposure to written text is limited to school textbooks which are often shared between learners in large classes.
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As a result, learners quickly fall behind in literacy and numeracy in the early grades. These weak foundations set them up for a future of playing 'catch-up'. Missing gaps in these early years also contributes heavily to low literacy and high drop-out rates.
The name Nobalisa speaks to the roots of this programme's desire to share a love for learning and stories with our youngest learners.
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Our Nobalisa programme employs passionate people from the local community to work with young children in early grade isiXhosa literacy.
We run a Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) small groups programme in foundation phase classrooms. The team also runs Reading and Numeracy Clubs at their homes for children living in their communities, with the aim of increasing children’s love of reading, numbers and learning.
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We connect learners to local models of success, offering individual attention, additional resources in isiXhosa literacy, opportunities for learners to belong and extend while remaining closely connected to the realities of our local school contexts.
transition years
4 - 7
MASAKHANE
'let us build each other'
The name of this programme speaks to its focus on building robust, skillful learners who are able to thrive personally and academically in challenging environments.
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Students in the rural Eastern Cape begin their schooling by learning in isiXhosa and are then required to transition into an English curriculum for all subject areas in Grade 4.
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The focus of the Masakhane programme is supporting the transition to English as a medium of instruction and nurturing the foundational skills that learners will need to thrive in a complex, multilingual schooling environment. To this end, we focus on developing bilingual skills, agency and basic Maths competencies at our after-school lessons which learners from different schools attend at a central location three times a week.
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The programme started in 2012 and has grown to employ 4 full time staff members, of whom 3 come from our local communities. This year, we reach up to 120 learners in Grade 4 - 7 at 2 schools in our area.
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We connect learners to local models of success by seeking out teachers and facilitators who are examples of excellence and who come from home environments as closely aligned as possible to those of our learners.
We offer individual attention by keeping class sizes small with a teacher and facilitator present in each classroom. Local digital learning programes provide personalised practicing opportunities for Maths in and out of the classroom.
Axium provides additional resources in Literacy and Maths by developing a library of contextually appropriate reading materials. Each student is provided with a basic smartphone, and is trained to use zero-rated resources to continue learning at home.
The team offers opportunities for learners to belong and extend by prioritising activities that are fun and which are designed to develop learners holistically. These include camps, leadership seminars, movie days and plays.
We remain closely connected to the realities of our local school contexts by visiting each of our partner schools to observe teachers in action or to assist by co-teaching at their request. We also prioritise the creation and maintenance of close relationships with the learners’ parents and caregivers through parent days.
YENZOKUHLE
'do well'
The name of this programmes speaks to its focus on building skills in Mathematics and building learners’ hope, motivation and determination to succeed.
The focus of the Yenzokuhle programme is closing gaps and building skills in the basic Mathematics required for success in grade 8 and 9 learners, via the medium of a digital personalised Maths practicing service, Olico. Lessons are taught and facilitated by a team of post-school youth.
The programme started in 2020 and has grown to employ 7 staff members, all of whom come from our local communities. This year, we reach up to 285 learners in Grade 8 - 9 at two schools in our area.
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We connect learners to local models of success by employing local post-school youth, many of whom attended the same schools as the learners, as facilitators for the lessons. They serve as role models as well as instructors for the learners.
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Our team members offer individual attention by organising the learners in small groups with multiple skill levels, each supported by a dedicated
facilitator. Facilitators check in with learners in their groups face to face or digitally at least once a week, building strong relationships as well as assisting with Maths.
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Axium provides additional resources in Mathematics by providing each learner with a basic smartphone and connecting them to Olico. Each week they are taught a high leverage topic, and then directed to a specific practice exercise to consolidate their learning.
The team offers opportunities for learners to belong and extend by running holiday clubs, Maths competitions and prize-givings. Games and interactive activities form a key part of every lesson. Learners who are enjoying the lessons are more likely to attend and to engage actively in learning.
We remain closely connected to the realities of our local school contexts as our lessons take place in the school time table or after school, but on the school premises. We rely on teachers to assist with ensuring that learners attend the lessons and prioritise the alignment between our lessons and what is happening at school.
building maths
skills
8 - 9
EKUKHULENI
'place of growth'
strengthening seniors
10 - 12
Apartheid's oppressive schooling system is still evident today and especially apparent in the senior schools. Before South Africa's democracy, few black students would make it to 'senior secondary school' (Grades 10-12). In our surrounding area there are 100 schools - only 7 of which are senior schools.
There continues to be an overwhelming shortage of accessible high schools in rural areas. This results in large numbers of students either dropping out or getting left behind in overcrowded classrooms.
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Some students may be fortunate enough to complete their schooling, however, this seldom leads to tertiary study opportunities or successful careers. Many high school graduates in rural areas remain unemployed and dependent on government grants. Many also seek job opportunities in cities as mine workers, laborers and domestic workers.
Many rural schools do not have qualified mathematics and science teachers. The number of students in rural areas who achieve a mathematics and science Bachelors pass (university exemption) is exceptionally low - 1 in 1000.
Axium Education recognizes the value of graduating high school with good results, especially in key subjects such as English, mathematics and science.
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At our Ekukhuleni program we offer additional tuition in these key subject areas as well as leadership mentoring to 120 high potential students from six senior secondary schools in the area. Ekukhuleni operates every Saturday and during the school holidays. These Ekukhuleni students are then responsible for leading weekday 'Study Groups' with 400 of their peers at each of the six schools. Axium supports these study groups by providing academic materials and weekly tutoring visits.
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Our Ekukhuleni program provides student-focused support through quality teaching and an inspiring learning environment. We strive to provide students with career opportunities through exposure to different careers assistance with and tertiary application processes.
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In 2018, a partnership with online learning platform Siyavula has allowed our learners to access tailored math and science practice exercises online. Click here to find out how your old cellphone could help a rural child use this powerful tool.
tertiary access &
careers
PATHWAYS
post-school guidance, applications & skills development
Rural areas receive very little exposure to different kinds of professions. Many students and community members are aware of only a few occupations, such as teacher, doctor, nurse, pastor and mine labourer. In addition to this, information regarding university requirements, application processes and bursary schemes are in great need.
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Because of a limited understanding of the options available to them, students lack the ability to set goals and work towards them. Having an idea of what kind of career they would like to pursue serves as motivation to remain in school and graduate high school well.
Axium Education supports our Ekukhuleni (senior) learners by exposing them to different career options and assisting them with university and bursary application processes.
In addition to this, we also support the professional development and training of local Axium staff and the wider community by assisting them in general administration around rewriting their school-leaving examinations, applying to tertiary institutions or with compiling and upgrading CV's for future employment opportunities.
ADVOCACY
& Rural Intervention Research
Sustainable & Systemic Change
South Africa's rural schools face tremendous challenges because of the structural and systemic legacies of Apartheid.
As we are a small organisation, we cannot hope to tackle these massive issues by ourselves. However, through our relationships with universities and civil society organisations involved in education advocacy, we can use our rural location to first understand, then elevate the concerns of the schools around us.
Axium aims to improve the possibilities for learning in rural schools by addressing some of the systemic and structural issues that impact learning by:
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Producing high-quality, rural-focused research that has a strong connection to practice;
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Actively sharing the learning from our work and research, as well as that of others, with local schools and key decision-makers elsewhere;
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Partnering with schools and advocacy organisations to elevate issues of common concern.
