Shafiek Jacobs, the principal of Pieter Langeveldt Primary School in Cloetesville, dreams of uniting South Africa. And he believes that this will be possible through investing in the youth.
“My goal is that the school lays down the right foundation towards the learners’ education, so that 100% of our learners are equipped to pass matric in the future, so that they can go to university and become ‘contributing citizens’ of our beautiful country,” says Principle Shafiek Jacobs. PHOTO: Kyra Rensburg
When Shafiek Jacobs was a young boy, he wanted to be Peter Pan. He would steady his trousers, secure his slippers and fasten his gown. He would hop on his bed, ready himself and whoosh off out the window into the Worcester sky. He would soar past the frosted mountains, dip into the valley and float upon the Breede River before whiling back into the air towards the second star on the right. Jacobs would be off dreaming of adventures in Neverland.
At some stage all children must grow up. But like Peter Pan, Jacobs prefers to keep a childlike excitement about things.
“Where did we get our dreams from? From books! ” he exclaims. It is this passion that Jacobs, today the principal of Pieter Langeveldt Primary School in Cloetesville, carries into his teaching.
Jacobs caught the teaching bug when he was in the first grade. His aunt was his first teacher and she inspired him to follow a career in education.
Shafiek Jacobs matriculated from Breërivier High School in Worcester before going to Windhoek, in Namibia, to study at Khomasdal College of Education. He left for Namibia, in part to follow a friend who was a fellow cricketer. Although Jacobs was an extremely skilled player, he couldn’t play professional cricket because of his skin colour. He holds no grudges, though, and today works to give opportunities to other young cricket players – also to play abroad. PHOTO: Kyra Rensburg
A little faith and trust goes a long way
Jacobs envisions a South Africa that is united and this, he believes, is possible through today’s youth.
Locally, and over the short term, his goal is to ensure that every child in his school has strong reading and writing skills. He believes that through strong foundations and support, children will raise up their communities.
“He is visionary in his thinking and ensures that the school’s standard of service delivery speaks of quality and pride,” says Liezl Terhoeven, deputy principal of Pieter Langeveldt Primary School.
In the past, Pieter Langeveldt Primary School was one of the top schools in the area, excelling on every level in sports, academics and culture. Jacobs hopes to recapture this reputation. He strongly focuses on the power of literature as he believes it opens up a world of opportunity.
“I have vast knowledge from my travels and reading because I like to read. That’s why I promote reading; my motto is if you read 1 000 books, words will flow like a river from your mouth,” says Jacobs.
“The interests of the child are always put first and the child is the central point that everything revolves around at school,” says deputy principal of Pieter Langeveldt Primary School, Liezl Terhoeven. Following a series of break-ins at the school, Jacobs had CCTV installed. “The burglaries at the school decreased drastically; the school’s image was restored in the community and parents once again felt comfortable enrolling their children with Pieter Langeveldt,” said Terhoeven. PHOTO: Kyra Rensburg
Jacobs has only been principal of Pieter Langeveldt Primary for two years, but he has already implemented many changes at the school aimed at providing opportunities for the students. “A kid deserves everything that life can offer to him. So I think I am in the right place at the right time,” says Jacobs.
“In my school improvement plan that I sent to the department, I said that I want every kid in my school to read with comprehension and to write [with] comprehension,” says Jacobs.
“In his daily life he lives out the vision of the school and creates opportunities for his students that will be to the benefit of their growth and development,” says deputy principal Liezl Terhoeven. PHOTO: Kyra Rensburg
One of the first changes Jacobs implemented was to get learners to physically write down their class work instead of having teachers print it out and having them paste it in their work books.
Jacobs says he also started a library at the school and filled it with R150 000 worth of books that were sponsored by the Het Jan Marais Fund, Western Cape Education Department [WCED] and anonymous donors.
“For him, it is important that every child can read and that every child’s potential comes into its own,” says Terhoeven.
Fostering dreams through education
A major addition was the school’s own spelling competition, with all year groups required to participate. Jacobs started the spelling competition in 2020 after the Sanlam Spelling Festival could not take place because of Covid-19. With their 2020 spelling competition turning out to be a big success, Jacobs hopes that it will continue annually. This year, in early June, the school also hosted their first math olympiad.
“He cares for the school, because he wants the school to do better. And the school has done much better since he has come in. I can promise you that,” says Saeed Cornelson, a staff member at the school.
Jacobs’ second big change at the school was to revive the computer room. The computer room was non-functional for a few years, says Jacobs. He employed an ICT [Information and Communications Technology] professional, Mustafa Ras. Together they restarted the computer area and ensured that it was equipped with the latest software and technology, says Jacobs.
“The computer period was made part of the school’s timetable. With this room we aimed at developing and improving the language and math abilities and skills of our learners,” says Jacobs.
Mustapha Ras and Saeed Cornelson are the school’s ICT professionals. They work in the library and computer lab, tending to the technical duties and assisting teachers with the software. PHOTO: Kyra Rensburg
Active bodies, active minds
Jacobs argues that if learners have active bodies, they will have active minds. He believes that participation in sports enhances productivity, and therefore he encourages learners to participate in as many sports as possible.
He has also introduced other extra-curricular activities such as a gardening club, where students can learn to grow their own vegetables, and a film club.
The school’s stairs got a fresh coat of red paint. Jacobs likes to use brightly painted surfaces to further entrench literacy and numeracy principles. PHOTO: Kyra Rensburg
Jacobs takes pride in everything he does. He prides himself on the school and the school leaders, and tries to impart this pride on the students so they can be proud of their school and themselves.
Learners had an opportunity to adorn the playgrounds walls with paintings of games, learning materials and motivational slogans. Jacobs encourages the learners to be proud of their school and therefore involves them in making it look presentable and tidy. PHOTO: Kyra Rensburg
The dreams of Neverland
Cloetesville has its challenges; it is considered a lower income community that has high rates of crime. Jacobs says that this is the reality for many of the school’s children. Learners are exposed to things beyond his control, but he argues that if he can give them a strong foundation on which to build, then they can get into university and become professionals and one day will uplift their community.
“A kid deserves everything that life can offer to him”
Through getting children involved in sports and other activities, and by building on their academic skills, he hopes to encourage them to dream bigger.
“We can get the kids off drug abuse and gangs,” he says.
Jacobs continues to invest in the school and has secured funding from WCED Feeding Scheme, department of cultural & sport, Year Beyond and Stellcare to implement a meal plan at the school. The meal plan currently feeds more than 200 students daily.
Learners often experience unknown hardships, Jacobs says. Therefore, if he can feed them at least in the morning and in the afternoon, then he knows they will be filled when they go home.
“That is what a teacher must be: You must be a lawyer, a doctor, a social worker, you must be everything. And I think I fulfill that role in the community that I am serving,” says Jacobs.
The man who dreamt of being Peter Pan as a kid, now dreams of leaving a legacy: to build his local community and to work towards uniting South Africa.