British Council recently presented the prestigious award to Oratory Preparatory School in the UK in acknowledgment of its teaching, fundraising and ongoing efforts towards the upliftment of Ngwabi Primary School in South Africa.

The International School Award is made to schools that demonstrate ongoing commitment to global education, in terms of curriculum-based international work in nominated schools.

David Osborn, head of mathematics and project co-ordinator at Oratory Preparatory School in Reading, Berkshire, says his interaction with Ngwabi pupils and teachers has changed him forever. “I know I cannot let go because the people of Ngwabi are truly wonderful and generous, even though they have so little,” he explains.

The project was initiated as a result of funding left over from a successful rugby tour of South Africa. Ngwabi Junior Primary School in KwaNongoma, KwaZulu-Natal was nominated as the recipient school. The head of Link Community Development in the UK paired Oratory Preparatory School with Ngwabi Primary School, which enabled project co-ordinator David Osborn to visit the school and Mrs Nyoka, a teacher at Ngwabi, to visit Oratory to initiate what has become an eight-year partnership between the two educational institutions.

Link Community Development is a UK-based organisation whose aim is to improve the potential of disadvantaged people in Africa to gain meaningful employment by sharing and developing appropriate skills through education and training.

Commenting on the award, Oratory headmaster Dr Richard Hillier says he is extremely pleased that his school has been granted award status, adding, “A global dimension to learning and our international partnership is very much part of the ethos at Oratory Prep.”

Project Delivery Officer in the International School Award team, Andrea Duritsova complimented Oratory Preparatory School for their impressive portfolio.

‘Their portfolio was elaborate, very well presented and demonstrated that the international dimension has been strongly embedded in the school; we have also decided to keep it as one of our exemplary portfolios. We will display it during the Portfolio Briefing day in January.’

According to Osborn, over the past eight years he has introduced a code of sport to the children of Ngwabi, bought books, introduced someone to monitor progress in the school, and he has be en working with the Department of Education to secure funding for the building of new toilets.

“I am currently liaising with KwaZulu-Natal Minister of Education, Ina Cronje, who has promised a full review of the situation at the school. Toilets are an immediate priority and I am looking at ways to raise the money required,” he says.

Osborn says his students have been very supportive and he hopes to take them to visit Ngwabi one day.

“Every year I take pictures and prepare a PowerPoint display. I show this to the pupils and it has such an effect on them – they are all are so supportive. One of the older boys at my school says he was in tears when he saw how the students of Ngwabi had to get water from a dried-up riverbed,” he adds.

He says the parents of Oratory Preparatory School have rallied in support of the project.

“One parent owns an Italian restaurant and on three occasions has given me 30 free places and this has raised a lot of money. Other parents have had lunches at their houses and I think this project would have died had it not been the support of these parents,” he says.

Osborn says being a part of Ngwabi has changed his life.

“The students of Ngwabi make me question why it is that we are always complaining about the smallest things they always seem so happy with their lot, I very rarely see anyone showing any sadness or anger – the pupils are always smiling,” he says.

The project entailed an enormous amount of work but that this has paid off according to Osborn.

“We do so much global work, but to see it in our portfolio made us very proud, and I was pleased that Andrea Duristova, Project Delivery Officer in the International School Award team at the British Council UK, said it was one of the best she had ever seen. I think that the act of looking through it illustrates the importance of working on global issues,” he added.

Osborn says a number of things stood out for him during his visits to Ngwabi, but a statement that touched him the most was from one of the parents, who said, “Thank you for delivering us from poverty.”

Other special moments included the happiness of the children, their eagerness to learn, the generosity of the people who have so little to give, and the lovely singing and dancing.

Osborn says the exchange isn’t a one-way process.

“Our pupils learn so much from the Ngwabi contact. We host Africa days where they eat typical African food. Our pupils still leave so much food behind at lunchtime, but not a crumb is left over at Ngwabi,” he notes.

Mrs Nyoka says her school has benefited a great deal from the contact with Oratory Prep. “I think that our students have learnt a lot in terms of reading, writing and sport,” she says.

David Osborn couldn’t manage the project from abroad, so he asked Richards Bay Christian School to act as the go-between to assist Ngwabi in every way possible. The Richards Bay Christian School principal says it’s a privilege for the school to be assisting Ngwabi.

“We have someone looking after the school and we have formed a team that can assist Ngwabi in any way possible. It’s an honour for us to be able to reach out to schools that need assistance; it’s also an honour to prepare the little ones academically so that they will be well equipped for the future,” she adds.