Ritchie community unites to support Rietvale High School

A NEW community-driven initiative has been launched in Ritchie to address challenges at Rietvale High School and to strengthen support for both educators and learners.

Founder and Chairperson of the Ritchie Community Education and Attendance Development Committee, Tebogo Mere, said the idea was born out of ongoing concerns about the school’s academic performance.

"For as long as we as a community have been complaining about the standard of teaching and results of Rietvale High School,” Mere said. “Although there were rumours of challenges at the school, the community chose to ignore it or still complain due to not being informed about the challenges the school faces.”

Mere explained that he decided to meet with the school principal, Mrs Bolokano, to better understand the situation. “She poured out her heart, making me realise that the educators have been trying and doing their best, and they now need the community to assist them, seeing that we are calling Rietvale High a community school and teaching must begin at home,” he said.

The committee aims to tackle several pressing issues, including absenteeism, exam attendance, extra academic support, safety, and vandalism.

According to Mere, learners often drop out during year-end examinations, affecting the school’s planned pass percentage. “Teachers had to run and call around in search of students to come and write exams. Where was the community? We say no more. Let educators teach; we will do the runaround," he said.

The school will provide the committee with the names of learners who are frequently absent, allowing community members to intervene and encourage attendance.

In addition, the committee plans to assist with extra classes after school, on weekends, and during holidays. Mere noted that teachers have been offering night classes, but often struggle to ensure learners get home safely. “We say no more. We as RCEADC will stand in and help with transport,” he said.

Safety and discipline will also be prioritised through regular visits to the school in partnership with the Ritchie Community Policing Forum. Vandalism and theft have become recurring problems, with break-ins reported monthly.

“Because it is a community school, they are not only stealing from the school but from the community as a whole,” Mere said. “We aim to patrol the school premises with the help of our CPF during the day and even after hours, especially at night.”

During his initial visit, Mere identified an urgent need for chairs and printing paper. He reached out to potential donors and received support from Mr Winston Bartlett, owner and chief executive officer of CBW Industries, who donated 50 chairs and 10 boxes of printing paper valued at R9 000.

Mere also thanked Principal Mrs Bolokano, Deputy Principal Mr Snaar, Ritchie Community Policing Forum chairperson Mr Makhamba, the community Spiritual Forum’s Mr Homan, and Floyed Mpolokeng, chief executive officer of Hidden Agenda Entertainment, for backing the initiative.

“We need to get back the old community principle, ‘My child is your child, and your child is my child,’” Mere said.

Community members and businesses interested in supporting the initiative or making donations can contact Tebogo Mere at 073 139 6068.