The sky is the limit for small-town education hero committed to youth upliftment

We arrive at Kuyasa Combined School very early on a fine summer’s day, along with nearly 1,400 students from Sub-A to Matric level. They mostly walk in from their surrounding homes in Endlovini township, Port Alfred.

The gated schoolyard is litter-free and water-wise — there seems to be a big water tank attached to most gutter outlets on the buildings.

Once inside the face-brick reception area, we are welcomed and led off to the office of the principal, Xolani Mayana. We had met him while he was busy with his Master’s degree at Rhodes University, and he had invited us to visit his remarkable school.

Every morning, 1,400 learners from Endlovini township in Port Alfred make their way to Kuyasa Combined School. (Photo: Chris Marais)

“Then you will be able to see, first-hand, what we do here,” he said.

His office is full of chairs and tables donated by the local Standard Bank branch.

But there is no Xolani Mayana. We drink coffee, wait for a short while and then he appears, big grin on his face.

“I’ve been giving some early maths and science lessons,” he says.

Learners stream into a schoolyard where buildings are freshly painted, the grass is cut and the gardens are well-tended. It wasn’t always so. (Photo: Chris Marais)

Determined to keep raising the Matric pass rate at the school, Xolani Mayana leaves his home in Makhanda (formerly Grahamstown) before dawn and drives the 60-odd kilometres eastwards to Port Alfred into the rising sun. Before the rest of the staff members arrive and the school begins to bustle with daily activities, he is giving extra lessons in the two subjects he holds dearest — mathematics and science.

“When I first went to Rhodes University as a postgraduate and met Ken Ngcoza, Professor in Science Education, I was intrigued by the concept of integrating indigenous knowledge into the education system.

Principal Xolani Mayana keeps strict discipline among learners and teachers at Kuyasa Combined School. (Photo: Chris Marais)

Morning assembly and Xolani Mayana walks through the long lines of schoolchildren in his charge. (Photo: Chris Marais)

“We live by the sea. The students see the endless waves coming in and going out. It’s a perfect way of demonstrating sound and other waves, longitudinal and transverse.

“It is also meant to catalyse a discussion. The sea is a resource. Our groundsman, Alfred Mbatsha, talks to learners on sports day outings to the beach. He tells them about our cultural beliefs and practices to do with the ocean, and they are fascinated.”

The inclusion of indigenous knowledge is but a component of the larger picture of collaboration that emerges during our visit to Kuyasa.

The Port Alfred community at large is occasionally (and very willingly) roped in. The local Rotary Club is a long-time fundraising ally, as is Stenden University, a hospitality college based in the area.

“As part of the ‘teamwork in teaching’ principle, we got the learners’ parents involved in supervising evening classes,” he says.

“Teachers and parents began to report back to each other — that has been one of the major factors in turning the school’s fortunes around.”

Principal Xolani Mayana with Alfred Mbatsha, who volunteers as groundsman at the school, and who has introduced scores of learners to indigenous and cultural knowledge. (Photo: Chris Marais)

Professor Ken Ngcoza of Rhodes University’s Education Department, talking to the assembled learners of Kuyasa Combined School, inspiring them to aim for tertiary education after Matric. (Photo: Chris Marais)

Thembani Matshisi works in the veggie garden on the school grounds. (Photo: Chris Marais)

A load of pears arrives for the Kuyasa learners. (Photo: Chris Marais)

Mayana takes us outside to meet Alfred Mbatsha, a dignified and friendly older man who has volunteered his services as groundsman and general Mr Fix-it at the school. We also meet his ‘apprentice’, young Thembani Matshisi, who is busy in the vegetable garden.

As we pass his neat flower beds, Alfred Mbatsha scoops out some Cape Rain Daisy seedlings for us.

“They grow so easily,” he says. “Put them in your garden.”

St Andrew’s and Woodridge

In 1998, Mayana, freshly graduated from Fort Hare University, heard from a friend that the science teacher at Kuyasa Combined School had left. There was, however, a moratorium on hiring staff at the school.

“So I became a volunteer teacher in maths and physical sciences,” he says. “They did a bit of fundraising to pay me a tiny stipend.”

That year, all the Matriculants passed their physical science examinations.

Soon after that, he saw an advert in the newspaper. St Andrew’s College in Grahamstown (now Makhanda) was looking for a substitute teacher, and Mayana applied.

“At that stage, they’d never had a black teacher.”

The principal asked Mayana to be a ‘twin teacher’, spending time teaching at St Andrew’s and at Woodridge College between Gqeberha and Jeffrey’s Bay. After two years he would be able to choose.

“I decided to opt for Woodridge College. One of the biggest reasons was because of their outdoor activities. They have rock climbing, black water tubing, abseiling, camping, hiking, hockey, athletics, rugby.”

Mayana worked at Woodridge for nearly 10 years and loved it. He was eventually promoted to Head of Department for Physical Science.

“That school had it all. This is where I saw the work ethic of private schools, their admin, their teaching methods, how you are constantly encouraged to do your best, how teachers and learners develop relationships.

“You form a bond with them and they don’t want to let you down.”

Mayana loved taking the children camping, hiking and mountain climbing. “We climbed the Cockscomb,” he says.

“I was cruising. But in 2007, I saw an advert for the post of principal at Kuyasa, and I applied. I felt this responsibility to plough back into my own community, to share my knowledge and experience.”

He felt he had been given a real gift when the acceptance letter arrived on his birthday.

But he and everyone at Kuyasa had a big mountain to climb together. When Mayana arrived, the Matric pass rates were sitting at a dismal 26%.

“There was a 0% pass rate for science and maths. And I had just come from a school with 100% pass rate from the Independent Examinations Board (IEB), where the biggest pressure came when learners were not getting As.

“At Kuyasa there was a distinct lack of get up and go. Teachers left children unattended. Team teaching and support between colleagues was non-existent. The differences were stark.

“I decided to tackle physics and chemistry separately and allow the teachers to choose their favourite subjects, so they could work to their strengths. I would fill in where there was a lack. We did the same with maths.”

Prefab classrooms and Wendy houses were built to accommodate the learners. (Photo: Chris Marais)

Classrooms for the youngest learners are bright and cheerful. (Photo: Chris Marais)

Reading out loud and journalling (keeping detailed notes) help learners understand and internalise their lessons. (Photo: Chris Marais)

In one year, the pass rate went from 26% to 56%.

“I had to get the work ethic up in the whole school, and the learners to take responsibility for their lives. I encouraged mentorship between the seniors and juniors. That also taught leadership skills. We got the parents involved in supervising evening classes.

“I found it very interesting that the discipline of the learners, their behaviour and conduct was very good, but their academic discipline was just not there. They did no homework. They didn’t copy down or make notes.

Xolani Mayana teaches science and mathematics. (Photo: Chris Marais)

IsiXhosa First Language teacher Nomazwi Balura with her Grade 12 learners. (Photo: Chris Marais)

“So we started working on them. We got the pastors in to inspire them on the spiritual side. We got other people to talk to them, like former prison inmates, on what it’s like to go from hero gangster in the township to zero in prison.

“I also worked on cleanliness and fought against litter. The children had to pick up sweet and chip papers. We set up easily accessible bins, we planted grass, we painted the school. All of that had a contribution and an impact.”

‘Your word must mean something’

They had few facilities. The classes were too full, so Kuyasa fundraised to buy Wendy houses for more classes (accounting, science and history) and for study groups.

“In keeping with what I learnt at Woodridge, I worked on improving extramural activities at Kuyasa. I think incidents of bullying and fighting are worse in schools with no sports, hikes or camping.”

Mayana talks about how he also tries to instil trustworthiness in learners and teachers.

“Your word must mean something.”

Parents and teachers share a WhatsApp social media group where the children’s behaviour and progress are discussed. Social workers are invited to come to the school to talk about teenage pregnancies.

“The rates of teenage pregnancy have gone down from around six learners per year to only one or sometimes none,” says Mayana.

Now the Matric pass rate routinely tops 98%, the buildings have been refurbished, there is a full annual programme of outings, and an air of optimism and purpose in both school yard and staff room.

Not surprisingly, Kuyasa Combined School’s motto is: “The Sky is the Limit.”

Mayana rises from his seat. “Let me introduce you to everyone.”

The generation that gives hope

Gathering nearly 1,400 children from Sub A all the way up to Matric into a classroom quadrangle is never an easy matter — in the mornings, before breakfast, it can be like herding cats.

But Xolani Mayana and his team of teachers have this down pat. The level of discipline is high at Kuyasa, and within minutes everyone is gathered to pray, sing, and hear the words of their principal:

“You are the generation that gives us hope as the leaders of tomorrow,” Mayana tells them.

Break is time for laughter and play. (Photo: Chris Marais)

Fumanekile Siyolo (one of the gardeners) fetches a long ladder, the photographer (Chris Marais) climbs onto the roof with his gear, everyone looks up and waits for instructions. When it’s time to wave for the camera, a sea of moving hands goes up and the smiles come out.

The Matric class gathers for their special group photograph with Mayana. Most are dressed in school uniform, but some teenagers have clay on their faces, caps on their heads and wear different jackets. These are the recent initiates, back from the bush and very proud to have transitioned from boys to men. For six months, they can wear the clothes that set them apart as young adults.

Principal Mayana has also enlisted their help. He gives them various school responsibilities and special privileges which they must earn by being good role models to their juniors. They are called uBhuti.

Photo session done, final instructions for the day delivered, assembly ends and learners find their classrooms. A breakfast of mielie meal and Amasi is brought to the classrooms so the children can eat quickly and get back to their studies.

Teachers and staff at Kuyasa Combined School, Port Alfred. (Photo: Chris Marais)

Write it down

One of the teaching innovations Xolani Mayana introduced at Kuyasa Combined is student journalling. It is something he picked up from his mentor and PhD supervisor Ken Ngcoza, Professor Emeritus of Education at Rhodes University.

“I just fell in love with Prof Ken’s habit of constant writing. This is a very good habit for pure science scholars. It helps us to internalise what has been discussed.

“I ask the children to be completely honest and write down their thoughts about what they have learnt. I was struggling with lesson structure. They helped me to refine and design my teaching. Part of my Master’s degree was focused on how their writing is part of their sense-making of the lesson.

“It has proven to be an extremely effective teaching method,” he says. “It specifically helps the quieter ones.”

Several of the learners provided the feedback that formed a critical part of his Master’s and now his Doctoral thesis.

“The learners are some of my core researchers,” says Mayana proudly.

In 2022, Kuyasa Combined School achieved a 100% Matric pass rate for the first time. For three years in a row, Kuyasa has produced the top two learners in the previously disadvantaged category in the Sarah Baartman District Municipality. DM

A version of this article first appeared in the Rhodes University Research Report. It was updated in 2024. 

Julienne du Toit and Chris Marais are the authors of a number of books on the Karoo, Semigration to Small Towns and Coastal Living in South Africa. Book enquiries or contact Julie at [email protected]