Recently, primary school teachers and early childhood development practitioners converged at Castle Kyalami in Midrand, determined to be part of the solution to the woes plaguing South Africa’s education system. They attended a learner support seminar offered by the Scientology Volunteer Ministers Africa.
Seeking solutions to help their learners overcome barriers to learning, they discovered a methodology of study that enables learners to tackle barriers to learning and read for meaning.
Educators in South Africa complained of operating in a challenging environment and despite hundreds of billions of Rands invested in education each year, overcrowded classrooms and poor infrastructure are a sad reality in many schools across the country. The problem is exacerbated by a host of social problems affecting learners, including rising levels of teenage pregnancy, lack of parent participation, drug abuse and child headed homes.
The workshop began with a close inspection of “Learner Support “and how if done correctly can alleviate these problems. Many educators shared personal experiences of the failing education system in South Africa and how they feel that they really want to help their learners but don’t know how to do this beyond the formal delivery of content.
“Most Educators feel they have not been equipped with effective tools to provide adequate learner support in this situation. This is in fact a problem not just in South Africa, but around the world. And this is where our programme comes in.”, said Sandile Hlayisi, chairperson of the Scientology Volunteer Ministers Africa during the seminar.
The popular workshop, delivered for free by Scientology Volunteer Ministers focuses on tackling learning barriers but also extensively cover other social issues such as conflict resolution, substance abuse, communication and more to empower educators with tools to tackle these issues prevalent in our learning sector.
The free skills program called “Tools for Life “is broken down modules which address many of the difficulties encountered in the classroom and in life.
One primary school teacher who attended the workshop said, “I now have the ability to change my teaching styles so the learners can do better. The seminar has also helped me mentally both in my role as a teacher and a parent. I have learnt to accept individuals for who they are and that each one is unique. After attending the workshop, I have the feeling and the vision that things will improve in our education system and that we can bring out the confidence and the abilities in our learners. I will go back and implement what I have learnt.”
Another one said, “I got a very clear understanding of learning barriers and where they are coming from. I feel enlightened. This is very powerful knowledge and can change the education sector. “Yet another commented, “I got a lot of innovative information from this workshop, such as conflict resolution. This has changed my mind-set about the difficulties in teaching and in life. My confidence has increased. This knowledge can improve many of the problems that we face in education.”
The comprehensive programme, comprising 19 individual modules provides a host of practical skills including social and spiritual support, study skills, communication, conflict resolution and more. The programme is based on the works of L. Ron Hubbard and has received accreditation from the South African Council for Educators (SACE).
“The quality of your life depends upon your ability to learn” wrote L. Ron Hubbard This quote inspires us to equip individuals with learning skills so that we can have a better society that is sustainable. Our objective is the empowerment of everyone so that they improve themselves, their families and communities all in the name of a flourishing and prosperous South Africa,” concluded Hlayisi.
The Scientology Volunteer Ministers have trained thousands of educators and other education specialists with their learner support programme to date. They are committed to keep working with the education sector to bring further positive change.
