The 'unappealing' beautiful concept

Tshwarelo Hosia | Wednesday October 2, 2024 11:04

But it remains a little mystery that a beautiful concept that offered a marvellous and ideal environment for teaching and learning ultimately waned and lost appeal. Now, their fortunes have changed completely. It is rather unfortunate that boarding schools have lost their special place and are no longer as fashionable as they were some four decades ago. Their purpose was academic excellence and many of them lived to expectations.

One is tempted to believe that boarding schools hold answers to the many vexing questions surrounding the delivery of quality and relevant education in schools.

What is more, the boarding school concept, if resuscitated, could address the key challenge of under achievement presently bedevilling schools.

The wisdom behind keeping young and potentially rabble rousing students ‘locked’ in boarding secondary schools from the tender age of 13 was relevant then as it is today. Many parents, having fallen in love with boarding schools, confidently and faithfully placed the precious lives of their children under the care of boarding schools.

The fact that some of the schools were located far away from their villages and towns did not deter parents from sending away their children to pursue what they perceived to be good education at the time. Of course, some parents were a little anxious and apprehensive about parting with their children at tender ages, but the one soothing fact was knowing that the benefits of such an undertaking outweighed the disadvantages. Keeping children in boarding schools insulated them from overwhelming pressures and distractions that the world outside schools presented.

It was well understood that, left to their own devices and not subjected to close monitoring, the students would find it hard to navigate powerful distractions, which could squander opportunities for learning and ruin dreams and aspirations for a prosperous future. The stark reality was that too much exposure to the outside world would corrupt and pervert the students, leading to disastrous consequences for their studies and a possible complete derailment from the intended academic path.

A boarding school offered a closely monitored environment characterised by a rigorous instructional regimen and students’ totalitarian focus on studies while also helping the students grow and gain invaluable experiences on the social front.

The boarding schools did not only pride themselves in academic excellence but offered a repertoire of skills that students required not only in their present student world but also in the outside world they were training to serve at a later stage. At tender ages, children were plucked out of their families and exposed to a new way of existence that required no parental patronage but greater autonomy, interdependence, and problem solving skills.

In boarding schools, children acquired practical skills on matters of personal hygiene, washing and pressing clothes, making up their beds as well as maintaining high standards cleanliness in the dormitories and surroundings. Back at home, children attending day schools especially from relatively affluent backgrounds have the luxury of enjoying the services of house helpers who handle most of the domestic chores that students in boarding schools have to do on their own.

Children in boarding schools, rich or poor, become a little more tolerant of one another because they spend more time together at school, far away from parental influence.

Today, there is so much talk about teaching for life and imparting survival skills needed outside school life. Boarding schools were far ahead in this regard. The boarding schools were also intentional about their national building agenda. The schools did not only limit access to one single geographical area but opened doors to children from diverse backgrounds and cultures. There was no doubt about their role in national building and the creation of a united tolerant and proud nation. The boarding schools were not far from the goal of linking schools with the life outside the school. Boarding schools offered ample time for children to unearth their talents in various sporting codes. Because of their restricted movements, children could only expend their spare time and energies in sports.

Today, great strides are being made to try and overhaul and strengthen communication between what is happening and being taught in schools and the world beyond the schools, which students are aspiring to join and serve upon completion of their studies.

There is no doubt that the curriculum must never be developed in vacuum or pursued for its own sake. Rather, it should move with speed to catch up with the intricacies and complexities presented by a dynamic and ever changing world. Great emphasis is being placed on bridging the gap between the school and the world of work. It is clear that boarding schools would play a vital role in this process.