DID YOU KNOW IN KIMBERLEY TODAY IN KIMBERLEY’S HISTORY 6th OCTOBER Kgosi Galeshewe sentenced to 12 years jail for his part in the Uprising, 1879 Sister Henrietta Stockdale dies in Kimberley, 1911 Did you or your children attend Nursery School? Under the auspices of the Nursery School Association of South Africa (Kimberley Branch) the first nursery school was started in Kimberley in 1932 by Miss Merritt with Miss Caldicott as the teacher of 32 children. For years the nursery class was housed in the Belgravia Junior School by the grace of the successive Principals of this school and the Kimberley School Board. When the congestion of the Belgravia Junior School became untenable, the Cape Administration issued an ultimatum that the Nursery School Association would have to provide its own building. A vigorous committee under the Chairmanship of Mrs Pauline Cock undertook a campaign to raise funds. Due in a large measure to the generosity of public spirited people in Kimberley, a most modern Nursery School, “Stepping Stones”, was erected at a cost of over £4,500 on a site donated by the City Council, was opened by Mr Harry Oppenheimer on the 17th August 1949. The Nursery School at the Perseverance Schools was completely renovated and modernized for the coloured children of Kimberley. At the No. 2 Location a nursery school section was conducted in conjunction with a crèche under the control of the Social Welfare Department. Catering as it did for the pre-school education of all sections of the community, irrespective of race, colour or creed, the Nursery School Association of South Africa, Kimberley Branch was actively concerned in the creation of more school strategically situated throughout the city. Sites were soon reserved for this purpose. At that stage it was hoped that the Administration would review its policy in regard to Nursery Schools by contributing substantially to the funds required for the erection, equipping and staffing of these institutions, such vital and essential adjuncts to the educational structure of a community of the size of Kimberley. Thank goodness this belief is still in place and today most Junior Schools have a feeder Nursery School to ensure that the children have as much background and skills to give them confidence when starting school.
Posted on: Mon, 06 Oct 2014 04:39:37 +0000
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