Hillview High is a high school situated in Newlands East, Durban. This is a topic that is near and dear to me since this is the high school I attended as a little tot and have unbelievably fond memories. Both my parents also spent many years teaching at the school.The teachers were great, always giving of their time and the friends made are lasting a lifetime. I would really love to see comments from other ex-Hillview pupils and would love to see projects like this emanating from other schools.

Hillview Senior Secondary has been a name that has always been associated with high standards both academically and on the sports field. Since the opening of the school way back in 1986 the school has continually churned out young men and women, who have gone on to be leaders in the business and sporting community, both locally and internationally.

However, the current state of affairs at Hillview is not very pleasant based on my observations during a visit to the school in January. My impression was that the wheels were falling off. If it was not happening now, then it would definitely be the case in the not too distant future.

Why do I say so?

The infrastructure problems are plain to see i.e. the broken windows, peeling paint, the lighting systems that are not working and the overgrown bushes etc.

You also get a sense of apathy that must be prevailing amongst the learners, and this is evident in how they treat their surroundings.

We need to turns things around immediately. We need to involve all the stakeholders i.e. teachers, parents and pupils in a project to improve the conditions at the school. We can spend thousands of Rands on cosmetic changes and improvements, but these are bound to fail if we do not have a buy in from these stakeholders. Please remember that the school belongs to the community. They need to love it, care for it and have it ready for the next generation of learners to use.

Since the commencement of this project I have had various discussions with ex-pupils and I have received the following responses from them:

“Is anything being done or tried by the school to promote pride in the school.”

“It is hard –very hard helping people that can’t see the filth under their feet.”

“Does the school still have sporting clubs –soccer, hockey etc. bring them into the picture and you have numbers in the school.”