Through the Heritage Education School Outreach Programme (HESOP), the DBE and the National Heritage Council of South Africa (NHC) has again partnered to afford 36 learners between Grade 8 and 11 from all nine provinces, an opportunity to participate in the protection and promotion of South Africa’s shared and diverse heritage. The annual HESOP took place at the Tsitsikamma section of the Garden Route National Park in the Eastern Cape Province from 23 to 27 September 2024.
This year’s HESOP is in collaboration between the South African National Parks (SANParks), the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA), the South African Heritage Resources Agency (SAHRA) and the Provincial Departments of Sport, Arts and Culture.
HESOP is an annual competition which starts at district to provincial level, where learners compete in researching and writing essays on identified topics. The winning provincial teams will compete against each other at a weeklong national competition. The programme takes place in three stages through conducting research, site visits to heritage sites and oral presentations. Part of the programme is to ensure access to heritage sites, which were previously not accessible to certain designated groups.
“HESOP has been designed, not only to advocate for the foregrounding of heritage within the school curriculum, but to inculcate the culture of self-appreciation by future leaders, as well as make them aware of the positives that could be derived when the country’s heritage is preserved and promoted,” said Dr Thabo Manetsi, Chief Executive Officer of the NHC.
The following schools made it from District level to Provincial level and participated in the 2024 HESOP national competition: Hoërskool Nic Diederichs (Gauteng); Lumko Secondary School and Mida English Medium Christian School (Eastern Cape); Vryburg High School (North West); Kimberley Technical High School (Northern Cape); Joseph Rhangani Secondary School (Limpopo); Mandla Mthethwa School of Excellence (KwaZulu-Natal); Lekgulo Secondary School (Free State); and Soneike High School (Western Cape).
Some of the topics covered by learners included Heritage Management in South Africa, Heritage as part of the curriculum and Commemoration of Heritage Day. “I appreciate each long withstanding strategic partner of this initiative and the collective effort to support heritage education in our schools and amongst the youth. It’s of paramount importance to instil a culture of appreciation, knowledge and deep understanding of our heritage and conservation management amongst youth and learners, as they are the future leaders of tomorrow.” added Dr Manetsi.
The national competition was followed by an awards ceremony on 26 September 2024, where the winning schools from first to third place were announced with certificates and prizes being awarded to participants.