Over 2,5 decades ago I completed and obtained full my Matric qualification from Star of the Sea High School which boasted the reputation of being the best secondary education school in northern KwaZulu Natal. The name Star of the Sea High School represented quality education, disciplined learners, dedicated educators, involved parents, principled boarding facility lodgers. Learners flocked from all over Natal, the homeland of KwaZulu and Transvaal province as they were known then (present day KZN and Gauteng). 28 years later my heart sinks when I look at my alma mata. Buildings have aged without much as a touch of paint on the walls. Learners lack fire in their eyes that show less enthusiasm about school and learning. There's graffiti on the walls. The boys boarding facility has broken and unused desks thrown all over. Girls from distant homes travel to and from school on the back of bakkies exposed to all weather elements (wind, cold, rain, etc) and face the very real danger of being raped and told not to say a word about their ordeals. And that could have been my daughter! I feel so much pain in my soul as I look at the state of decay my former school has become and children left in harms way for lack of decent boarding facilities with appropriate lighting, warms, and fresh nutritious meals for the learners.
The pain leads me to a call to REBUILD the walls of Star of the Sea like the prophets of old rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem. Star of the Sea must once again become a beacon of hope for the people of Northern KZN, hope that all will be well again, that they are not neglected and forgotten children in the eyes of a loving God, hope that their school will one day shine again and reclaim the status of top educational institutions that the best and brightest will want to further their studies at in preparation for careers that will place our country South Africa on the map with, among others best mathematicians and scientists who would have had their foundational grounding at Star! The province of KZN should take over from Limpopo province as home of top matrics! Star of the Sea should be the school that produces the best and top matrics again!
We call on all former learners/pupils of Star of the Sea to join forces with us as we seek to rebuild first the boarding facilities for girls, and then for boys and refresh the school with infrastructure we can be proud to have all our children undergo schooling at. Once again Star will illuminate the dark night skies of Northern KZN while becoming that lighthouse shining to warn against sea/ocean dangers of life and pointing the way to safety.
