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A little something from Hugh Sykes.....

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Sequin | 15:39 UK time, Friday, 25 June 2010

...he's been to the Royal Bafokeng Nation. It's where the England football team is based during the World Cup. It's a semi-autonomous region of the South Africa and is fabulously rich. As well as a recording a report for PM, he brought back these photos.

Lebone High School

Students at Lebone High School, Phokeng, Royal Bafokeng Nation, in South Africa's North-West province near the Botswana border.

In the classroom

Large class, but three teachers (two out of sight). World Cup posters on the wall. It's a fee-paying independent school for the local community - and children whose parents cannot pay are subsidised by the Royal Bafokeng Nation.

Class project

The students are doing a project in which they have to imagine creating a new town from scratch. It's a bit like the computer game Sim City, but the teachers here prefer three dimensions and rulers and pencils and paper - much better for class collaboration, they say.

Building a school

Lebone 2, under construction. The schools are named after the last King of Bafokeng, and Lebone also means light.

Civic centre

Phokeng civic centre. In the distance, the Royal Bafokeng Stadium, where the England team have played some of their matches. Their hotel and training camp are also here in Phokeng - not, as FIFA seem to think, in Rustenburg which is sixteen kilometres away.

Children

and

More children

Children at a school, in an informal settlement near Johannesburg. Many South African schools have classes of 45 and more with just one teacher.

Father and son

Father and son at a party in a nursery school. In many schools like this, one or two teachers often have to care for more than a hundred very young children all day.

Swings and roundabouts

The nursery playground - slides and swings funded from donations.


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