Healdtown – Under The Eagle’s Wings

Education in South Africa owes a great deal to the early missionaries who established schools in association with the mission stations. The difficulties of trying to impose a western style of education on people for whom it was something quite new, were, as can be imagined, enormous. Nonetheless, a few of these schools, after much trial and error, emerged to become institutions with a hard-earned reputation for excellence. Healdtown was one of these.

Begun as a Methodist mission in 1855 during a time of frontier conflict, it became the largest high school in the country where many of the black elite who were to become leaders in the struggle for democracy were educated. Prominent leaders such as Nelson Mandela, Robert Sobukwe and Govan Mbeki are counted among the school’s alumni. Many of South Africa’s current leaders in other fields were also moulded at Healdtown.

The Bantu Education Act of 1953 saw the beginning of a gradual decline in the standards of Healdtown and, sadly, today the infrastructure is in a serious state of decay. The Historic Schools Restoration Project is attempting to restore respect to this once great institution, so that the eagle (the school’s symbol and badge) may fly once more.

Trevor Webster has captured the ethos of a great African mission.