Ebenezer Junior Secondary School (Port Edward)

Ebenezer Junior Secondary School in Bizana, listen, the name alone sounds like the school was founded during a very passionate church service where someone stood up and shouted "THUS FAR THE LORD HAS HELPED US" and someone else said okay cool let's build classrooms. And to be fair, you are going to need the Lord's help, because 26 teachers are somehow supposed to manage 993 learners. That is not a school, that is a taxi rank that gives out worksheets. One teacher is looking after 38 kids at a time, which means if you had a question in class, your best bet was to write it down, seal it in an envelope, and hope for a response before matric. Now the description they wrote for themselves is doing the bare minimum, which honestly feels on brand. "The school does not provide boarding facilities." Brother, with 38 kids per teacher, the staff cannot even provide attention facilities, never mind boarding. And this is a no-fee school in the Eastern Cape, so the government is technically running this show, which explains everything. Load shedding hits, 993 kids are sitting in the dark, one teacher is somewhere in the building, and nobody is finding them because the ratio says they are statistically outnumbered. But here is the thing, Ebenezer is free, it is open to everyone, it takes boys and girls, it runs from primary all the way through to secondary, and it is out there in Bizana holding it together with basically nothing. That deserves respect. Overall verdict: Running on prayer, government grants, and pure Eastern Cape stubbornness, but somehow still running.