BETHAL

EDUCATION IN BETHAL DURING THE LAST

CENTURY

First organised education in Bethal

Due to the ZAR (Zuid Afrikaansche Republiek) Johanna Naude – second person
to teach at Bethal "Act on lower Education” of 1882, that schools were required to be subsidised, a beginning of establishing a small school was made. This happened three years after Bethal was promulgated.

The first teacher Mr. K J Fischer, a Dutchman, provided tuition between the years 1883-1885. According Rev. C F J Muller, it can be inferred that the little school was situated on the town. Rev. Muller commissioned by the Cape Synod, visited churches in Transvaal. According to his travelogue the following entry on the 14 and 15 April 1885 is found: “Tuesday morning and Wednesday morning I had a religious service in church and school building”. From 1886 to 1891 Johanna Maria Naude – born 15 August 1869 – taught at Bethal. She was the daughter of Petrus Johannes Naude, co-founding member and justice of Bethal.

Rev. Andrew Murray of Ermelo encouraged Johanna Naude to go to Wellington for further training. However, she was reluctant to go there. But later produced evidence that she was good on her job, judging by the Certificate of Merit, issued by the Z.A.R. Department of Education. #"... an honorarium of £5 has been awarded in recognition of her services, after inspection conducted on 25 February 1887 ..."

Johanna Naude and her pupils
Certificate of Service

After she married Adriaan Jacobus Louw of the Adriaan Jacobus Louw. farm Rietfontein, she bade farewell to education. The descendants of the Louws, including the well-known writer, Mike the Louw Theron, living here today. Education reins for the year 1893-1894 was then entrusted in the hands of Mr EB Hoffman.

Especially in the nineties many small schools were established here. For instance, at the beginning of 1899 the council of the Dutch Reformed Church Bethal, referred to the town's government school. Mention is made of between 50 and 60 children, and the teachers in the year 1898, was D Retief and E Marais. The following year, one R W Niehaus and Miss E Bernsman were teachers at Bethal. Outside the latter, there were nine other teachers, 9 government schools and a total of 178 pupils. Mention is also made of ten private schools. Threatening clouds of war by end of 1899, resulted in stop to education development and progress in the region.