’n Lewende monument vir Afrikaans en moedertaalonderrig
Die ideaal vir die vestiging van die Gedenkschool der Hugenoten het op 1 Februarie 1882 ontstaan nadat die Genootskap van Regte Afrikaners onder leiding van ds. S.J. du Toit “waardering” geskep het vir die rol wat moedertaalonderrig in opvoeding moet speel. Die 200-jarige herdenking van die aankoms van die Franse Hugenote in 1688 is gebruik om ’n skool as lewende monument op te rig. Die Gedenkschool der Hugenoten is amptelik op 14 Maart 1883, in ’n gebou wat voorheen as wynkelder gebruik is, op die plaas De Kleyne Bos (vandag Augusta Kleinbosch) geopen. Dit het moedertaalonderrig verseker vir kinders van die boeregemeenskap van Dal Josafat en Klein Drakenstein. Die skool is volgens die oprigtingsakte die eerste skool waar Afrikaans as onderrigmedium aangewend is. D.F. du Toit (Oom Lokomotief) was die eerste onderwyser. Die skrywers J.D. du Toit (Totius), A.G. Visser en D.F. Malherbe was onder andere in hierdie klas van 1890.
Die skool het later nie meer steun van die staat gekry nie en moes in November 1910 sy deure sluit waarna dit weer in ‘n wynkelder omskep is en later verval het tot ‘n pakkamer. Die Afrikaanse skrywer W.A. (Bill) de Klerk het in die jare tagtig die aanvoorwerk gedoen om die skool in ere te herstel. Dit is nadat die destydse Kaaplandse Helpmekaarfonds geld geskenk het om ‘n ewigdurende servituut oor die stukkie grond en die bouval te registreer. Die gebou is toe met die hulp van Naspers en die Afrikaanse dagblad, Die Burger, asook verskeie Afrikaanse kultuurorganisasies gerestoureer. Die gerestoureerde gebou is op 25 Maart 2002 ingewy.
A living monument for Afrikaans and mother tongue tuition
The Gedenkschool Der Hugenoten (“Memorial School of the Huguenots”) was established on 1 February 1882 after the Genootskap van Regte Afrikaners (“Association of True Afrikaners”), headed by the reverend S.J. du Toit, created new appreciation for the role that mother-tongue tuition should play in education. To give expression to this ideal, the 200th anniversary of the arrival of the French Huguenots to South Africa in 1688 was used to build a school as living monument to acknowledge the distinctive interests of a specific language. The school opened its doors on 14 March 1883 on the farm De Kleyne Bos (today Augusta Kleinbosch), in a building which used to be a winery, for children of the farming communities of Dal Josafat and Klein Drakenstein to receive tuition in their mother-tongue. This was the first school, based on its memorandum of association, where the Afrikaans medium was used as medium of tuition. D.F. du Toit (Oom Lokomotief –“Uncle Locomotive”) was the first teacher.
The class of 1890 included the Afrikaans writers J.D. du Toit (Totius), A.G. Visser and D.F. Malherbe. The school was forced to close in November 1920 due to a lack of funds and after no more support was received from the state. The building was reverted back into a winery which later became a storeroom. Die Kaaplandse Helpmekaar Studiefonds (a study fund) donated money to register a perpetual servitude over the piece of land and building. During the 1980’s the late Afrikaans writer W.A. (Bill) de Klerk took the inisiative for the renovation of he building. With the assistance of the Naspers media group and its daily newspaper Die Burger, as well as various Afrikaans cultural organisations and the public, funds were raised. The building was inaugurated on 25 March 2002.