History
Since the origin of the first schools in South Africa, Dutch was accepted as a formal first or second language in these schools. Afrikaans was only accepted as a language for education in 1916. The use of Afrikaans in schools was however not spontaneously accepted in the Colony of Natal which was predominantly a British Colony. Afrikaans speaking pupils in the Colony of Natal were thus only given the opportunity to be schooled in Dutch from 1916. Schooling took place on a veranda in the back yard of Longmarket Girls School in extremely poor conditions. During the years to follow, many letters, complaints and petitions were submitted to the Department of Education.
It was only on Tuesday, 2 August 1927 that the first Intermediate Afrikaans medium school on the corner of Pine Street and Mayors Walk was completed. The school was originally named A.M.S (Afrikaansmediumskool). It started with 106 Primary pupils and 7 Secondary pupils.
On 1 April 1938 A.M.S was renamed Voortrekker School whilst the first year book was printed. It was only in 1940 that Voortrekker is officially given the status of a High School whereafter it is named V.H.S. (Voortrekker Hoër Skool). In 1944 the school anthem written by D.J. Opperman is born and a fish pond in the shape of a Voortrekker wagon wheel is erected on the school premises.
On 11 October 1949, the new High School building in Cordwalles Road was officially opened. The old High School buildings were thereafter used as a Primary school and was named Voortrekker Senior Primary. In the later fifties, a Girls Hostel is added at the Cordwalles Road premises. In the sixties, a swimming pool is added. An extra building complex was added in the seventies whilst a Boys hostel is added on the premises in the eighties.
Read more about this topic: Voortrekker High School
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