Shereens

Our History

Shereens won the NDA provincial award for best ECD centre - Urban category 2016

We are very passionate about early child development and we strive to make the level of education available to one and all.

Our History

Shereens Montessori Pre-Primary was founded in the 1970s by a group of visionary youth and high school contemporaries who shared the idea that
nurturing a child impacts directly on the nature of a community. An icon in the Salt River community, Shereens opened its doors in the year of the Sowetan uprising, under the leadership of the late Shereen Jassiem (nee Khan).

Early Days of the Shereens Play Centre

1976 was a watershed year for education in South Africa. Nationally, we were engaging the state on issues of “gutter education”. Locally, we were forced to confront the way our community viewed learning and its expectations of how children learn and how children had to be taught. Some were clearly not ready for the community based Pre-Primary Schools. With some of the founder members still at high school, it was a challenge to the traditional authorities to deal with the “upstarts” and other descriptions of the founding members. Fortunately, people like Imam Omar Taliep saw the merit of our endeavours
and supported in financially. Many older people contributed materially and intervened to ensure the survival of “Shereen se crèche” as the school was fondly referred to. In 1977, Shereens was forced to relocate to the disused St. Luke’s Primary School in Cecil Road, Salt River.

Establishment of the Islamic Early Learning Foundation

The St. Luke’s Primary school was owned by the then Department of Community Development. To enter into a lease agreement, we had to have an organisation! Using public monies required a WAQF institution (publicly owned for the benefit of the community). With the residual antagonism to a pre- school, the challenge was to find a way of having a Waqf institution which was immune from a hostile take over. The solution was found in the establishment of a Not for Gain Public Company. The Islamic Early Learning Foundation was born. This led to registration as an employer, payment of UIF, PAYE and eventually recognition as a Tax Exempt organisation. The community therefore owns all the assets of the IELF, which owns and operates the Shereens Montessori.

Shereens Play Centre's name changed to Shereens Montessori Pre-Primary when our school implemented the Montessori method of education, approximately 21 years ago.

Our vision

To be a leading Montessori school, providing children with the tools for Life.

Our mission

To provide an environment conducive to educating and developing children for Life

Development

To promote Montessori education and training in Early Childhood

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