André van Staden: Celebrating four decades of transformative leadership in education
In the 1980s, as a young novice teacher André van Staden taught Afrikaans at prestigious Grey High School in Gqeberha, then Port Elizabeth. This would hone his insight into the minds of his pupils, a sensitivity that no doubt propelled his four-decade career.
From an Afrikaans home himself, Van Staden describes tutoring language as a privilege: 'When you teach a language, you know the soul of the kids you are teaching. Marking their essays and listening to their orals, you've really got the privilege to know their inner thoughts.'
For this interview, Van Staden is speaking inside his wood-panelled rector's office at Paul Roos Gymnasium in Stellenbosch — a space he will relinquish to his successor, Jannie de Villiers, at the close of the second term on 27 June 2025.
Asked to point out an item of special significance in this space, Van Staden does not hesitate: a photograph taken at the school's 150-year anniversary in 2016, a year before he commenced his tenure.
'Look here,' he says, index finger hovering as he names the faces: 'Dr Edwin Hertzog (former Mediclinic chairperson); Wim de Villiers (former Stellenbosch University vice-chancellor); Portchie (the artist); Etienne van Heerden (award-winning author); Koos Kombuis (poet and novelist); Jan Braai (recipe author); Waldimar Pelser (former editor and MultiChoice channel director); Tshotsho Mbovane (rugby player and coach); Hendrik Odendaal (freestyle relay medallist); Johann Rupert (chairperson of Richemont and Remgro) …'
He adds: 'So you see, there is no mould to the successes of Paul Roos kids.'
Balance
During the course of our conversation his reflections often pivot around 'balance' — between academic, sporting and cultural achievements — while also bearing on pupils whose talents fall beyond conventional metrics. Once a week at assembly he acknowledges and credits accordingly, he says, finding time to congratulate participants beyond the top teams.
Opening a lever-arch file, Van Staden turns through printed notes and photos. 'Now you know my secret,' he says, conspiringly. 'I write out my assemblies. Because you must remember, in a busy school of nearly 1,300 boys you've got only once a week to talk to them and it's important to give recognition across all spheres, even if it's a smaller achievement — that child wants some recognition.'
These notes are projected as slides during assembly, he says, pausing to indicate recorded rugby results for both the Under-19 A and G teams.
'And of course we can't always show all the results, but then we make sure to include a photo of a lower team.
'And soon, the kids feel that they represent the school, it doesn't matter whether they are in the A or G team. Not all people are super talented at everything. But that kid can go home and say: 'Well, today when they showed the rugby results in assembly, our team photo was up there!' Sometimes teachers miss that, that kids say these types of things at the dinner table to their parents.'
Of course, Paul Roos has a formidable rugby reputation, again cemented when they triumphed 36-3 over Grey College from Bloemfontein at the highly anticipated annual interschools clash in August last year.
'That was special,' says Van Staden. 'Definitely our best performance ever against them.' Van Staden is popular in rugby circles, with blog schoolboyrugby.co.za describing him as a 'Winelands powerhouse' and a 'likeable leader'.
Leaning towards balance, Van Staden details other sporting highs: 'Many people don't know that most years we have the best tennis team in the country. This year, in golf the SA High Schools Championship is still coming up, but we definitely stand a good chance of being number one. Also, what people don't always see is that we were number two in hockey last year.'
Musically, we are exploding.
Discussing the school's choir consisting of 120 pupils, his face lights up: 'That's nearly 10% of our school, I mean when they walk onto the stage the stream of maroon blazers is just never-ending.' He adds that Paul Roos has built up an orchestra of 50 boys, 'so musically, we are exploding.'
Furthermore he points out the school's strong academics, with a 99.6 % pass rate in the 2024 matric exams (230 out of 231 candidates passed).
Van Staden's versatility was exemplified at Pearson High School, also in Gqeberha, where he served as principal from 2004 until 2017 (and as deputy head since 1995). Infrastructure additions under his leadership included a heated Olympic-sized water-polo pool, floodlit AstroTurf, the Eve Alexander Music Auditorium, new academic wings, a science laboratory, a gym and a sports pavilion.
'It was a small school at the end of the city,' he says. 'And we really changed it to the school of choice in Port Elizabeth. Actually it was a major success story, we used to have a numbers problem and worked extremely hard, and today Pearson is flourishing.'
Leaving Pearson to take up at Paul Roos in 2017 was hard: 'I was at Pearson for 22 years, so then it's difficult to leave. And there was a temptation to stay there until I retired. The school becomes your baby.'
He truly cares about people and makes people feel special and supported.
English and History teacher Jayd Georgiades' voice grows tearful while recalling Van Staden appointing her at Pearson in 2015: 'He truly cares about people and makes people feel special and supported,' she says.
Georgiades first met Van Staden a year earlier when she was a student netball coach at Diocesan School for Girls, Makhanda. After a series of netball matches at Pearson, she was struck by the neatly attired man cleaning up: 'I was walking around the campus trying to find the bibs and the balls to put on the bus so we could go back to (what was then called) Grahamstown. And this gentleman came up and started helping me, very professional looking in a blazer and tie. I didn't know it at the time, but it was Mr Van Staden. And as the principal, he would stay long after everyone had gone, making sure there was no litter, that the tables and chairs were packed away. And he helped me pack up, as a member of the opposing team.'
In his office at Paul Roos, Van Staden is seated on the visitor's side of his large mahogany-hued desk.
'Saturday is a very important working day for me,' he says. 'I love spending time watching all the teams, including the lower teams, achieve. I really get energy from that.'
He adds that Paul Roos has 140 staff including 75 full time teachers, with plenty of tasks including the coaching of certain sports, facilities maintenance, and more, outsourced: 'A school is a special place but I always say this, you have to drive it because it's a big business, too. I mean we are a school of over a R100-million budget per year.'
Commenting on teaching values to youngsters in light of recent events such as Stellenbosch University residence Wilgenhof's closure late last year, he says: 'I think you have to carefully guide boys on what's acceptable. And that's a process and you really have to sell to them: with what's not acceptable you have to draw the line and say, no, that can't happen. I always say to the boys: we must not lose what's precious to us because of the mistakes that we make.'
Van Staden is married to Adia, who retired from teaching at Paul Roos last year. Their sons are Quintin, a medical doctor specialising in haematology in Bloemfontein, and Kurt, an actuary, who lives in Stellenbosch. Currently the couple live on the school's premises at the foot of Stellenbosch Mountain. Van Staden says they will remain in the Boland town after he retires. He will continue working in project management in education — but not at Paul Roos.
'I think, especially at the beginning, I will give (Jannie de Villiers) space. And I think to myself, the fact that I'm leaving after eight years does not mean that my affection and my heart will not always be here. I'm still truly passionate about kids. And it's a special school in a very special town. I'm definitely not tired, you know.'
Former colleagues and Boland schooling executives will attend Van Staden's official farewell on Thursday, 26 July.
Notably, De Villiers from Ermelo also started out as an Afrikaans language teacher. He has served as head of the Diocesan School for Girls in Makhanda since 2020. DM
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The youth today know little of the history of the youth who, 49 years ago on this day, propelled South Africa on a new route to democracy, of which we all pick the fruit today. These days, Youth Day is seldom celebrated properly. What can we do to get relief and answers? We can all help to create peace in our violent country. We can begin by forgiving one another, as I did long ago. But do not, however, expect me to forget. Actually, we should never forget. But we may hope. How I hoped that Youth Day was not watered down to a political gathering. How I hoped that the youth would take the lead, like we did 49 years ago. And how I hoped that the President in his speech would have condemned the singing of the song, Kill the boer, Kill the farmer, as a crime against South Africa and its people. 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