On Thursday 22 August 1935 Mr. EJC Kuschke, the first principal of Bekker arrived at the Seekoeihoek farm.  Mr. Simon Bekker, the then Administrator of Transvaal, worked very hard during the depression years to set up an Agricultural School, to give the sons of the farming community an opportunity to be equipped with knowledge.

On the farm, Mr. Kuschke found a flat-roofed house with 5 rooms which would serve as the first hostel, and which would house 18 boys.  Mr. Kuschke wrote in the school’s diary three years later: “I was on duty again during the holidays as usual.  It’s been 3 years now that I haven’t been able to take any of the school holidays because the building work and the farm work require my personal attention every day from sunrise to sunset.  The school was known as Bekker School Farm, and then already followed an academic curriculum.

He also established a zoo on the farm, and in January 1942 he was attacked by 3 lions and was badly injured.  A second attack later cost him a year in hospital, and he lost one of his legs.

The story above speaks of the dedication of many people over the past 89 years to make Bekker High School the prestigious school it is today.  The school flourished academically, in the fields of Agriculture, Sports, Culture and Leadership. The many doctors, engineers, economists and lawyers that the school has produced testify to that.  The school still rests on these five pillars today. Part of the school’s history, Hoërskool Bekker produced the following stars – four Springbok rugby players: Piet Botha, Dave Frederickson, Johan Strauss and Marco van Staden, one National snooker player: Pierre Mans, an Olympic athlete: Miranda Tinashe Coetzee and the well-known economist, Mike Schusseler.

The school split in 1951 into a High and Primary school, which from then on functioned as two different schools, but still stand side by side on the Seekoeihoek farm. The school was then known as the Hoër Landbouskool Bekker.  Agriculture was still the most important component of the school and functioned as an economic unit.

In 1985, the name of the school changed to Hoërskool Bekker, after which it changed to a fully academic high school, with an agricultural course of study. Subjects such as Animal Science, Agriculture and Farm Mechanics were offered at matric level.  In 1995, the school opened its doors for the first time to English-speaking learners and since then the school has been parallel medium in grades 8 and 9, and double medium from grades 10 – 12.

Over the years, the school has been greatly expanded and many new buildings have come into being.  The school currently has approximately 750 learners who come from all walks of life, which offers space for learners from all cultural groups.  The languages ​​spoken are Afrikaans and English.  Large dormitory buildings house around 400 boys and girls who come from all over the country, and sometimes even from neighbouring countries.

Today, the farm is still operated as an economic unit, and crops such as maize are grown.  Goats, sheep, pigs, chickens and cattle are some of the livestock farmed with.  The agricultural learners are actively involved in these activities.  Learners also regularly attend agricultural information sessions and workshops such as AI and take part in ploughing competitions and sheep shearing competitions.

Bekker is also actively involved in the Youth Show and forms the backbone of the Gauteng Youth Show team.  Here, learners who do not take agricultural subjects also get the opportunity to encounter with animals and farm life. 

In the academic field, Bekker currently offers three agricultural subjects namely Agricultural Science, Agricultural Management Practice and Agricultural Technology.  In the field of sport, three of our rugby teams were the Golden Lions champions for 2024.

Here at Bekker we aim to develop our learners in all areas and to give each learner the chance to develop their full potential.  We are building a golden future in green!