City take schoolchildren on outing to experience 'Class in the Clouds'
Eddie Andrews at the lower cable car station meeting the learners from Mokone Primary School in Langa.
Image: Supplied
In a powerful bid to inspire the next generation of conservationists, the City’s Environmental Management Department (EMD) has joined forces with the Table Mountain Aerial Cableway Company (TMACC) to host underprivileged schoolchildren for an unforgettable educational experience atop one of the world's natural wonders.
The "Class in the Clouds" programme, which commenced on Monday, 18 May 2026, offers learners from several under-resourced primary schools a rare opportunity to swap their traditional classrooms for the summit of Table Mountain. The initiative has been launched to mark the annual International Day for Biological Diversity on Saturday, 22 May 2026, which this year focuses on the theme of acting locally for global impact.
For many of the children, including the opening group from Mokone Primary School, this represents their very first time experiencing the iconic landmark. The excursions are set to continue into next week, welcoming pupils from a diverse range of schools, including Mimosa Primary in Bonteheuwel, Garlandale Primary in Athlone, Cypress Primary in Bridgetown, and Moshesh Primary in Langa.
To ensure the programme's success, both organisations pooled their resources to eliminate financial barriers for the attending schools. The City’s EMD sponsored dedicated MyCiTi buses to handle all transport logistics whilst also providing nutritious lunch packs for every participating learner, while TMACC generously covered the full cost of the cable car return trips and facilitated the specialised outdoor educational curriculum.
The significance of the initiative was highlighted by the City’s Deputy Mayor and Mayoral Committee Member for Spatial Planning and Environment, Alderman Eddie Andrews, who emphasised the importance of equal access to the city's natural heritage.
"The City partnered with TMACC to give learners, who might not otherwise have had the opportunity, a chance to go up our iconic Table Mountain. This outdoor educational experience with their peers has been a truly memorable one for these kids," Andrews stated.
"Our partnership with the TMACC has looked at the need to expand the minds and learning experiences of our bright and ambitious young learners in less fortunate areas in Cape Town by taking them to the top of our iconic Table Mountain to learn about the world-renowned biodiversity of their very own city. We hope this experience plants a seed of environmental consciousness and encourages learners to see the role they can play as conservation ambassadors in some capacity in the future."
The classroom location could not be more fitting. Table Mountain National Park forms a vital part of the Cape Floral Kingdom, a UNESCO World Heritage Site recognised globally as a premier biodiversity hotspot. The area plays host to an astonishing 8,200 plant species, a significant number of which are entirely endemic to Cape Town, making it the ultimate living laboratory for the young environmentalists.