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Public-Private Partnerships invest over R20 million in five Eastern Cape schools – MyPR.co.za

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Public-Private Partnerships invest over R20 million in five Eastern Cape schools:


Matatiele, Eastern Cape – Over the last six years the Industrial Development Corporation of South Africa (IDC), in partnership with the Adopt-a-School (AAS) Foundation, has invested over R102 million towards uplifting and supporting 30 schools throughout South Africa. Yesterday, at Zamokuhle Junior Secondary School in Matatiele, Adopt-a-School Foundation will be launching Whole School Development projects in partnership with the IDC and Wipro Technologies and the Nelson Mandela Foundation at Schools in the Eastern Cape.

The launch celebrates progress made in the five adopted schools in Eastern Cape, where the IDC has invested over R20 million in upgrading facilities at these schools including the construction of a library in honour of the Nelson Mandela 100-year centenary. AAS implements a unique, holistic approach when supporting schools, called the Whole School Development (WSD) model. This mechanism aims to improve and uplift the academic, infrastructural, social and security environments in adopted schools. WSD ensures that schools have the necessary management and community leadership to support an environment conducive to excellence in both teaching and learning.

The five Eastern Cape schools supported by the partnership are Siwali Secondary School in Lusikisiki, Zamokuhle Junior Secondary School, Maraizell Secondary School and Tholang High School in Matatiele, and Nkonkwana Primary School in WillowVale. All five schools received significant infrastructural support and training. “The IDC’s main priority in CSI investment lies in education. Through our partnership with Adopt-a-School, we have been able to improve the quality of education in selected schools and today we celebrate the success of our investment” says Tebogo Molefe, Head of CSI at the IDC. “We are thrilled with the progress made at all the secondary schools we have invested in over the past five years,” added Molefe

“The matric pass rate at the IDC schools we support has improved and that is a great example of our Whole School Development Model at work,” said Steven Lebere, Executive Director at Adopt-a-School

“The success we have enjoyed with our adopted schools in the Eastern Cape Province is a great example of the effectiveness of the Adopt-a-School’s WSD model and the power of public-private partnerships,” said Lebere. “We call upon business leaders to partner with us to support more schools in rural parts of the Eastern Cape and the rest of the country.

“Our partnership with the IDC in Eastern Cape has been exceptionally successful. Since 2012 we have constructed 15 new classrooms, a library, a science laboratory, an administration facility, two ablution facilities and renovated nine structures – two science laboratory and six classrooms; and converted two classrooms into ICT centres,” added Lebere.

The new ICT centre at Zamokuhle Junior Secondary School and Tholang Secondary School was implemented in partnership with Wipro Technologies, who made significant contributions of software and hardware to these facilities. Wipro has been an integral part of this partnership, having partnered with the IDC and ASA on similar projects around the country “This project forms part of Wipro’s skills development initiative, which seeks to invest in the education and upskilling of South Africa’s IT sector. We also believe that IT education needs to start at grassroots level to maximise its effect, enabling the growth of the country’s digital economy” Ravi Yuvraj Panthi, Head of Human Resources – Africa at Wipro.

“We have also made a significant investment in support programmes for both learners and educators, as well as health services including, amongst others, eyesight testing and sanitation packs,” he continued.

Our model has seen a lot of positive impact not only in the schools but also in the communities we work in. Your contribution can make a lasting difference to the lives of hundreds of children,” added Lebere.

“We look forward to continuing our successful partnership with Adopt-a-School and strengthening our relationship with the Limpopo government, resulting in further progress towards uplifting young South Africans,” said Molefe.

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Source: MyPR.

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