In honour of Mandela Day, the Peermont Community Benefit Trust (PCBT) sponsored the revamping and restocking of the school library at Ntsikana Primary in Daveyton.
The PCBT trustees and employees of Emperors Palace and Peermont gave 67 minutes of their time working in the newly revamped library and providing the school with a wide range of books to promote literacy. As Mandela Day was during the school holidays the trustees officially unveiled the library last Wednesday.
Mandela Day aims to promote change and upliftment to those who are less fortunate.
In South Africa, poor literacy is responsible for the inadequate education of hundreds of learners.
According to research from Stellenbosch University, for every 100 students who started school 12 years ago, only 48 of them reach matric.
“Youth development is one of the cornerstones of the South African National Development Plan and a central pillar of Peermont’s community development efforts,” says Tshidi Madima, PCBT chair.
“Being able to enhance the learning experience for school children at the grassroots level is a privilege for us and vital in nurturing the next generation of leaders.”
Ntsikana Primary was founded in 1985 with limited resources and is now considered one of the top performing primary schools in Daveyton.
The school has converted two classrooms into a library and is working closely with the local community library to ensure collaboration on upliftment programmes, such as the annual readathon, spelling bee and ‘Mental Maths’ competitions.
Learners also received a lunch pack sponsored by Eurest and Compass.