Toshiba Africa continues to provide improved education to the learners of Alexandra
ALEX – LEAP 3 faces new challenges of ensuring the safety of students and teachers at school facilities.
Toshiba Africa has continued to work with their CSR partner, LEAP Science and Maths School in Alexandra, to build and renovate classrooms to ensure safe operation and social distancing.
While the pandemic has hit hard everywhere, it has made itself particularly felt in disadvantaged communities. During the strict lockdown in March 2020, LEAP schools started distance learning via mobile messaging systems and online meeting apps.
As many families had no income and found it difficult to access devices and data bundles, LEAP management and teachers made a tremendous effort to ensure all the learners had the necessary devices with data so that no one was left behind at the difficult time. Toshiba Africa was part of this joint effort and contributed to LEAP 3 at that time.
Now, as lockdown eases, LEAP 3 faces new challenges of ensuring the safety of learners and teachers at school facilities. Especially this year as LEAP 3 has a total of 202 learners, 40 more than last year. To accommodate these learners, the school was in urgent need of another classroom. As opposed to renting an additional container, which is too costly, they opted for a new log house classroom and to renovate one of their existing classrooms.
Understanding their urgent need, Toshiba Group decided to donate R83 000 to make their wishes possible. A portion of the funding was used to build a 7m by 7m log wood classroom which can accommodate all Grade 10 learners in one room and the remainder was used to build the walls of a classroom converted from storage space.
As part of Toshiba Group’s philosophy, Committed to People, Committed to the Future, the company has always stood firm by improving the lives of people around the world through its technology and services.
“The pandemic has certainly shown the importance of good quality education, especially during such challenging times. The progress and development of the newly built classrooms makes us proud knowing that we are able to contribute to providing quality education,” concluded managing director of Toshiba Africa, Iwasuke Shimada.
