Waahida Tolbert-Mbatha, co-founder of a world-class school in Alexandra, has showered praise on all those who were involved in the establishment of the school.
Kgololo Academy opened its doors at the beginning of the school term at the start of the year and is temporarily housed at the premises of the Methodist Church in 2nd Avenue, Alexandra while they still find a permanent home for it.
Reflecting on the end of the first term of the operation of Kgololo Academy, Tolbert-Mbatha said as she sits home over the holiday she is filled with joy and a great sense of pride as she reflects on the successful completion of the first term.
According to Murphy’s Law, anything that can go wrong will go wrong and this was in full effect during the teething term though “we ended it up stronger and smarter”. She said this was all due to the fact that “we prioritised establishing a safe and strong school culture where academic rigor can thrive and exist and I am excited to report that we feel a great sense of accomplishment at what we have been able to put together”.
Tolbert-Mbatha said at times she felt like the first term of operation was like putting the aeroplane together while it was still in flight. “But I think that this is what made it so exhilarating and so worthwhile,” she added.
With the help of KIPP and 1 World organisations, Tolbert-Mbatha said she was able to create a well-constructed school design plan that allowed her to navigate all of the the bumps along the way. This too would not have been possible if it were not for the awesome team at Kgololo, including the pupils, parents and donors, who enabled the creation of ‘a living and breathing institution where dreams are cultivated and will be lived out’.
“I am so grateful to everyone who believed in our ability to pull this off [the establishment of the school]. Together we will continue to make history in the Alexandra township, by proving what we all know is possible,” she said.
