Boost for Gauteng education
JOBURG - A number of schools in Gauteng will benefit of a R100 000 donation from Deloitte aimed at improving public education.
Deloitte has pledged its support for education in Gauteng with a donation of R100 000 made to MEC Barbara Creecy.
Creecy said the money would be used to connect 10 schools via satellite, a programme that provides previously disadvantaged pupils with extra lessons through satellite broadcast.
The donation was made at a stakeholder engagement session between Creecy and the senior leadership of Deloitte, including CEO Lwazi Bam. The engagement was meant to identify ways in which the private sector can help government improve the public education system.
Creecy highlighted the progress that her department has made in improving public education in a province that faces a microcosm of challenges faced by both affluent and poor provinces in the country.
As the country’s economic hub, she said Gauteng faced the challenge of rapid urban migration, which was accompanied by a rapid rise in school admission numbers. The province strives to cope with these with a roll-out of infrastructure in new schools or improving existing infrastructure.
Gauteng schools also have to contend with the challenges of urban poverty which leads to a high proportion of no fee schools, and a need for pupil transport and feeding schemes to ensure pupils derive full benefit from what government offers. Management at these schools also has to contend with challenges of children from child headed households.
The most direct intervention that the department has made was to offer direct support to 830 primary schools and 360 high schools that were identified as priority schools. The schools have been offered extensive support in the form of extra lessons, additional material and continuous supervision.
Other problem areas included teachers lacking confidence in teaching maths and principals who focus on areas other than their core business, as well as lack of proper sanitation in schools. Creecy said since their intervention, they had seen improvements in both literacy and numeracy.
One of the biggest changes in the country’s education system has been the introduction of Annual National Assessment (ANA) at grades three, six and nine before learners’ complete matric. This ensures that assessments takes place throughout the schooling careers, rather than just a focal point at matric.
