Former principal instils entrepreneurship skills in children
The former principal of eco-winning The Birches Pre-Primary School, Scilla Edmonds, concluded a 12-week programme presented to KZN schools.
IMAGINE pre-schoolers running a business! This was evident at a marketplace at The Birches Pre-Primary School when The Early Years Enterprise Challenge concluded a 12-week programme presented to KZN schools by Scilla Edmonds recently.
Edmonds is the former principal of the eco-winning The Birches Pre-Primary School.
Scilla Edmonds explained that the school has, over the past 12 weeks, been presenting its Early Years Entrepreneurship Programme.
As a result of this programme, 14 of 19 schools have since set up businesses in their schools.
Edmonds said that the School Enterprise Challenge originated as the brainchild of Nik Kafta, the CEO of a British organisation called Teach a Man to Fish, supported by The Saville Foundation, which is offered internationally for primary and high schools.
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The Birches Pre-Primary entered in 2012, and since then, the school has won many awards from the South Africa Country Award, Africa South Award and, by 2022, it achieved Silver and Gold Levels.
Edmonds said she was approached in 2023 to present a 12-week Pilot Programme at the school called The Early Years Enterprise Challenge.
The programme was successful, and this year, Edmonds, now retired and working under Be Sustainably Yours, was asked to present a second pilot for KZN schools.
Educators and principals from areas as far as Verulam, Pietermaritzburg, Hammarsdale, Mariannridge, Bellair, Merewent and even Illovo attended three workshops over three months.
“The programme culminated with 15 schools presenting their businesses at a marketplace at The Birches Pre-Primary on Saturday, July 20. This was followed by an awards meeting in the hall where schools – which had successfully integrated entrepreneurship into the curriculum by setting up a business with teams of four- to six-year-olds running their businesses – were honoured.
She added that the impact of this programme has not only developed communication, numeracy and life skills in their schools but… “It has become an alternative source of fundraising – also encouraging family and community involvement! Teach a Man to Fish is hoping to include other provinces in South Africa in the programme next year and then, worldwide, to be included in the earliest phase of education,” she said.
Principal of Queen Hleziyedwas’ Little Hearts, Cynthia Zulu, said this programme opened her eyes to business opportunities.
“What we have learnt in the past few weeks is how to make items that we can sell to sustain our crèche. So far, we have started planting vegetables, and the community supports our initiative by buying our fresh vegetables,” she said.
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