Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga has encouraged children at Ponelopele Oracle Secondary School in Kaalfontein to continue being ‘model learners’.
She said this on 13 February at the school’s 10-year anniversary celebration. The state-of-the-art school was built in 2007 after former president Nelson Mandela roped in computer technology multinational, Oracle, in 2003 to help fund the school.
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There are 1 300 schoolchildren at Ponelopele, which is equipped with e-school technology that sets it apart from other schools in the township. All the youngsters are provided with tablets and classes are equipped with smart boards for teaching.
“Oracle did not just throw money at the problem, but it walked with us through the problem. They monitored the construction project, furnished it and provided facilities that are not even there in the expensive schools. It is a very exciting environment of technology and this school is setting the bar for many other surrounding schools,” said Motshekga.
Oracle SA country leader, Kholiwe Makhohliso, said, “This school is a model for other private companies to learn from. It shows what government and the private sector can achieve if they work together.”
Former Ponelopele matriculant, Praise Ndebele, is studying actuarial science at the University of Cape Town after obtaining eight distinctions in 2013, with 98 per cent in economics and 100 per cent in maths. He encouraged his peers to work hard.
“This school changed my life. I am where I am because of it. I want to encourage all learners to work hard. Everything you need to succeed, you have it here,” he said.
