Couple talks about their new school
With less than six months to go before their newly-established school can open its doors, founders, husband and wife Thulani Mbatha and Waahida Tolbert-Mbatha could not be more excited.
Speaking to the North Eastern Tribune from their Mountaunview, Orange Grove home, the couple said they conceived the idea of starting a school when they realised there was an urgent need to provide children from disadvantaged homes with quality education. That’s how the Alexandra-based Kgololo Academy came about.
The school is a Pre-R through to Grade 12 private, university preparatory school that will open in Alexandra in 2015. In year one, Kgololo Academy will accommodate pupils in grades Pre-R and R and each year an additional grade will be added.
Born in Alexandra, Mbatha is a public health consultant who travels within and outside South Africa. He met Tolbert-Mbatha in Kentucky, United States where she was born and bred.
The couple married in 2005 and have a five-year-old son.
According to Mbatha, the school also aims to provide parents the opportunity to have their children schooled within their community. He said, “We would like to change the perception that in order to get good education, one needs to attend school in fancy suburbs.”
After the couple’s move to Joburg, Tolbert-Mbatha spent time in the township engaging with stakeholders and residents. She said the school’s curriculum had been based on the national curriculum.
Mbatha added that the academy had already enrolled 25 percent of its pupils.
The couple said although they have busy schedules, they still manage to spend time together as a family. Tolbert-Mbatha said, “We have dinner together every night and Friday evenings are family days where we do something as a family.”
The school is located at the Methodist Church on 2nd Avenue, Alexandra.
